Truck Treks: Taco Mondo

If you’re willing to make the trek past Drexel’s hotspots, 30th Street Station is a gold mine for food trucks. Every weekday, they have a different pair of trucks on The Porch, the adorable pavilion on Market St.

Last Friday felt like a day for tacos, and TacoMondo didn’t disappoint. I sampled three of their menu items (all tacos, of course, though they also serve various quesadillas, burritos, tortas, and empanadas). Service was smooth and the wait was minimal. But this was the kind of lunch I would wait for.

My first impression of these tacos: They were packaged exquisitely. Each order of two tacos came wrapped in red tissue paper and neatly cushioned in a white box. With a bow, they would have been worthy of a spot under the Christmas tree.

First up, a chorizo taco with lettuce, pico de gallo, goat cheese, and crema. I don’t usually eat pork and planned on just having a bite or two of this, but I couldn’t stop. The chorizo was seasoned perfectly–salty, spicy, with just a bit of tang. The crema balanced the saltiness of the meat. Finally, the double tortilla on this taco worked beautifully to contain it. No mess here.

Next, a mahi mahi fish taco with lettuce, pickled vegetables, and spicy aioli. The mahi mahi was lightly breaded and hit the mark in texture. Moist, with a crispy exterior and mellow flavor. The aioli and veggies provided a welcome brightness and I only wish there had been more of each.

Two tacos was enough to satisfy me, but I couldn’t ignore the stunning scent of the third order: smoked chicken tacos with chipotle BBQ sauce and cabbage slaw. I’m not going to pretend this one wasn’t messy. This taco was the kind you drip all over your fingers and all over your lap. And it was worth each fleck of bright red BBQ sauce that ended up on my jeans. The chicken in this was cooked perfectly and doused in flavorful BBQ marinade. The cabbage slaw pleasantly surprised me, providing a crunchy, fresh, backdrop to the savory chicken. Two simple components, but the taco was exceedingly delicious.

While I’ll be making rounds at The Porch to try the trucks of every weekday, I know I won’t be able to resist coming back to TacoMondo.