(Brothers) Chavez Taco Truck

Located out on deep Killingsworth, near where it runs into Lombard or Portland Blvd, this taco truck is one of the finest. The tacos are fantastic, and that is what I most highly recommend. These succulent morsels of meat-stuffed corn tortilla are superb, served classically with lime and radish. In particular, I enjoy the pastor, but I am a bit of a pastor freak. The chicken is great too. I’ve enjoyed the asada and lengua as well.

They are fast, cheap, and to all appearances of decent quality. The salsa is fantastic, the red being smoky and on the spicy side, the green thicker with a nice subtle tang. The red is fairly far on the spicy side, so beware.

Don’t get me wrong, the burritos are well worth the effort (that it takes to eat them), they are quite tasty, and actually have some vegetables in them. More salad than fajita. And they are huge. While not as heavy on meat as the burritos at many taquerias, they also are lighter on rice and beans (we’re talking proportionally, by the way), yet do not sacrifice flavor or texture. Quite fantastic.

This taqueria is somehow related to the Taqueria Chavez which had been located on Woodstock, and moved to N Lombard. The Chavez on N Lombard has since changed names, but I’m not sure why, whether it is under new ownership or if they just wanted to change it because Lupita sounds nicer. While the truck format loses a bit of the charm of the taqueria, as well as limiting the options (no verde or colorado on the menu, and the mariscos may be limited…not sure on that last as its not my bag) and the salsa varieties, not too much has been sacrificed. Another quality lost in the truck is the handmade tortillas made on the spot. Fantastic stuff, but I’ll cover the transition to Lupita in another review.

Overall, I believe that the Chavez family runs one of the foremost taqueria businesses in Portland, and recommend their establishments to anyone who enjoys spicy, flavorful, well-textured Mexican food.