An authentic Mexican taqueria lands in Englewood

A Taco de Pescado is made with grilled fish and topped with an avocado slice at Taqueria Los Gueros in Englewood, where authentic Mexican food hasn't always been available.

A Taco al Pastor with spit-roasted pork, fresh pineapple, onions and cilantro on a single corn tortilla. Salsas and an incendiary slaw allow you to customize your taco.  

-- HACKENSACK, N.J. 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Englewood wasn't known for authentic Mexican food until Jesus Pita opened a branch of his popular Passaic city restaurant on West Palisade Avenue in June 2011.

I recall once ordering fish tacos at Englewood's Blue Moon Mexican Cafe in the mid-1990s, and the dish that was served to me was a soggy mess.

That's when I began exploring the Mexican taquerias, restaurants and wholesale food warehouses in the city of Passaic, where thousands of immigrants from Puebla settled.

When I still ate meat, we enjoyed many a taco at Brenda Lee's two locations in Passaic city, which is connected to Englewood by NJ Transit's No. 780 bus.

Now, the owners of two Taqueria Los Gueros in Passaic have opened a branch in Englewood, about a block from the Pita family's Los Maravillas de Tulcingo, a full-service restaurant. 

Let the battle of the pastor tacos begin.

Spicy green salsa, top right; fiery red salsa, top left; an incendiary slaw of onions and Habanero peppers, bottom left; and fresh lime are served with every order of tacos.

Jarritos is a brand of soda from Mexico that is made with sugar, not high-fructose corn syrup.

Diving in 

On Thursday, after a medical appointment in Englewood, we drove downtown to Taqueria Los Gueros, and ordered Tacos al Pastor for my son and Tacos de Pescado for me (an order of 4 tacos are $6 and $8, respectively).

The brightly decorated space is long and narrow, with high tables and chairs along one wall and the open kitchen along the other. 

The taqueria doesn't make the pastor tacos with fresh pineapple unless you request it. The fish tacos are made with two corn tortillas, pico de gallo (fresh, chopped tomatoes, onions and chilis) and an avocado slice.

The Burrito Mexicano (Carnitas) is made with a flour tortilla ($6). It's filling, but not very interesting. Stick with the tacos and tortas.

At Taqueria Los Gueros, pork for the Taco al Pastor is spit roasted in the style of Mexico's Lebanese immigrants. 

Fish tacos

I loved my fish tacos, which are made with grilled tilapia and corn tortillas, and gobbled each one in two or three bites. They were hot and scrumptious, and I made sure to add green and red salsas to them.

My son said the pastor tacos with onion and cilantro were delicious, reminding him of those we enjoyed at Taqueria El Califa in Mexico City.

My wife agreed after trying her takeout order of pastor tacos.

At El Califa, the pork on a vertical spit is topped with a fresh, peeled pineapple, allowing the taco maker to slice off fruit and meat with one motion into the corn tortilla in his hand.

The limited menu at the moderately priced Taqueria Los Gueros also offers sandwiches called tortas ($3 to $10), quesadillas ($7 to $9); and plates of eggs, fish or meat with rice, beans and tortillas ($6 to $10).

On Taco Tuesdays, five pastor, carnitas (pork) or pollo (chicken) tacos are only $4.99.

Taqueria Los Gueros on West Palisade Avenue in Englewood is one of four in North Jersey. The Englewood location is clean, and brightly decorated and lit, attracting taco lovers, above and below.

Details

Taqueria Los Gueros, 46 W. Palisade Ave., Englewood; 201-408-5924. Open 7 days from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Metered street parking until 6 p.m., except Sundays.

Other locations: 231 Monroe St., Passaic (1-973-472-1091); 210 Dayton Ave., Passaic (1-973-773-7245); 93 Route 17 south, East Rutherford (201-340-4361); and 304 9th St., Saddle Brook (1-862-225-9683). 

Lost and found: A great Taco al Pastor

At El Califa in Mexico City, pork and pineapple meet two corn tortillas.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

In February 2008, we vacationed in Mexico City and amused ourselves searching for the perfect Taco al Pastor, then returned to the same restaurant to enjoy them at least two more times.

These scrumptious tacos are deceptively simple: 

First, marinated pork is roasted on a vertical spit, in the Lebanese style brought over by immigrants from that country.

Then, the meat goes into two warm corn tortillas with fresh pineapple, onion, cilantro and a great salsa. Yet, I have not found anything like them in North Jersey or the city -- until last night.

We had dinner at Las Maravillas de Tulcingo in Englewood, the second branch of a restaurant that serves food from the mountainous state of Puebla. The name translates to the wonders of Tulcingo de Valle, a town well-known for its cooking.

My 14-year-old son raced through the long menu and laser focused on Tacos al Pastor ($7).

Fresh pineapple is the key. When we've found Tacos al Pastor on this side of the border, canned pineapple proved too sweet, throwing off the balance of sweet, savory and spicy flavors.

You'll find the perfect taco al pastor in Mexico City.

Could only watch

I no longer eat meat, so could only watch as my son and wife tried the tacos, filled with tender pork, fresh pineapple and salsa -- made with two corn tortillas, as in Mexico City, but much larger overall. 

There were three to an order, which included sliced radish and spicy green salsa on the side.

My son loved them and found them filling, and my wife said the sample she tried was delicious, though not quite as good as at Taqueria El Califa in Mexico City.

The rest of our meal explored the marvels of simple Mexican food: 

A large guacamole, crunchy with chopped onion ($8); a large bowl of chicken soup, enough for two ($7); a Tulcingo-style salad of fresh cactus, radish and crumbled cheese ($7); shrimp with peppers, onions and melted cheese, served on a large platter with yellow rice and beans, hold the bacon ($11); and a whole, farmed tilapia that was deep fried and served with rice and beans ($13).

The shrimp dish is called alambre de camaron, but the waitress brought me the pricier platter, not the $9 tacos I ordered.  

Reasonable prices

The moist fish looked to be between 1 and 2 pounds, and the price tells you immediately this restaurant serves large portions at reasonable prices, with the exception of the guacamole.

With tax and tip, we spent about $16 a person, and were stuffed. For some reason, we weren't charged for our drinks.

We took home most of the cactus salad, which was bland and could have used a good dressing. I tried squeezing on fresh lime juice, but it couldn't rescue the dish.

We also didn't like the tortilla chips, which were limp from the humidity. The restaurant had its front door open, which I'm sure is a violation of the health code. 

Spotty service

And service from the lone waitress was rough. Only a couple of other tables were occupied, but it took a long time to get our tamarind, hibiscus tea and other cold drinks.

We asked for plates to share the food, but they were small, probably because the square table for four barely had room to hold everything. Water? When my son asked, she brought only one glass.

The restaurant is simply decorated, with vibrant wall paintings. Tables are bare, napkins are paper. Lively Mexican music and a baseball game on TV competed with each other.

Las Maravillas de Tulcingo opened in June on the working-class side of the tracks in Englewood, a small city of haves and have nots. Palisade Avenue was lively last night, with many pedestrians and people just hanging out in front of coffee shops and bakeries.

Closed businesses

Here, you'll find McDonald's, Wendy's, Dunkin' Donuts, a weird Japanese Fusion Tex-Mex Grill, Colombian restaurants and bakeries, a Mexican grocery, Kennedy halal fried chicken and barber shops. Next door to Las Maravillas is an oddly placed auto-parts store.

Unfortunately, there are several closed businesses as well, including Saigon Bistro, which replaced the wildly popular but cramped Saigon R after the latter relocated to Tenafly. 

The long-empty Panera Bread appears poised to reopen as a Wells Fargo Bank, next to City Hall.

Las Maravillas de Tulingo Restaurant 3, 84 W. Palisade Ave., Englewood; 201-568-1980. BYO with street parking. Credit cards accepted. Open seven days from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. or midnight. 

Web site: Las Maravillas de Tulcingo

Inside Mexico City's taco al pastor

Lebanese and Mexican traditions produce a great taco.

Three winters ago, we discovered the taco al pastor in Mexico City and lost count of how many we wolfed down at El Califa and other restaurants. On Tuesday, I heard from a Bergen County woman who just returned and has been pining for the delightful treats.

These scrumptious tacos are deceptively simple: First, marinated pork is roasted on a vertical spit, in the Lebanese style brought over by immigrants from that country (see photo above).

Then, the meat goes into two corn tortillas with fresh pineapple (that's it, at the top of the spit), onion, cilantro and a great salsa. Yet, I have not found their equal in North Jersey or the city.

A taco al pastor at Taqueria El Califa in Mexico City.

The taco maker in the photo is actually a blur in person -- slicing off meat with his right hand into small corn tortillas held in his left hand. Then, he swings the knife at the pineapple for the sweet garnish, shown above.

In Mexico City, the taco al pastor is served three at a time, with a couple of small cups holding red or green salsa. We sampled the taco at three places before deciding the best ones were being served at Taqueria El Califa, then returned two more times.

Here, I stopped looking for a good taco al pastor more than a year ago, the last time I ate meat. 

But I'm betting you can find something similar at Rosa Mexicano in Hackensack, even if you have to order a pork dish, bring your own fresh pineapple and make your own with the restaurant's scrumptious corn tortillas, which are prepared in the dining room.

Rosa Mexicano, 390 Hackensack Ave., in The Shops at Riverside, 
Hackensack; 201-489-9100.

Taqueria El Califa, Altata 22, Colonia Condesa, 
Mexico City; 5271.6285, 5273.4943.

In search of the perfect taco al pastor

It's been more than a year since we went searching for a great taco al pastor in Mexico City, spending a couple of hours sampling these scrumptious taquitos at three restaurants. We decided that the best one was served at El Cailfa (photos top and bottom) and returned two more times.

Here in New Jersey, we haven't been able to find the taco, which is made with marinated pork roasted on a vertical spit, in the Lebanese style (photo left); fresh pineapple, and chopped onion and cilantro.

Oh, sure, we've ordered tacos al pastor listed on menus. One place in Jersey City used canned pineapple -- much too sweet. Another, in Passaic, didn't have any pineapple. So the search continues.