“No Good Mexican Food in Columbus”
Andy shares his response to that incorrect assumption, plus Weiland's Market kicks off a series of healthy eating workshops.
My Response to “There's No Good Mexican Food in Columbus”
By Andy Dehus
It’s a refrain I hear with surprising frequency, often asserted with an air of unwavering certitude: “There’s no good Mexican food in Columbus.” I hear it in person and online, and far more often from locals than from the newly relocated to the area, who oftentimes seem more inclined to seek it out and find satisfaction.
It isn’t true, of course. If you don’t trust me, you might trust the many Mexican cooks and chefs throughout the service industry who delight in sharing their favorite spots to go for a taste of home. If you don’t trust them, then trust one of the most respected figures nationally in food writing, Kenji López-Alt.
So why does this idea persist to the point that it has taken on a meme-like inevitability? To the point that it reflexively supersedes a simple Google search?
My suspicion is that there are two things at play, with the first one being that it’s easy to just assume that a Midwestern city couldn’t have good Mexican cuisine. The second being that many people are unwilling to go to the primary source of the astonishing vitality of Mexican cuisine in Central Ohio: the more than 100 taco trucks dotting the metropolitan area.
While I get genuine pleasure out of exploring taco trucks, I can understand why there are many among us who prefer to dedicate their scant time and dollars to a more complete (and less risky seeming) dining experience than a mobile food vendor could provide.
Luckily for them, good Mexican food is not confined to a taco truck box. Below is a solid (but far from comprehensive) list of brick-and-mortar, sit-down Mexican restaurants serving up the real deal.
Tacos Don Deme (75 S Murray Hill Road)
I haven’t had a bad bite at this Far West Side taqueria yet, and this includes the restaurant's unusually large range of offal meats; when a place can make buche (pork stomach) delicious (and they emphatically do!) you know you’re in good hands. Don Deme’s soups—such as menudo, pozole and a rolling rotation of caldos—are also worth going out of your way for.
Taqueria Guadalajara (2448 Home Acre Drive)
A favorite lunch stop of tradesmen working in the northeast part of town, Guadalajara is a reliable, no-nonsense, tacos-and-michelada stop that also features a top-notch carne asada platter.
El Ranchito Taqueria (1275 Brown Road)
This quaint converted house in the Hilltop area pulls strong Sunday crowds eager to warm up to their weekend soups and graze on gorditas, sopes and platters like mojarra frita (whole fried fish).
Pellizcadas Los Primos (2235 Sullivant Ave.)
Located in another converted house on the Hilltop, Pellizcadas Los Primos features a quirky mix of real-deal Oaxacan alongside more American-oriented offerings. Savvy diners will discern relative rarities like the restaurant’s agua de chilacayota (a squash-based agua fresca that’s an absolute treat) and Oaxacan mole, while also appreciating the freshly made masa foundations of their namesake pellizcadas.
La Super Torta (721 Georgesville Road)
This West Side restaurant is rightfully known for its torta sandwiches, but don’t sleep on other offerings like their subtly smoky chicken tinga tostadas or their massive Oaxacan tlayudas. (It’s a crime to call them Mexican pizzas, but that’s the gist of the form they take.)
Martha’s Fusion Kitchen (3331 Maize Road)
Freshly remodeled with the addition of a bar, this North Linden restaurant made its name by being among the first to bring birria tacos to Columbus, and Martha’s is still easily one of the best.
Notes
Around the Columbus Food & Drink Scene
Harold “Hal” Block, the founder of the local institution Block’s Bagels, died Friday, Jan. 17. Block founded the bagel bakery and deli in 1967, and one location remains open at 6115 McNaughten Road. You can read Block’s obituary here.
Later this month, Weiland’s Market is kicking off its Healthy Eats Workshop Series in partnership with Erin Tennant, a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach from Grow Well Coaching. The series of one-hour Wednesday workshops begins Jan 29. According to a press release, “guests will learn about a specific nutrition topic, get a tour of the store to learn which products will help them achieve their nutrition goals, receive recipes and tastings using these products, and take home a curated shopping list.” You can learn more and register here.
The pace of craft brewery openings may have slowed in Central Ohio, but Westerville recently added a newcomer. Opened by four Westerville dads, Campfire Brewing is now pulling pints at 6300 Frost Road (not far from Taqueria Guadalajara, see above). Styles currently on offer include and a Pale Ale, Winter Warmer, Double IPA, Wee Heavy (aka Strong Scotch Ale) and others. Kids are welcome daily until 7 p.m., when the brewery switches to 21+.
Was recently popping off about this topic in the comments section of one of the Cbus food groups on FB.
If you tell me we have no good Mexican, I assume you haven’t tried a lot/ don’t adventure much, or you’re against food trucks.
I totally agree with Em. I'm proud of all the great Mexican food we have here - it makes me sad how often El Vaquero wins best Mexican in Columbus. Not because they're terrible, but because there are so many other places that clearly put a lot of time and effort into making outstanding food. Thanks for this list - there are a few we haven't visited!