Antojitos Jacky

3464 Sullivant Avenue
(Marathon gas station)
Open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-10pm. Sundays at Rhodes Park.

In preparation for our first Taco Truck Tour, we recently completed our annual survey of the trucks of the west side. This part of town had been fairly stable over the past 5 years, with relatively few trucks coming or going, but this year is different – we counted 5 trucks we haven’t been to before, and have reason to suspect there are at least a couple more.

Yesterday we only had belly space to give to one truck, and that truck was Antojitos Jacky.

They carry the traditional quartet – tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and tortas – as well as preparations we more commonly associate with those sold at sporting events, such as fruit cups and chicharron preparado (pictured below). But hidden among the rest of the menu were a couple of curiosities – dorilocos and tostilocos.

We inquired, the owner explained, and we grinned – they’re walking tacos, either with Doritos or tortilla chips. This is not what we expected. For those of you who haven’t encountered them, walking tacos amount to a sliced open single-serving bag of chips topped with any of a wide variety of either Mexican (or “Mexican”) ingredients. Nachos in a bag, basically, and apparently a popular fair food in the Midwest.

Tortilla chips were sold out, so dorilicos it was. We ordered them topped with asada, shredded cabbage, diced cucumber, avocado, crema, a not-very-hot hot sauce, and ‘peanuts japones‘.

Suffice it to say it was delicious, but the joy of eating was secondary to watching an avowed hater of all things junk foody scarfing it down like it was her last meal on earth. “Who would’ve thought cabbage would go with Doritos so well?”, she opined incredulously. It was a good point.

And there we have it – the true joy of the Columbus taco truck experience. Each untried truck is an opportunity to discover something new, to gamble on serendipity and win. We’re looking forward to exploring the rest of the newcomers, especially the one that’s Chucky themed (bonus points if you find it before we write about it).

 

Taqueria Gonzalez

(near Stelzer Market) 755 Stelzer Ave
Columbus, OH 43219
Phone: 614 589 3312
Facebook: Taqueria Gonzalez
Monday to Saturday: 11 am to 10 pm
Sunday 3 pm to 10 pm

By count we can think of at least three other trucks that have called this spot home but Taqueria Gonzalez offers a few upgrades. The most noticeable is aesthetic, this truck is parked on what was probably a former trailer home site – it offers a sidewalk leading right up to the ordering window. There is a large picnic table with umbrellas available for guests to sit and relax while waiting for their meal or to eat it al fresco. Given the choice between waiting in the cell phone lot at the airport and eating a tasty taco here….the choice is clear cut.

The meal is standard Taco Truck fare as displayed below. The service is friendly and if you check out their Facebook page you will see that can come up with some interesting specials for the truck and for events.

El Conquistador

El Conquistador
(Moved February 2016, current location unknown)
614 804 0330
Open Monday to Saturday 11 am to 9 pm

When I first spotted El Conquistador I had hoped this was the original – which served Dominican dishes. Well, this trailer now has a new owner whose menu is traditional taco truck fare but it is well worth checking out. The trailer is based as the newly renamed Blue Pickle (formerly Porter’s Pub). As I approached the trailer, several Blue Pickle patrons without being solicited shouted out to me that the food was great and I should try it. That was a good sign. I sampled the Flautas (rolled, crispy taco) sometimes called a Taquito. Flautas are served in groups of four with plenty of toppings on top. These were great. This is definitely a spot I look forward to trying out more this summer.

La Moreliana Mexican Grill

La Moreliana
4490 Indianola Ave, Columbus, OH 43214
(North side of lot, a few blocks south of Morse Road)
614.940.7308
Open Monday to Friday 10 am to 9 pm,
Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 10 pm(?)
Facebook

The trailer housing La Moreliana has a lot of history to it. It started it’s life as a mobile food trailer in Florida. Then the owners of the El Arepazo restaurants purchased it to be an extension of their restaurant. It had a good run in Clintonville at several locations including the present location of La Moreliana. In fact, since the exterior of the trailer has not significantly changed from its previous life as Yerba Buena, many people thought it was the Yerba Buena owners making another run at mobile food. (You can see on the photo below that the wrap still has sections that might make people think it is still Yerba Buena / El Arepazo).

The menu here is very bare bones: burritos, tacos, tortas and quesadillas. Tamale’s appear on the weekends fairly often. The Taco Trucker has dropped by three times and found the fare to be very basic with nothing really standing out from the rest of the menu. The family is friendly and their young daughter usually works the order window in the evenings.

La Poblanita

La Poblanita
3825 Indianola Ave, Columbus, OH 43214
(Parking lot of Beechwold Barbershop )
Corner of Blenheim and Indianola (across Marzetti plant)
614.598.9539
Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:30 am to 9 pm
Cash Only (as of March 2015)
Instagram: lapoblanitacol

La Poblanita opened at this spot in late September (2014) in the very heart of Clintonville. It is a one woman operation. Marcelita (Marci) the owner is happy to be running her first business and reports great feedback from the community so far. She is originally from Puebla Mexico but she has lived in Columbus for a long time and speaks English well.

Her trailer is small which limits the menu she is able to serve but what she does have is excellent. The standard menus includes: tacos, tortas, burritos, quesadillas and chuletas (pork chops). La Poblanita also offers the following specials when possble: Carne Asada Platter, Grilled Shrimp Platter and (some weekends) Tamales. The Taco Truck Tasting team has sampled the following on two visits: burritos, quesadillas, pork chops, Carne Asada, and grilled shrimp. Based on two trips and in spite of the fact that this business has been open less than 1 month, I declare this is one of the ten best taco trucks in town. Portion sizes and prices are very good. The vegetables in the side salads and inside the burritos are fresh and served in generous portions. Meat choices are steak, chicken and pork.

For platters in addition to the main dish you receive a side of seasoned rice, a side of pinto beans with queso blanco mixed in, a small salad with lettuce, cucumber and radish and when available a piece of candy. Platters are typically served with 4 fresh tortillas which are served steaming hot and fresh. Do use caution with the two house salsas – both the green and the red are very, very hot.

The burritos are densely packed with meat and any other items you would like included. The pork chops were a surprise to see on the menu (not a typical taco truck standard). They were well cooked and lightly seasoned. They are not available every day and do not last long due to popularity. Although a one person operation, service has been very good and friendly. It is a one minute walk to Weiland’s Market across the street which is a nice way to spend some time if you are waiting for a large order. Check out La Poblanita muy pronto.

December 2014 update.

Business has been decent at La Poplanita which has helped them add a wrap and some branding to the trailer, they may be the only Mexican trailer with an Instagram account but whatch out, next thing you know, you will see their logos on vehicle fleet branding on roads everywhere! Further visits to the truck has all been very positive eating experiences. The trailer initially moved around several spots on Indianola but as of March 2015 seems to have found a permanent home.