Emiliano's Tacos - Altiplano

I was hiking several blocks west of downtown Tijuana on Av. 5 de Mayo when I spotted Emiliano 's Tacos, with a neon sign above the name of the restaurant sporting a slogan that read Al Carbon Estilo Jalisco. That slogan implies that the restaurant serves down home, Mexican comfort food, in the variety found in the state of Jalisco. Although I was on a quest for hot dogs, the idea of grilled, Jalisco style food was enough to convince me to walk through the wide open door, and place myself on a stool at the counter, and order two tacos de tripitas (tripe tacos) with all the trimmings. This visit actually took place in December, 2018, and I 'm just getting around to writing it up. Lo siento... This evening, Emiliano 's Tacos was staffed by two friendly persons, Jose and Maria, who seemed to be interchangeable in their duties, as both were staffing the kitchen. The kitchen is arranged behind a counter, so you can sit on a bar stool at the counter, and chit chat with the staff while they prepare your meal. Jose and Maria both speak a smattering of English, and Jose is quite familiar with California, as he was proud to point out to me that he has a brother who lives in Fresno. I looked around for a menu, and didn 't see one. Emiliano 's did have a hand printed menu in the window facing the street, but since I was too lazy to get up, and the staff was so eager to be of service, I just asked what variety of tacos they serve: Tripita, tripas, chorizo, carne molitas and carne asada. In addition to tacos, they serve quesadillas; the menu is limited at best. You can order any variety of tortillas that your heart desires, as long as they 're corn, which is OK with me, as corn tortillas are my favorite. Maria placed the corn tortillas on the griddle, as Jose dug out a couple of pieces of trip from a container and placed them, next to the tortillas, on the griddle. It was quite an enjoyable experience to chit chat with Jose and Maria, and savor the smell of fresh corn tortillas, and the sizzle of tripe cooking on the griddle. When tortillas were heated and starting to bubble, Maria removed them from the griddle and placed them on a plate; Jose asked me if I wanted beans on my tacos that was a no brainier so after the tripe was finished and placed on the tacos, Jose scooped a couple of spoonfuls from a pot, simmering on the stove, and placed the beans on my tacos. At Emiliano 's Tacos, garnishes are a serve yourself affair, as they 're in a tray on the counter, and you just help yourself to whatever you want. Condiments include diced tomatoes, diced white onions, chopped cilantro, guacamole, radishes, sliced limes and red or green salsa. I loaded my tacos with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, guacamole, squeezed lime juice all over my tacos, and sat back to savor the masterpieces that I had just purchased. Each taco contained a generous amount of marinated tripe, grilled on the griddle until it was slightly crisp on the outside, and chewy tender on the inside, just the way it 's supposed to be. The tripe or tripas was placed on a medium sized, toasted corn tortilla, which was toasted perfectly so it stayed together when you held your taco, and when you bit into it, the tortilla didn 't fall apart. For condiments, I added pot beans, creamy guacamole, diced onion, diced tomato, along with diced cilantro. Amazing tacos! I can 't say enough great things about Emiliano 's Tacos... do yourself a favor and pay them a visit, and you 'll be transported into taco nirvana, Jalisco style!