Taqueria La Esquina was quite a surprising find on one of myfoodhunt lunchtime expiditions. I stopped off at the Shell Gas Station on the corner of 54 and Airport Boulevard and saw that they had a taco spot inside that looked pretty authentic.

There was a whole group of workmen inside in their fluorescent jackets ordering food, so I figured this must be a good place to stop and get a bite to eat, those guys don’t mess about.

Chalkboard Menu

The Chalkboard at Taqueria La Esquina was offering up a whole load of Mexican goodness at really great prices, Tortas, Tacos, Quesadillas, and Burritos were all on offer, everything you might need from this genre and food group.

I was in the mind for some taco’s to take away and eat at one of the picnic tables in a nearby park so I decided to order three different ones just to test them out.

The lady behind the counter asked if I wanted them ‘all the way’ which turned out to mean with a sprinkling of cilantro (coriander), and onions (spring onions). The menu said that they also came with grill onions, jalopenos, cucumber and lime, plus a sauce (red or green), I chose green

I went to town getting the shredded beef, the chicken, and the beef tongue, or in the spirit of the board: the Barbacoa, Pollo, and the Lengua.

Barbacoa shredded beef

The first one of the Taco’s on my plate was the one filled with the shredded beef. This was the best of the three as there was a nice amount of meat sauce in the beef so it was pretty moist and juicy. There was a little hint of spice and the chopped spring onion and chopped coriander really added a nice bit of crunch and some freshness to the bite.

Lengua beef tongue

I am continuously surprising myself on this MyFoodHunt adventure as I am more and more willing to try stuff that I would have turned my nose up at years ago. I have found that I now have to order the Lengua or Beef Tongue whenever I have the opportunity to.

You got plenty of thick cubed chunks of meat in this taco, it was little short of seasoning and perhaps slightly dry, but nothing that could not be cured by a squeeze of lime juice.

Pollo chicken

The chicken taco always seems to be the safest option, but it always seems to turn out to be the most disappointing. It is one of those taco’s that you really need to add some kind of sauce or topping to take away the dryness and blandness of the meat. I don’t know if that is how it always is? Personally I would use leg or thigh meat instead of chicken breast to keep more moisture in the chicken.

I saved my taco by adding a good dollop of the accompanying green sauce and a good squeeze of lime. That seemed to liven this one up a bit, sadly not enough for me to order the Pollo again, it’s just to much of a blank taco canvass to make it worth the effort.

Taco Plate

All things considered, I was actually pretty happy with my three taco plate from Taqueria La Esquina. I know I might have pointed out a few flaws, but they can all be saved by adding some sauce before I leave the place. It was also really good to get something pretty authentic, I liked the price point which was just over $7 for three taco’s and I liked that there was no hipster in sight!

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Taqueria La Esquina is Located at 10500 Chapel Hill Rd, Inside Shell Gas Station, Morrisville, NC – 27560 near Airport Blvd

Check them out on their Facebook page