Tacotopia 2017 Wrap Up!

Twice a year, the San Diego Reader hosts an amazing local event -- Tacotopia! The first event is in May, and takes place in Golden Hill Park. We had the incredible opportunity to take part in the Media Hour prior to the event, sampling so many delicious tacos and other Mexican specialties to decide who was the winner! 

San Diegans are pretty particular about their Mexican food -- tacos in particular -- so the vendors at this event knew that they would need to bring it to make the crowds happy at this event. We'll have none of that store-bought tortilla or jarred salsa nonsense here! Everything is fresh, homemade, and oh yeah, we like it pretty spicy! 

 We started with some yums from Fish Pit, a newcomer to San Diego.

 Surf and turf taco from La Puerta!!!!!!! Surf and turf is always a hit with me, especially when the "surf" is shrimp!

 Octopus tostada from TRAS/HORIZONTE by kokopelli. This was the most unusual thing that I ate all day, and was such a great little bite!

 Barbacoa tacos from The Taco Stand were one of Steve's favorites, with slow cooked beef and loads of avocado. 

 Barbecue pork belly....what??? An amazingly flavorful taco served by Backyard Kitchen.

 I'm not a cheesecake fan generally, but I absolutely loved Mascarpone Cheesecake by Chef Turok. It's always nice to get a few bites of sweet with all of those tacos. And it was the best cheesecake I've ever had!

 A jumbo shrimp taco from Blue Water Grill (last time's winner) was great in idea, but eating was a bit difficult. The shrimp was impressive, but was hard to eat without a knife and fork. 

 City Tacos always brings something different, and this time was no exception. This time was a ono filling with a "volcanic ash" blackening, sliced grapes and onions, served in a hibiscus tortilla! I always appreciate their innovation!

 I love Salud! They specialize in traditional tacos served up just right. For this event, they presented the Birria and the Fish taco. As usual, they were delicious, even though our bellies were getting very full by now. 

I was blown away by the Gobernador taco served by Puesto, a local favorite. The flavors of the shrimp, the spicy jalapenos, and creamy jalapeno salsa were out of this world good!

 The favorite of the day, however, was the bacon-wrapped marlin taco by Wicho's Tacos, located in Tijuana. So much flavor contained in a few small bites! 

 Another amazing bite was the sausage taco from Mastiff. I would never think of this in a taco, but it totally worked, and wasn't greasy or overly salty. 

 Sammy's Mexican Bakery is always a great relief from all of the tacos! We love their conchas and other sweet pastries!

 A final bite of horchata organic cotton candy from Get Fluffed Up was the perfect end to the day. 

The next Tacotopia will be at the Del Mar Races on September 3! Tickets are already on sale! It's such a great event, and your tummy will love the tacos!