Clarion Cuisine: Taqueria del Pueblo delivers the vibrant flavors of Mexican street food

A common notion about local restaurants is that the older and more sketchier the location is, the better the food will be. Not necessarily a sentiment that always holds up, but Taqueria del Pueblo lends some validity to the statement. 

I spent five minutes driving through a strip mall on Springboro Pike, trying to find the location of the restaurant. In my ignorance, I accidentally drove by it five times. I walk up to a neat little stand, adorned with two bright red signs showcasing all the dishes for sale.  

The menu consists of street food staples, quesadillas, burritos and of course, tacos. Each of them with your choice of meat from carne asada and carnitas, to beef tongue (lengua) and beef cheek (cachete).

I ended up getting three tacos, carne asada, carnitas and pollo. Each topped with onions and cilantro with verde and red sauce on corn tortillas. I also got a Carnita torta, which is a style of sandwich. 

I am not a super massive taco guy, but these were easily the best tacos I have ever had. All the meats, especially the carnitas, were spiced to perfection and super flavorful. Both the verde and red sauce tasted amazing and complimented the onion and cilantro. While you cannot outright taste the lime squeezed on the taco, you would miss it if it was not there.

The carnitas had a slight hint of pineapple that tied the taste together with the juiciness and tenderness of the pork. The carne asada and pollo were also extremely good; the pollo was nice and peppery with a subtle lime aftertaste. 

The carnita torta was super savory. The bread is perfectly toasted, paired with amazingly marinated pork, fresh veggies and fresh guacamole.  The guacamole had a strong lime flavor, which I personally prefer. 

I remember when I took my first bite of the torta, sitting at the shoddy wooden picnic table.  I felt like I had experienced real, authentic Mexican street food.  In the Midwest, Mexican restaurants are a dime a dozen, but REAL authentic Mexican food restaurants are far rarer. 

I honestly feel like if I were to walk down the streets of Guadalajara and get street tacos at a stand. I would get similar tacos to the ones I got at Taquerio de Pueblo. A case could be made that the tacos at Taquerio de Pueblo would be even better because of their unique usage of spices. 

I was so mad at myself that I ate everything because I wanted to save some for when I got home, but I don’t care, it was absolutely worth it.  Honestly, two or three tacos, a burrito, and a fruit punch Jarrito could sustain me for decades.  

There are two locations for Taqueria del Pueblo. The stand where I went is located in the front of a parking lot at  5594 Springboro Pike in Dayton. The actual brick-and-mortar restaurant is located at 3555 Kettering Blvd. in Moraine.   

Taqueria de Pueblo is an amazing addition to the culinary community of Dayton. Every little thing from the meats, to the veggies and to the sauces were all sublime. I hope the stand and the restaurant are around for many years to come. 

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