I don’t like tacos.
Or at least I didn’t think I liked tacos until I took my kids to Mexico for a day. There, we ate tacos al pastor, a fresh masa tortilla piled high with spit-grilled pork and a mountain of avocado. It was taco heaven.
Tijuana was a ready-made adventure with kids — with tacos and beaches topping the list. At the interactive Museo del Taco, we walked through each step of the taco process. We flattened masa balls into tortillas, swung around on cebollas (onions), dreamed away in an aguacate (avocados), and ended our tour in the restaurant. Because what’s a taco museum without tacos to eat?
Interactive Museo del Taco in Tijuana, Mexico. (Image: JiaYing Grygiel)
Back home in Seattle, I was determined to find Tijuana-style tacos. I wasn’t disappointed. Here are three taquerías in Seattle that my kids and I loved.
Tacos Extranjeros
- 936 N.W. 49th St., Seattle
- Sunday: 12-5 p.m., Monday-Tuesday: 4-8 p.m.
Run, don’t walk, to Tacos Extranjeros. It’s three blocks from the Ballard Trader Joe’s, inside the all-ages Fair Isle Brewing. Fair Isle is kid- and pup-friendly; grown-ups can have an adult beverage while eating tacos.
The owners are a young couple from Los Angeles, and their pop-up has only been open for three months. They sell Tijuana-style tacos from Fair Isle’s tasting room for $3.50 each, three days a week. The salsa de habanero was picked as one of the best eats of the year by The Seattle Times, but it was the taco de adobaba that stole my heart. You can sit right at the counter and watch Chef Bohden Tarantine at work. We chose the picnic tables outside (under tents and heat lamps) so I could inhale the scent of pork wafting from the trompo (rotisserie).
Tacos Extranjeros in Ballard. (Image: JiaYing Grygiel)
Note: Tacos Extranjeros is on a two-week break, reopening Feb. 16. They’re adding burritos, alambres, and other items to the menu and debuting a Sunday brunch with chilaquiles and chilaquiles burritos.
Tacos La Cuadra
- 11029 Roosevelt Way N.E. and 9741 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle
- Daily: 7 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Picture this–you’re standing next to a busy road, in the dark, in the rain, trying to keep taco fixings from running down your sleeve. I hadn’t felt this alive in years. Tacos La Cuadra is open late, 7 p.m. to midnight, so parents can remember what it’s like to go out at night again. There are two locations, one at Northgate and the other at Rainier Beach.
Tacos la Cuadra. (Image: JiaYing Grygiel)
Small and unassuming, this joint has been not-so-quietly blowing up on social media, with foodies gushing about their authenticity, toppings bar, and al pastor. They got extra points for being nice to my middle schooler when he practiced his Spanish while ordering.
One thing to note — their locations and hours can be difficult to track down on their website, and they change sporadically. You can confirm hours and location by calling 509-790-1704 or messaging on Instagram.
La Conasupa
- 8532 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle
- Weekdays: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Seven bucks for a taco? It sounds like extortion until you see the taco at La Conasupa and realize it’s actually the size of three or four “regular” tacos. These tacos are loaded. The menu warns you that portions are large, and it’s a carnivore’s delight. (There is a mushroom and potato version if you must.) Al pastor pork tacos are having a moment, but La Conasupa’s house specialty is the lamb barbacoa and consomé.
La Conasupa is a tiny Mexican grocery store on Greenwood’s commercial strip. Tucked in the back, the taquería serves up tacos piled high with protein. Order with the cashier and snag a table at the back—we shared a massive lamb taco, which easily fed three people, and washed it down with a tall cup of horchata.
La Conasupa in Greenwood. (Image: JiaYing Grygiel)
When I asked the kids which Tijuana-style tacos in Seattle were the most like Tijuana, they said La Conasupa. Not because of the tacos but because it “has tables inside and horchata.” I won’t hold my breath on their future food critic careers!
We undoubtedly missed some great spots. Please shoot us a note at editor@seattleschild.com, and we’ll keep this list going as your favorites fly in. Enjoy!
