Taqueria Rosita

Oaxacan restaurant · Asheville

Taqueria Rosita

Oaxacan restaurant · Asheville

1045 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC 28806

Highlights

Oaxacan street food, heirloom corn tortillas, smoky flavors, large portions

1045 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC 28806 Get directions

instagram.com

@taqueriarositaavl

$10–20

@eater

9 Best New Restaurants in Asheville Right Now | Eater Carolinas

"Luis Martinez, one of Asheville’s most popular and peripatetic chefs, had barely opened his feverishly anticipated Taqueria Rosita inside the Odd when Helene shut Asheville down. The fervid following he built over several years through pop-ups and special events lined up for the Oaxacan dishes using heirloom products from Indigenous populations in Mexico, Central, and South America. Overall, it’s all about the corn — tlayudas, a 15-inch corn tortilla spread with a black bean puree, tomatoes, avocado mousse, and meat or nixtamalized carrots; memela, a six-inch corn tortilla, cooked on a griddle with a bit of lard, spread with a chicharron paste called aciento, black bean paste, tomato salsa, and queso fresco; and a trio of tacos braised beef, vegetarian, or chicharron were on the first menu, served three days a week. Martinez reopened in November and has added a hearty, deeply flavored pozole and quesabirrias. Now serving five days a week, Thursday through Monday." - Kay West

https://carolinas.eater.com/maps/best-new-restaurants-asheville

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@eater

Find Oaxacan Flavors Hidden in a West Asheville Dive Bar | Eater Carolinas

"Chef-activist Luis Martinez teamed with Henry Padilla to open a West Asheville taqueria that pays tribute to Oaxaca, where Martinez grew up in the 1990s. The menu highlights Oaxaca staples—tlayudas, memelitas, and tacos—but emphasizes heritage corn as the real star: Martinez sources heirloom corn through his import business to support independent Indigenous farmers and plans to use traditional techniques alongside ingredients from local Asheville farms. The operation aims to spark a conversation about Oaxacan food that honors history while looking to the future, and the atmosphere is intentionally informal and communal, modeled on Mexican taquerias with people standing to eat, Mexican Cokes available, and an option to order drinks from the bar. The taqueria opens with preview service August 29–30 (4–9 p.m.) and, starting September 4, will operate as a cantina Wednesdays through Fridays from 4–11 p.m." - Erin Perkins

https://carolinas.eater.com/2024/8/5/24207011/taqueria-rosita-asheville

View Postcard for Taqueria Rosita

Travis Waite

Google

We got the barria, suadero, and carnitas tacos. All were very good with fresh made tortillas and salsas. They are a little on the pricey side at ~$6 a piece. Was disappointed in the papas though. Was just plain unseasoned potato’s with a side of ketchup. The garlic and thyme was nowhere to be found.

Hunter Jackson

Google

Hidden gem inside of Odds. Amazing, authentic Oaxaca food. 100% house made tortillas and sauces.

Ellen Fitzgerald

Google

Everything we’ve had here has been amazing - the tlayudas, the tacos, the quesabirrias! I recommend this place to everyone in Asheville. Hands down the best Mexican food we’ve had since living here.

Michelle Chromey

Google

If you want real deal Oaxacan fare, come to Taqueria Rosita (located at The Odd) in West AVL. Delicious food, good sized portions, and chill neighborhood vibe. Please come support a locally owned & operated business - dine in & takeout available. They are open Thursday, Friday, & Saturday 5p-10p.

Gillie Roberts

Google

Every dish is on corn tortillas made of corn that Luís and his team have important from heirloom farmers, nixtamalized, and crafted into the most flavorful starting place I can imagine. That just one example of the quality you can expect. Also, GREAT veggie options.

Anna Kimmell

Google

Delicious! Loved the honcho quesadilla, the zanahoria taco, and the massive tlayudas (15-inch tortilla)

S N

Google

The layers of flavor in their food are unbelievable. Every dish is stuffed to overflowing with smoky spreads, nutty sauces, bright pickles, complex salsas, and about double the filling that you’d expect. My favorite dish is the carrot pipian taco with costra. I’m a meat eater and love their pork and beef tacos too, but it’s the pipian I think about all the time. My runner up dishes are the hongo quesadilla and the tostada moreliana. The biggest bang for your buck option is the tlayuda - it’s absolutely enormous and can easily feed two people. I only skip it because I’m not a fan of raw tomato slices.

Sarah M

Google

Absolutely amazing food experience that provides a journey into Oaxacan culture through its menu and to your taste buds. You can taste chef Luis' (and team) appreciation for Oaxaca and their desire to share such amazing flavors. I cannot explain how flavorful the tlayudas and taco base is. It is smokey and transcendent. The portions and prices are an uneven ratio in your favor. The nixtamalized carrots will make you forget that you ever needed meat to enhance a meal. Try everything out!