MSPD e-mailed me over two weeks ago to let me know that he had found yet another diamond in the rough. This time he had a story of a Mexican supermarket and taqueria in a dilapidated strip mall on the corner of 136th and CR-5 in Burnsville. He sent me a photo of all the hot sauces from the grocery side and said that he’d be back to try out the restaurant. A few days later he contacted me to let me know that the food in the taqueria was definitely good and that I should get over there to try it out (he wrote up his own review on the Chowhound board here).
I’ve been begging Kim to go over there with me for over a week now but she’s been passive aggressively ignoring my pleas. She wasn’t feeling well and on my way to go grocery shopping I decided to drive a bit out of my way to stop here for dinner. Why bother cooking for one, right?!
I arrived at about 5:00 and walked in through the grocery store. There was one person shopping and I slipped quietly through to the taqueria next door (you can access it from the outside as well). I walked up to the front and stared at the menu. Reasonably priced with plenty of options and knowing that MSPD recommended the tortas, that’s what I planned on ordering.
I couldn’t get the cook’s attention (he was busy in back doing God knows what) but thankfully someone else, apparently a regular or a friend, walked in and whistled for him to come up. He came around and took our orders. There was a language barrier but I got what I was looking for including what appeared to be a free bottle of water. My total bill came to $8.50–not bad.
The cook headed into the back and began to prep my meal while I sat and took in the view of the interior. Aside from a bunch of tables and booths, there is a large mural which looks like something straight out of Kim’s romance novels adorning the wall. The place is not well cared for and aside from the water damaged ceiling tiles and ripped and discolored booths, there were plenty of other signs of serious wear and tear. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have guessed I should turn tail and run. As I watched from afar, the cook took his time grilled my bread and the meat for my sandwich. He also took his time wiping the spatula along the outside edge of the grill–something which I’m sure that the MDH would certainly frown upon. Eventually he looked like he was about to plate my food so I walked up to the front and put my hands on the broken down tile counter and watched as he grabbed an avocado and scooped the fresh flesh onto my torta along with beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and jalapenos. He threw one of the tamales on a plate and I went back to my seat to enjoy my meal.
After taking a few photos I dug in to the tamale first. It was a bit overdone for my liking but the parts that weren’t burned to a crisp were spicy and flavorful. Unfortunately the rest was just eh. After eating about 1/4 of it, I switched over to the Cuban torta. This thing was a monster and it looked so fucking tasty. While I have recently had another Cuban sandwich during my visit to PA, this was much more reminiscent of the tasty sandwiches that we used to enjoy at La Luz. The three meats and all those vegetables were calling to me. The bread was soft on the outside and crispy and buttery on the inside and while the sandwich was like La Luz’, the bread was somehow even better tasting. It all went together so well that I’m almost positive I was moaning as I ate the beast. Two thumbs way the fuck up for Tacolmeca’s tortas.
After I ate there I posted a message to Twitter which read, “Wow. This place needs new digs and more exposure right now! Highly recommended.” And while I recommend it, I want to again warn you that this is not as clean and tidy as Taqueria La Hacienda #3 just a bit further down the road and it’s not a place I’m going to be dragging Kim to just so I can relive that awesome torta experience. No, this will be a place I’ll head over to when I’m looking for an inexpensive lunch alone. If you’re not bothered by a little grime and are looking for some great food, I recommend that you check out Tacolmeca in Burnsville, you’ll be thrilled that you did.
Address:
Tacolmeca
1919 W Burnsville Pkwy
Burnsville, MN 55337
See all the pictures from Tacolmeca in Burnsville on Flickr here.
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May 28th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Sounds like my type of place. I can’t wait to check it out.
You’ll have to check out Taco Loco in Shakopee sometime. It’s in an old Dairy Queen (No indoor seating) and is pretty much the definition of a dive. The Tacos and Tortas are great.
May 28th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Glad you liked the torta. The roll is key and the bakery next door is an advantage for sure. Lucky for us it’s nearby…a great torta is hard enough to find city-wide much less in the back yard.
May 28th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
I will check it out if I’m nearby. Not only to get a good torta, but to see that mural in person. Jesus.
May 29th, 2009 at 8:27 am
I could be getting my spots confused, but I think this place is actually expanding? Are they the ones that just got approval to open an event center and nightclub? There is an article in the new Sun about it, and I think its the same place.
May 29th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Went there for lunch today with Dave, and I thought it was pretty good! I had a beef taco & pork taco combo. The beef was kinda flavorless, but the pork was really yummy. The beans and rice were good, too.
I’d go back!
May 29th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
I tried the Carnitas & Pastor, both were very good. I’d say equally as good as TLH if not better.
May 29th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Chad,
You’re correct: http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2009/05/20/news/bv04a19burnsvilletoday0519.txt
Your comment was stuck in the spam filter. Sorry about that.
September 22nd, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Wow, has this place changed.
Driving through Burnsville today I decided I needed a killer torta and headed to Tacolmeca. When I walked in, I noticed that the menu boards and front counter were gone. Aside from the hostess, I was the only one there.
She seated me and gave me a menu for what is now known as just “Olmeca”.
The tortas have been replaced by a handful of sandwiches like Buffalo Chicken and Cajun Chicken and are served with sweet potato fries.
The entrees appear to be more authentic Mexican fare. I decided on the Fish Tacos as they were one of the cheaper things on the menu at $8. I did not feel like dropping $12-$14 on lunch. The tacos were decent, standard fried white fish with slaw and pineapple salsa. The beans and rice that accompanied them were bland.
Overall, not bad, but not what I was looking for today. Very friendly service.
They are clearly trying to be something different, but I wish they would at least keep the tortas on a lunch menu. I’m going to scratch this one off of my lunch list and stick with TLH & Taco Loco.
September 22nd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
What a complete and utter disappointment. Do we really need yet another place serving expensive lunch on a menu that is nothing more than an attempt to attract the mainstream? Boo.
That said, I wish them luck but being that their location completely fucking sucks, I can’t imagine that the general citizen will happen over there once they see the condition that the rest of the strip is in. Again, boo.
There’s another really grungy Hispanic market down on MN-3 just outside of Northfield next to Firehouse Liquors that service tortas (nothing as good as the one I got at Tacolmeca but quite a bit larger). Guess I’m going to have to start going down that way more often when I want one. Triple boo.
November 20th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Tacolmeca is back!
The old menu boards are back with all the old offerings.
November 20th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Dave, thanks for the update. I was really in the mood for a torta the other night but decided against driving anywhere for one knowing that it would never have been as downright tasty as the one I had at Tacolmeca.
Now that they are back in action I’m going to have to get my ass back over there again!
April 16th, 2010 at 8:45 am
According to Thisweek, Tacolmeca may need to relocate its restaurant and store: http://www.thisweeklive.com/2010/04/15/burnsville%E2%80%99s-valley-ridge-may-finally-be-redeveloped/
November 22nd, 2010 at 7:51 am
[...] article goes on to state later that the owners of both Supermercado Olmeca and Tacolmeca, home to what has been argued to be the best sandwich in MSP (the Cuban Torta), have acquired an [...]
June 15th, 2011 at 8:58 am
[...] Tacolmeca [...]
January 31st, 2012 at 7:50 pm
Olmeca open again in the strip mall off of Irving Ave., between Cty Rd 42 and McAndrews (directly east of Cub). Grocery and meat counter up and going; Take-out coming soon.
February 1st, 2012 at 11:22 pm
Must…… have…….Cuban Torta…… Thursday lunch can not come soon enough.
February 2nd, 2012 at 7:43 am
Is this near the Salvation Army Thrift store? in the same block as Chammps?
February 2nd, 2012 at 1:23 pm
Thought Leader, I don’t know when the take-out part will be up and running…
mulch, yes, that’s the place. Near Prime Time sports bar – ick
February 2nd, 2012 at 1:26 pm
I went to Primetime once. We left to go to Chammps to play Golden Tee and on our way back there were a ton of cops in the parking lot cornering a variety of individuals. I didn’t bother to find out what was happening but I sure was glad I wasn’t inside (or out) when whatever happened went down.
I’m guessing that $5 beer for dudes between 8 and 10 PM and then 10 PM to midnight for the ladies causes problems after midnight…
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:24 pm
$5 beers? That’s a special?
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:26 pm
lefty, $5 for as many as you can get them to serve you in two hours. Not just for one. And I say “as many as you can get them to serve you” because the bar is enormous and they don’t really have enough workers (or incentive) to serve you promptly.
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:27 pm
It is a common thing to see cops there.
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:32 pm
Oh, that’s not a recipe for disaster at all. I going to go out on a limb and guess they don’t serve Furious.
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Not for the $5 deal but I have no idea what they had on tap. I just drank Golden Light or whatever was on special. But you’re probably right. I’m guessing all domestics.
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:45 pm
I heard you increase your chances of getting a DWI when you leave there depending on the time of day.
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:49 pm
We took a cab. There was a LONG line of them out front.
April 5th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Their new location sucks:
1. No place to sit unless you include the card table and metal folding chairs for their Farmer’s Insurance sales.
2. The menu is a Chipotle knock-off. No tortas. Lots of tacos, burritos, etc.
3. It didn’t appear they were up and running fully and if they are it’s nothing like it used to be.
—
We went to TLH#3 instead and I won’t be going back to Olmeca’s new location until they make some serious changes.
April 24th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
Well, I am enjoying myself with a Cuban Torta which we have known to love from the old location. I asked the owner why it was not on the menu and there was just a three foot square picture and he said he did not have the sign space to put it up. $7 for this treat. He also said with the Weight Watchers next door he is targeting “more healthy options”. He also said he would make anything you wanted. Still no place to sit and eat, I guess that is why the sign says Take Out.
July 31st, 2012 at 4:50 pm
[...] in the mood for a torta, I suggest you head down Burnsville Parkway to CR-5 and try out Tacolmeca [...]