Located on the curbside of any street in mexico.. street tacos. They're the most authentic thing you will ever eat in Mexico. Ranging from tacos de carne asada to tacos de cabeza (head).
Usually when Americans hear "tacos" they think the Americanized version, hard shell with ground beef, cheese, and lettuce. But street tacos aren't like this at all. They're made on a grill in front of you, with corn tortillas. They're usually topped with cebolla (onion) and cilantro. Depending on the person, you may add a green or red sauce on top to add even more flavor. I personally like the green sauce more than the red because it's less spicy.
They serve many different types of meat at taco stands. The ones they will usually always have is carne asada or bistec, they mean the same thing and it's just grilled steak that's marinated. Next most common tacos are tacos al pastor. It usually is displayed on the side of the taco cart/truck with pineapple. It is sauteed pork or chicken marinated in lemon and pineapple juice and also contains chunks of pineapple in it. It might not sound too good, but trust me they're amazing. Barbacoa are also very common, it's shredded beef in a barbecue sauce except it's not as sweet as traditional barbecue sauce. It's the Mexican version of barbecue. Chorizo aka mexican sausage is another type of taco you can find at a taco stand. Some people like it and other don't it just depends on your preferences. I personally don't mind it, it wouldn't be my first choice taco though. Tacos de carnitas are ALSO a common taco that you will find. They're pretty much pork tacos that are cooked in oil and they're super yummy. Lastly, another common taco is tacos de lengua. These are tacos of beef tongue. I do not like these tacos because of the texture, they have a good taste but the texture of the meat makes me hate them. When I was younger my parents would tell me it was just grilled steak so that I would eat it and I couldn't even taste a difference.
Now for some tacos that you might not find at every taqueria. Tacos de cabeza are one example of a "unique" taco. They're tacos of cow's head. I have never tried them just because I think that would be disgusting to eat a cow's head but from what I have heard they're delicious and have lots of flavor. Another type of taco is tripe, which is the stomach lining or intestine of an animal, usually cows. Again, I find that disgusting and I've never tried it but my grandpa loves these tacos.. he's an odd man.
I have been eating tacos for as long as I can remember. They're my favorite authentic Mexican dish. So of course I want to talk about some of the best tacos I have ever had. My dad, who owns a Mexican restaurant, makes amazing tacos. I LOVE tacos de carne asada. I think they're so full of flavor (if prepared right) especially with cilantro and the salsa verde (green sauce) on top with lime juice. Another one of my favorite tacos are tacos de birria. They originate from where I'm from in Mexico, Jalisco. Birria is cooked with the bone-in to get all the flavor and infuse the broth. It's also cooked in many chiles and spices that give it it's rich, dark red color.
Next time you're out at a Mexican restaurant, instead of getting a basic hard shell taco try one of these and you won't regret it.