First Impressions of Taqueria La Unica

Taqueria La Unica has opened with a bang: well before noon on Monday, the line extended out the door. With an emphasis on street food, the restaurant—in the former Dunkin’ building next to Whole Foods—is a different beast from the Los Agaves Restaurant Group’s other seven establishments (including Los Agaves, Santo Mezcal, and Flor de Maiz).

The first thing you’ll want to know is that there are around two dozen parking spaces wrapping around the back of the restaurant. The second thing is that you should either study up on Mexican street food ahead of time (see glossary below) or plan on doing a lot of Googling while you’re in line, because the menu—both posted on the wall and in handheld form—makes no concessions to novices. Rather oddly, the wall menu doesn’t have prices, either.

I grew up in Southern California, I’ve been to Mexico many times, I eat pretty widely, and yet I was flummoxed. When it was my turn to order, I told the staffer I wanted four tacos, but I’m not a fan of brain or tongue. She said my options were pork al pastor, suadero (a thin cut of beef), longaniza (akin to chorizo), and tripe. So I got three tacos and an order of pinto beans con queso. I was planning on ordering horchata, too, but the restaurant didn’t have it—actually, it didn’t have several items on the menu. And the beer-and-wine license is still pending.

The room definitely feels like a fast-casual restaurant, but with some nice decorative touches (the ceiling, the tile), a lot of natural light, and outdoor seating. While I waited, I went over to the salsa bar, which was a bit confusing: the signs didn’t align with the salsas, and a couple were missing or needed replenishment.

Street tacos are two small corn tortillas piled with meat and, if you choose, raw onion and cilantro. You’re then free to doctor them up with salsa(s) and/or a spritz of lime juice. The pork one was delicious, but the other meats weren’t especially flavorful, so the experience became more about the onions and salsa. And the beans were refried and bland, with stiff chips that didn’t add much. But the meal was an incredible value: the whole thing—which was a lot of food—cost just $14.80 (possibly because the pork tacos were only $2 that day).

While a few veggie tacos are available, they’re definitely anomalous. From what I can tell, the menu is based on the various meats, which are then offered in different preparations—tacos, burritos, tortas, and so on. Next time, I’ll try the frijoles charros and a burrito, which would take some of the emphasis off the meat—and because the ones I’ve seen online look very appealing.

P.S. Here’s a partial glossary of menu terms. Native Spanish speakers, please feel free to offer corrections.

MEATS
Lengua Beef tongue.
Cachete Beef cheek.
Cabeza “Cow’s head. A ‘taco de cabeza’ can include any part, such as cachete, or be served as a mix (‘surtida’) of head meats, including sesos, ojo, and lengua.” —Texas Monthly
Labio “Cow lips […] similar to lengua in taste, but, due to a fattier and more gelatinous texture, may present more of a challenge for unadventurous eaters.” —L.A. Taco
Suadero “A smooth beef cut cooked in fat and finished on a griddle.” —Texas Monthly
Longaniza Sausage akin to chorizo.
Tripa Tripe.
Arrachera “Marinated skirt steak, usually grilled.” —Texas Monthly
Picaña Top sirloin cap.
Pollo adobado Marinated chicken.
Quesabirria “Birria-style cooked beef folded into a tortilla with melted cheese and served with a side of broth for dipping.” —Wikipedia
Campechana “Thrown together or improvised. A mix of something which varies from taqueria to taqueria, but is generally chorizo, bistec, and something else.” —First We Feast

PREPARATIONS
Costras “Translates to ‘scab.’ A corn tortilla layered with meat then cheese flipped over onto the comal and left to crisp and caramelize, then flipped over again and served.” —First We Feast
Volcanes “Tortillas left to toast on the side of the comal (but not fried like tostadas) with meat and melted cheese.” —First We Feast
Tortas Sandwiches.
Burros Burritos.
Alambres “Alambre is a Mexican dish consisting of one’s choice of meat—popular choices include grilled beef, al pastor, chicken, and shrimp—topped with chopped bacon, bell peppers, onions, cheese, salsa, and in some variations, avocado. It is usually served with freshly made corn or flour tortillas.” —Wikipedia
Plancha The word translates to “grill,” but I’m not sure that’s what it means in this context….

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