Tacos Tijuana - Bomb Tacos & Dreams

The Torres family, founders of Tacos Tijuana are proof that dreams do come true. Back in 2016 they opened up a food truck and slung tasty tacos in a bike shop parking lot. They quickly gained a huge following with long lines and rave reviews.

“We were blessed with so much community support,” said Julia Torres. “It was unbelievable and we quickly outgrew our small trailer.

The family took a leap of faith and in December 2017 the first brick and mortar Tacos Tijuana opened up at 51st Ave and Bell Road in Glendale.

Julia says her family finds inspiration in the family patriarch, Adolfo Torres Sr. “My father-in-law started his first taco business in Tijuana and has been doing that for well over 20 years,” she said. “He also had a taco business in Culiacan and Sinaloa before his family made the transition to the States.”

She says it was always his dream to open up a taqueria in the US, but “as with everything, life happened and he had to focus on finding other ways to support his family.”

Living on the west side of town the Torres family couldn't find tacos like their father's and so they decided to open that first food truck. “We reached out to the bicycle shop owner and asked if we could park in his ample driveway and he said yes,” Julia said. “The rest is history.”

Every taco lover in town should thank that bike shop for giving the Torres family the break they needed to bring authentic Mexican street tacos to the AZ masses. Their tacos are fantastic and and addictive. If you have been to Tacos Tijuana, you know. And if you haven't, what are you waiting for? They now have five locations across the valley.

So what sets Tacos Tijuana apart in a town full of great tacos? It's gotta be the pride behind the food and the dedication in staying true to Adolfo's dream. “Our al pastor adobo and salsas are all credited to my father-in-law, he is so passionate about his food, his marinades and his salsas,” said Julia. “He has guided us and still to this day he makes the product for all of our locations because we want to control the quality and flavor. He takes a lot of pride in everything he makes.”

Tacos Tijuana serves authentic Mexican food and it truly is some of the best in town. Their tacos are high quality, yet affordable. They take pride in keeping their menus simple and offer only two meats and and a veggie option. This allows them to put focus on ensuring each and every item coming out of their kitchens is perfect, (plus, when it comes to tacos you really only need carne asada or al pastor, am I right?) On the menu you will find those meats (and veggie option) available in tacos made with fresh flour or corn tortillas, quesadillas, mulitas or vampiros. Both meat options are perfectly seasoned and expertly cooked, leaving it tender and tasty.

At Tacos Tijuana nothing is ever frozen and all the salsas, guacamole, and marinades are made fresh daily. That attention to detail is found in everything they serve, even the drinks.

“We never use concentrate for our horchata or jamaica,” said Julia. “Instead we soak our rice with whole cinnamon sticks overnight and blend the next day. We steep our hibiscus flowers to make the jamaica, it's a very labor intensive process but we do it because we want to give our customers an authentic experience.”

Owning multiple locations in the Valley has been a dream come true for the Torres family.

They plan to keep that dream alive and well by remaining a permanent fixture in town by continuing to serve high quality, authentic Mexican food at an affordable price. “We want people enjoy our food and leave saying 'damn those were some bomb tacos'!”