Tacos La Cuadra: Al Pastor
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There’s something admirable about La Cuadra’s gusto. As the taco truck’s al pastor went viral last summer and fans lined up around the block, King Co. Public Health shut them down no less than five times for “unpermitted mobile food vendor violations.” Yet, the people kept coming, and La Cuadra kept serving – well enough to garner enough popularity to open a brick-and-mortar location in Kent. Clearly, they’re doing something right.
As for the title of this post, calling La Cuadra’s al pastor the best in Seattle is not a hyperbole, at least not as it stands today. If there is a better pick, I have not been able to find it – and I have looked.
For those not familiar, al pastor is essentially Mexican shawarma. Spit-grilled marinated pork, typically served as tacos with a chunk or two of pineapple thrown on top. Straightforward enough, at least theoretically – I rarely find that the execution lives up to the promise.
At La Cuadra, though, they got it down.
Here, the meat can best be described as succulent, a flavor explosion not dissimilar to pork-flavored Pop Rocks (presumably). The marinade is pepper-forward – classic black pepper at that – flanked by chilies and an intensely acidic pineapple juice. Al pastor done right, and nearly certainly the best I’ve had this side of Guadalajara.
Eating it plain on a couple of tortillas and calling it a day is all you need, but tossing on some stash from La Cuadra’s pepper bar doesn’t hurt either. You’ll find the usual suspects – cilantro, chopped onions, and so on – alongside a red salsa with a serious kick. Powerful without drowning out the flavor of the meat – a companion and not a competitor. It’s the type of harmony I can get behind.
So, yes, La Cuadra does have its share of gusto, but it’s not all bluster. Or, more accurately, there’s no bluster at all. La Cuadra is the real deal, be it their truck or their brick-and-mortar location – this al pastor is worth the hunt.
You can find La Cuadra in Kent on 24602 Military Rd S. As far as a web presence goes, Instagram looks to be it – check it out to find where their trucks are. They usually start at 7 pm, and I have often seen them up and down Rainier Ave.
This post originally appeared in The Awesomeness Digest.