It's taco time at Tacos Michoacan! Located in a small shopping center in American Canyon, California, Tacos Michoacan is so small that when driving Lincoln Highway, or Interstate 29 as it is better also known as, on the way to wine country, passersby can easily miss the front of their restaurant, if it wasn't for their big sign in red lettering leading the way. Michoacan is the name of a state in Mexico and is no doubt the home to many of the unique taco creations that one can find at Tacos Michoacan. Passing by on my way to Napa on a regular basis, I have seen their location and have been intrigued in the past of how good tacos really are, and on a recent trip to wine country, I finally got the chance when I went with a friend for a quick lunch. Nothing but the bare essentials inside, with an enclosed outdoor patio directly in the back on warmer days, the menu at Tacos Michoacan is displayed on a large flat screen television and is separated into categories including Meats, Sides, Drinks, Tacos, Big Tacos, Burritos, Platillos or plates served with rice and beans, Combinaciones or Combinations served with rice, beans and pico; Mariscos or Seafood, Caldos or soups, and Postres or desserts.
With a wide variety of options, my friend and I weren't super hungry and so we immediately knew what we came for on this afternoon visit, their Big Tacos! With eight to choose from we had a lot of options, as I decided to order their Volcanes Big Taco which had ground meat, melted white cheese, pico, cilantro and salsa served on a grilled corn tortilla. My friend ordered their Alambre Big Taco which had steak, onion, shredded white cheese, green pepper, and cilantro served on a grilled corn tortilla. And since I really love it when I see it on a menu, I ordered a large size horchata, which was 32 ounces, which is a traditional Mexican beverage made with rice, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and water. Our total bill was slightly over seventeen dollars which was before gratuity was added in, which honestly was on the higher than expected side, even in these higher priced times, but I realized much of the cost of my bill was due to the large size beverage I ordered. I was able to enjoy and sip my horchata as our food was being prepared fresh from their kitchen.
It would take a decent amount of time for our entrées to be prepared but when they were brought out by the same hard working individual that took our order at their counter, I was quite pleased with the taco entrée that I ordered, as one of the main differences between the two tacos was that my cheese was melted directly on my tortilla as it was prepared on the grill so it would serve as sort of a base layer between the meat and salsa and the cheese and tortilla. It may have been a small taco but it was easily a meal unto itself. My dining mate was satisfied with their taco and just like that we were full and ready to go. Tacos Michoacan is such a nice and accessible hidden gem en route to wine country that this can easily be a quick stop to wine country or something to experience and enjoy on your way back home. I cannot wait to come back and try their Combinaciones as their enchilada sounds delectable and when combined with their Volcanes taco, you are in flavor heaven as authentic flavors are the role of the day. Here's to the continued success of Tacos Michoacan; may this one roadside stop turn into something much larger one day! read more