Sometimes the best food comes from the small hidden away restaurants that all the locals know about. I got lucky on my last visit to Flagstaff and found a place such as this. I have made many visits to Flagstaff over the years and have tried a lot of different restaurants there, but these are by far the best tacos I have eaten in the area. I talked with the friendly owners, he is from California where he met his wife who was originally from Jalisco, Mexico. She told me she used to have her own taco stand there. She brought her recipes over with her and together with her husband opened a taco shop (Tacos Los Altos, Route 66) in Flagstaff and after years of success, they decided to retire, so they sold the restaurant. They soon became restless and decided to open another restaurant so they opened Tacos Los Altos – West Side. I have tried both restaurants and I like the food from the one run by them best (the West Side Location). My favorite menu item and their most poplar is the street tacos (Mini Tacos) and my favorite meats on them are the Carne Asada, the Adobada, and the Tripas. The Carne Asada is amazingly tender and juicy with a pleasant flavor from her special marinade. The Adobada is one of the best I have tasted, it has the great taste that Adobada marinade brings to the meat, but it is not too salty like most of them that I tried are. It is cooked so that the small chunks of meat have a slight char which imparts a great caramelized taste that blends in with the marinade and adds complexity to the taco’s flavor. The Tripas has no bitter taste, which I have have tasted in some that are not prepared correctly, and it is delightfully crunchy. They will ask how you like it prepared (crunchy or not). I really liked the spicy and flavorful red and green taco sauces from their salsa bar the best. They enhanced the flavor of the tacos, although the tacos were tasty enough on their own to be eaten without it. I usually don’t eat the Lengua tacos, but since it is popular with their customers, I decided to try it, and well I wasn’t disappointed, it also was very good. The meat was tender and had a deep beefy flavor. I ate so many of their tacos that I couldn’t cover any more of their menu, however I will look forward to going through more of it in future visits. If you are in Flagstaff for any reason, or live in Flagstaff, you need to add a visit to Tacos Los Altos into you agenda. Once you try it you will be hooked as I am. Here is the Location:
Tacos Los Altos (Google Maps Link)
2500 S Woodlands Village Blvd #1
Flagstaff, AZ 86001