Street Tacos Don Joaquin brings flavors to new Provo location
Carne asada tacos are available at Street Tacos Don Joaquin in Provo on Tuesday.
Beef tacos, pork tacos and a quesadilla are available at Street Tacos Don Joaquin in Provo on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
Carne asada tacos are available at Street Tacos Don Joaquin in Provo.
A quesadilla from Street Tacos Don Joaquin.
Beef tacos, pork tacos and a quesadilla at Street Tacos Don Joaquin.
Beef tacos, pork tacos and a quesadilla are available at Street Tacos Don Joaquin in Provo on Tuesday.
Gringa tacos are available at Street Tacos Don Joaquin in Provo on Tuesday.
Street Tacos Don Joaquin might remind you of Subway initially. Don’t worry, though. That will pass.
The Mexican food joint just opened a new location on Bulldog Boulevard in Provo, between Domino’s Pizza and, yes, Subway. Aesthetically, the place is classic Subway: walls of rough beige tiles, rows of booth seats, etc. As soon as your other senses activate, it balances out. “Sandwich artist”-induced PTSD be gone.
I had visited Don Joaquin’s Springville location once last year. The new digs are a major upgrade. I was also hoping the food would be better — that Springville visit didn’t inspire much confidence. We perused the menu, which was mostly, as advertised, various tacos. “So many tacos, so little time,” I thought to myself.
We settled on four different kinds: Al Pastor (pork and pineapple), Chorizo (pork sausage), Cabeza (beef head) and Lengua (beef tongue). Not wanting to exclude the menu’s non-taco offerings, we got a quesadilla (no explanation needed, I hope) and a Gringa, which was a tortilla topped with meat and cheese, but pan-fried cheese-side down. A hefty slice of tres leches cake and large cups of horchata topped off our order.
Props to the Don on his prices. Our order was 12 tacos, plus the quesadilla, Gringa, tres leches cake and three drinks, all for less than $40. You’ll get your money’s worth here.
The tacos come unadorned, with only the tortilla and meat. Don Joaquin has an ample salsa bar, though. Make sure to load up on sauces, onions, peppers, etc. As we got our fixin’s, an employee went to a booth for her lunch break. She carried a large torta (a.k.a. meat sandwich). It looked tasty. But alas, it was not on the menu — the perks of working for the Don, perhaps.
To my knowledge, I’d never had beef tongue before. It was better than I expected. The pork head tasted a bit more flavorful than the pork tongue. If you like pork, go with the cabeza. Our favorite tacos were the chorizo. Slightly spicy, Don Joaquin’s chorizo had the most kicked of the meats we sampled. Another good thing about these tacos: The tortillas weren’t dry and they didn’t rip. This is rarer than it should be.
The Gringa was awesome. Frying it cheese-side down is brilliant — you get a layer of crispy cheese, then a layer of gooey cheese, then the meat, then the tortilla. Boom.
Our quesadilla was a cheesy, greasy beast. Too cheesy/greasy for our taste. This place does have “street tacos” in its name, though. Sitting indoors, it’s easy to forget that Don Joaquin specializes in quick, cheap food you’d normally eat from a taco truck. And the place had a lot of customers during our visit. They’ve found their niche.
I’ve been saving the best for last. The tres leches cake. Oh my, the tres leches cake. Three kinds of milk — whole, evaporated, sweetened condensed — is apparently the ideal number for exquisite, perfectly moist sponge cake. (There’s also a layer of heavy whipping cream on top.) “This is the best cake I’ve ever had,” fellow reporter Derrick Clements remarked as he forked another piece. I might have to agree with him.
STREET TACOS DON JOAQUIN
Where: 150 W. 1230 North, Provo
Prices: Tacos $1.25-$2, other entrees $2-$8, drinks $2-$3
Hours: Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to midnight
Info: (801) 400-2894, facebook.com/tacosdonjoaquin