Chicas Tacos builds a better (and unconventional) taco
One item you might not expect to find on the menu at a place called Chicas Tacos is pizza.
“For Chicas it is an ode to what people were doing in maybe the ’90s when it came to Mexican pizzas,” said Chicas Tacos chef consultant and partner Eduardo Ruiz.
The James Beard-nominated chef founded Chicas Tacos in 2016 with Chris Blanchard and BLVD Hospitality founders Jon Blanchard and Nicolo Rusconi.
“I came in as a consulting chef right after my restaurant, Corazon y Miel, closed,” said Ruiz. “I helped them see their vision through.”
That vision includes approachable food with authentic flavors, not necessarily presented in a traditional way.
The OG Pizza on Chicas’ menu starts with two flour tortillas stuffed with a three-cheese blend, baked and topped with Choriman red chicken chorizo, queso fresco, house salsa, morita salsa, pickled jalapenos, cilantro and fresh limes.
A taco spot menu that includes Mexican pizza might seem unconventional, but Ruiz said he doesn’t see it that way.
“What does authentic mean? It means staying true to your own journey,” said Ruiz, who sees Chicas as more of a representation of California than México. “Chicas is staying authentic to who they are.”
Besides an unconventional menu, you will also find Chicas Taco in unconventional locations.
The eatery has a brick-and-mortar location in Culver City but also makes a home inside All Season Brewery, under the Firestone Tire sign at 8th and La Brea in Los Angeles. In Huntington Beach, you can find Chicas Tacos located within Local Kitchen Food Hall.
Chicas Tacos newest location at Rodeo 39 in Stanton is its first brick-and-mortar location in Orange County.
“Here at Rodeo 39 Public Market, we are not the only ones here, but we just want to be here to give more to the experience of coming here,” said Ruiz. “Chicas Tacos lends itself so well to spaces where people are trying and sampling and open-minded to something new.”
Of course, there are tacos on the menu. In fact, Chicas’ tagline is “A better taco,” which Ruiz said comes down to three important components.
“The philosophy has always been the same,” said Ruiz. “In order to have a good taco, you have to have a good tortilla, a good filling and a good salsa. That has always been our approach to tacos.”
Chicas partners with La Princesita for hand-pressed corn tortillas.
“They were able to be very flexible on what we could create with them,” said Ruiz.
The corn tortillas La Princesita makes for Chicas are made with yellow corn, water and bit of lime.
“But what makes it really special is it is a little bit thicker than a normal tortilla. So it gives you the feeling of a hand-pressed tortilla, but it also has a lot of integrity,” Ruiz said.
The thickness allows Chicas to forego the two-tortilla stack usually found with street tacos and makes for a taco that travels better for to-go orders.
For flour tortillas, Chicas uses Mejorado tortillas made by a company Ruiz founded with Alberto Bañuelos, owner/operator of the acclaimed Burritos La Palma.
“We make tortillas for Chicas in burrito size and taco size,” Ruiz said.
The flour tortillas are also used for the pizzas.
When it comes to taco fillings, Chicas offers flavorful and creative options.
A beer-battered fish taco is served topped with a Caesar salad, garlic breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.
“People sometimes don’t understand the fish taco because there is a Caesar salad on top of it, but I think now it is becoming more known that the Caesar salad is actually from Mexico,” Ruiz said.
The crunchy lettuce and savory Parmesan works well with the crispy fish and is a favorite from Chicas’ original menu.
The steak taco is also popular with peppered Angus steak, crispy potato, morita salsa, shaved radish, scallion and cilantro.
“We wanted to make sure we called it a steak taco because we recognize that carne asada has to be cooked over mesquite,” Ruiz said.
The pork taco gets a little inspiration from Chinese American takeout, with glossy sweet-and-sour pork, served with crispy Brussels sprouts and pickled onions.
“To me, it just screams California,” Ruiz said.
Chicas offers a more pared-down menu of salsas than when they first opened, but Ruiz said the concentrated collection covers all bases.
“We have our house salsa, our green salsa and our habanero salsa,” said Ruiz. “So, you get an entry level that you can eat with chips all day. The green can add a little tartness to your taco and something that is really spicy with the habanero.”
There are also vegan-friendly options, like the jackfruit taco with avocado salsa and pico de gallo and plant-based queso.
“We are really proud of the plant-based queso,” said Ruiz. “We have gotten a lot of feedback from the plant-based community that it is delicious. But I am always happy when we get feedback from the non-plant-based community that it is really good.”
The menu also includes burritos, bowls, nachos, ceviche and house-made agua frescas like hibiscus pineapple and coconut-cream horchata.
Chicas may have an unexpected menu, but the flavors are authentically Chicas, and Ruiz hopes diners will find them tasty too.
“A taco is really meant to nourish you, and it is an item for the people,” said Ruiz. “As long as you have the three components and you are putting forward a good taco, all you can hope is that people enjoy it the same way you enjoy it.”
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