Tacos El Asadero

Tacos El Asadero

3517 Rainier Ave S
Seattle, Washington
Health report: (usually) great

Open: 10AM to 10PM.

The outside eating area is there all summer

What a great taco truck / bus! While picking favorite taco trucks is probably as uncosher as picking favorite children, I keep coming back to Tacos El Asadero over and over again.

The kitchen lies within

Located in the midst of auto repair shops and wrecking yards, the white bus of Tacos El Asadero should not be mistaken for a junker. Within, half of the Tacos El Asadero bus is a kitchen and half is a covered, heated eating area. Menus, line the walls and, while some menus may be redundant, you might miss the great tamales if you only look at the pictures.

It says tamales in the lower right corner

Tacos el Asadero has the usual choices and, for the no-Spanish speakers, big colorful pictures of all the dishes. Be prepared; the pictures under-represent the amount of food you'll be getting. Unfortunately, I always end up eating the food before the camera comes out. But you can't go wrong if you follow the owner's advice and stick with the basics. The recommendations:

- the chicken quesadilla ($4.00) is a full meal and comes piled on the paper plate
- the mulitas are excellent (and only $1.50).
- the tamales are hidden on the menu and are sometimes piled in a basket in the kitchen. They're often great, but not always.

Go on a weeknight and random people will be passing through. Go on a Sunday night and the bus literally rocks with activity. The native English speakers usually mix and match two or three taco-like items, whereas the native Spanish speakers go for entire meals shown on the pictures that surround the inside of the bus.

The Pepsi machine next to the ordering window

Get a Coke out of the Pepsi machine: It's from Mexico, which means it has even more sugar than you're used to (and therefore tastes extra-good). Also, Tacos el Asadero does not offer giant accommodation. Watch your head.

The spinny stools are fun

Tacos el Asadero gets all dolled up for Christmas. Note the colorful menu choices and once you've ordered, sit near the space heater on the driver's seat for warmth. And close that door.