Tacos La Sultana

"Open Until: 11:30pm Tues-Thurs, 1am Fri-Sat, midnight on Sunday (closed Monday) There’s really nothing like the late-night glow from a taco truck window—especially when that truck is parked next to a dive bar. Activate your inner moth and glide over to Tacos La Sultana, a trompo truck in the East End. Served Monterrey style, juicy pork seasoned with nothing more than smoked paprika is sliced by an exceptionally skilled taquero and seared again alongside oil-warmed corn tortillas. The pork is juicy, with pockets of sweet, caramelized fat. Each bite tastes better than the last, so much so that you almost forget about sprinkling on any fresh onion, cilantro, or a squeeze of lime. Order bistec, a tender chopped beef with wonderfully crispy edges, or mix both types of meats in a cheesy quesadilla campechana. " - chelsea thomas, gianni greene

"It’s easy to relax at Tacos La Sultana. Not only is this East End food truck next to a low-key dive bar with cheap beer where you can hide away from the world, but it also happens to serve the best tacos al pastor in town. The portions are hefty as each soft, handmade tortilla arrives loaded up with trompo-roasted pork. Plus, the salsa is spicy enough that you briefly forget that every pothole is now your enemy after dropping next month’s paycheck on a new set of tires. " - chelsea thomas, gianni greene

"Something about the way the East End truck's Tacos La Sultana’s taquero thoughtfully slices charred pork from the trompo is deeply romantic—like watching a violinist at the peak of their craft. The pork, with pockets of sweet, caramelized fat and a smoky paprika crust, could be eaten by itself. You almost forget about adding cilantro, onion, or spicy green salsa (but you should). Order more tacos than you could ever hope to eat, and enjoy them on the tiny patio with a beer from the neighboring dive bar." - gianni greene, chelsea thomas

"Watching a seasoned taquero skillfully slice a trompo is a thing of beauty. Which is to say, the folks running the Tacos La Sultana taco truck in the East End really know what they’re doing. Served Monterrey-style, in which pork gets seasoned with nothing more than smoked paprika, slices are seared again alongside oil-warmed corn tortillas—the pork is juicy, with pockets of sweet, caramelized fat. Each bite tastes better than the last, so much so you almost forget about sprinkling on any fresh onion, cilantro, or a squeeze of lime. Change it up and order bistec, the tender chopped beef with wonderfully crispy edges. Or mix both meats together in a quesadilla campechana, where the meat is griddled again, smothered in cheese, and smashed together with a fresh flour tortilla. Wait for your order on the patio—or grab a cold beer from the adjacent bar—and watch everyone who steps up to the order visibly calculate how much they can possibly eat, maximizing their trompo intake. Luckily, Tacos La Sultana is open from 3:30 to 11:30pm everyday—sometimes later on the weekends. photo credit: Richard Casteel Food Rundown Trompo Tacos Delivered directly from some kind of ethereal being (the taquero who works at Tacos La Sultana), these tacos are made of an otherworldly substance (high-quality pork) and have been magically imbued with mystical powers (expertly roasted and lightly charred). You don’t consume these tacos, you experience them. Order more than you think you can even stand to eat, because you will want more regardless. photo credit: Richard Casteel Bistec Tacos You may be saying, but this is a trompo truck. And to that we retort, Tacos La Sultana contains multitudes, so eat the bistec. The beef is chopped small, so every square millimeter of surface area is wonderfully crispy. Drown the tacos in tangy salsa verde, or don’t. Either way they are delicious. photo credit: Richard Casteel Campechana Quesadilla The Campechana Quesadilla is kind of like when the Power Rangers all link up, or Captain Planet combines all the elements, or a Transformers Voltron—but made of beef, pork, gooey cheese, and a griddled flour tortilla." - Chelsea Thomas

"Something about the way Tacos La Sultana’s taquero thoughtfully slices charred pork from the trompo is deeply romantic—like watching a violinist at the peak of their craft. The pork, with pockets of sweet, caramelized fat and a sweet paprika crust, could be eaten by itself. You almost forget about adding any cilantro, onion, or spicy green salsa (but you should). Order more tacos than you may be able to physically ingest, and wait on the patio or at the dive bar next door. " - chelsea thomas, gianni greene