My next stop in the search for the best tacos in Chatt town was at an open-air eatery.
Imagine sitting outside, enjoying the fall weather, while chowing down on a good Mexican street taco. On the corner of Lee Highway and Provence Street, in the parking lot of the Family Mattress and Furniture Gallery, sits Tacos El Porky.
It’s not a taco restaurant.
It’s not a taco food truck, per se.
It’s more like a taco trailer, and it’s serving up great food!
Each time I visited, folks were already lined up and placing their orders at high noon. Outdoor seating is limited, but since this place is less than a quarter mile from my office, I ordered my meals to-go. I tried the Barbacoa and chicken tacos with sides of salsa verde and some guacamole sauce.
Tacos El Porky uses smaller tortillas shells, so each taco comes with two, grilled and slightly overlapped shells, to hold up all the proteins, cilantro and onions.
Each time I went, the to-go items were packed up with care to keep everything warm. I was amazed at how much steak and chicken were served on each taco. Be prepared to get your hands messy. If possible, have some wet wipes on standby. The shredded steak was tender and juicy from the spices and sauce it was cooked in. The chicken was moist, not dry, and packed with flavor. Their salsa verde had a good, spicy kick. Mixing it with the guacamole sauce tempered the heat a bit. I ordered three tacos during my first visit. They had so much meaty goodness, that two tacos would have been sufficient – and trust me, I can eat!
Being a taco trailer means they have a smaller menu. However, they do carry the variety of street tacos you’d find everywhere else including, chirozo (spicy Mexican sausage), cow tongue (lengua) and pork rind tacos (chicharrones). They sell tortas, quesadillas, burritos and specialty plates.
Their burritos are massive, stuffed with your protein of choice, beans, rice, lettuce, tomato, Pico de gallo and avocado. I could only finish half of it and my co-worker enjoyed the rest. Hey, sharing is caring!
Their quesadilla plate is a great deal and comes with rice and beans. I tried the carnitas quesadilla with chunks of pork and tons of stretchy cheese. The beans are topped with a drizzle of crema and, again, there was so much food that the rest served as my lunch the next day.
They have a street taco plate for $15. It comes with three tacos, rice and beans. For the same price you can get their carnitas plate, or chicken and rice plate, rib plate, or their carne asada plate. Red-hot sauce, salsa verde, and guacamole sauce are provided on request, for dine-in and take-out.
Their weekend menu includes menudo (beef tripe soup) and Consommé de Borrego (lamb soup). Typically, El Porky is open 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sundays. However, if they run out of food, or have an unforeseen circumstance, they may close early or not open on a particular day. You might want to call ahead to verify. With most mobile kitchens, cash is king. However, Tacos El Porky does accept credit cards.
Tacos El Porky
- 5919 Lee Highway
- Chattanooga, TN 37421
- (423)-486-2006
- $-$$
What’s your favorite taco place and why? Send me an email at Pattyl@brewermediagroup.com