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Doris Esquer, the owner and chef of Tacos El Cuate de Obregon and Sonora native, has called Tucson home since 2000.
“It’s all a family business,” she said, proudly, who began running the food truck with her father in 2003.
Before setting up at the current spot between 12th Avenue and Irvington Road, the family operated another food truck for six years on 22nd Street between Wilmot and Craycroft Road. However, both food trucks aren’t the family’s first run in the food industry.
Her parents previously owned a taqueria in their hometown of Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. “Funny enough, it was also called El Cuate,” Esquer giggled. At just 10 years old she gained first-hand experience in the food industry.
When it came to designing the menu for her current food truck, Esquer said they stayed true to their roots with some new additions like rib eye tacos. This is the first local food truck I’ve seen in Tucson selling these type of tacos.
“The menu is almost exactly what we had back in Obregon,” she said. “The idea of the rib-eye tacos came from my dad. We use the whole rib eye, which isn’t made until someone orders it.”
A menu item I’ve never seen served out of a food truck is Ahogaditas. Sure, the rib eye tacos caught my eye first but once I noticed the Ahogaditas, my mouth watered immediately and I knew I had to order it.
If you’ve never eaten Ahogaditas before, you and I both have been missing out. It’s made with two tostadas (fried corn tortillas) with a base layer of frijoles (beans), pierna de puerco (pork leg meat), and chicharrón (pork rinds). To top it off, some avocado is added to the mix and then drenched in the pierna broth.
The pierna at Tacos El Cuate is savory with a slight sweetness, while the broth adds a salty note — it’s a wonderful combination. The chicharrón at the bottom ends up absorbing some of the broth, giving it a texture similar to chicharrón con salsa.
The Ahogaditas is already packed with flavor but I love my toppings! I added onions, cilantro, a little red and green salsa, and a squeeze of lime. I had created a masterpiece.
In the end, it doesn’t matter what you eat because everything is made with so much care. Plus, they love to support other local businesses like Camacho Carnicería — where they buy their meat — and Tortillas Bryan for their handmade tortillas.
After eating at Tacos el Cuate, I know what sets Esquer’s cuisine apart from other vendors in town, but according to her, it’s not the seasoning that makes the difference but “the hands of the person making it.”
I couldn’t have said it better.
Tacos El Cuate de Obregon is located at 4817 S. 12th Ave. For more information, follow Tacos El Cuate on Instagram.
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