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Jul 30, 2023

Guanajuato Market and The Taqueria bring new foods to Evansville

EVANSVILLE – Guanajuato Market and The Taqueria restaurant has opened in Washington Plaza, at the corner of Green River Road and Washington Avenue, and for those who enjoy adventures in authentic

EVANSVILLE – Guanajuato Market and The Taqueria restaurant has opened in Washington Plaza, at the corner of Green River Road and Washington Avenue, and for those who enjoy adventures in authentic Mexican shopping and dining, it offers plenty of reasons for a visit.

Here are a few.

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Enjoy perusing a huge variety of snack foods from chips and nuts to packaged sweets, then wander through the canned goods, soda and packaged spices. You might like to try the orange-colored Palmex “pasta” shapes, which are sold in bags or bulk. Don’t boil this pasta − it is meant to be fried and puffs up into crunchy sheets or smaller shapes that are tasty topped with hot sauce, chili powder and other garnishes. Near the tostadas you'll find large, crisp Oaxacan flour tlayudas, the base for the famous Oaxacan "pizza."

A bakery case is stocked with Mexican baked favorites from conchas (iced “shells”) and besos (“kisses” − two pastries joined with red berry filling, coated with white icing and sugar) and any number of other cookies, sweet buns, and savory breads including bolillo and telera rolls.

A meat counter offers fried chicharrones, thin-sliced meat for quick-cooking dishes, sliced beef shank with the bone for caldo de res soup, pigs’ feet, chicken feet and more usual cuts of meat. Watch for specials such as fresh bulk carnitas.

A small but interesting produce area contains veggies from green chiles to yuca and other root vegetables, aloe and plantains, citrus and tropical fruits, bulk chiles, tamarind pods and bulk dry beans of many kinds.

The cold cases hold more exotic vegetables such as loroco flowers, prepared goods such as tamales and arepas from many countries, authentic brands of tortillas including huge 14-inch flour tortillas for giant burritos, fresh masa, and dairy items such as cheeses and cremas.

There’s hand-dipped ice cream at the restaurant counter in flavors such as strawberry with Chamoy (a sweet-salty-sour sauce made with pickled fruit juices and chile, which is often served with mango and other sweet fruits in Mexican cuisine), nuts with caramel, Ferrero chocolate and others. In the front of the store is a cooler with paletas pops in interesting flavors such as cajeta caramel, pepino (cucumber) and Chamoy, tres leches, pineapple and chile, and many others.

The less adventurous may choose Cookies and Cream, strawberries and cream, cappuccino or lime.

The restaurant inside the building is The Taqueria Mexican Cuisine. If the logo looks familiar to you, it’s because it’s the same as The Taqueria Company inside Eastland Mall and on First Avenue.

This Taqueria has a different menu, however, with an almost complete focus on traditional Mexican dishes. Handmade tortillas are offered. Commercial tortillas are the dark golden, exceptionally corny El Milagro brand.

There are few specialty items here we haven’t seen at other restaurants in town. Dishes made with goat or chivo include goat barbacoa on the weekends and tacos made with shredded goat birria. A machete is a long, thin handmade corn tortilla folded into a quesadilla melted with cheese, beans and the meat of your choice. A pambazo is a torta-like sandwich which makes only rare appearances in the area, in which the bun is dipped entirely in a mild red chili sauce and heated on the griddle to dry the surface before the sandwich is assembled.

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There is a breakfast menu with eggs rancheros, eggs scrambled with chorizo, eggs with steak, and other dishes all served with rice, beans and tortillas.

Have a torta sandwich, street tacos, gorditas, sopes or other “antojitos” or snacks made with the meat of your choice. There are many choices including your favorites from tongue to shredded beef barbacoa, ground beef, pork pastor, chorizo sausage and others. Menudo, a stew made with beef tripe, is served every day.

Weekend specials served on Friday, Saturday and Sunday include posole, beef and chicken soups, and goat barbacoa.

There is a children’s menu with chicken on the beach and other kid-friendly dishes.