Tacos Mexicanos - Arequipa

We visited Chara Tacos near San Francisco Street in Arequipa after an early show. We were not very hungry and wanted some light. We had no soft tacos yet, so we have nothing to compare, but we loved them. Fresh, warm and inexpensive. The owner is polite and can speak very good English. His daughter also works with him.

I wish I had read the reviews from here first. I bought her Maistortillas at Franco Supermercado and just assumed stupid) that they would use them at their little Taco stand. I went late at night and asked the older Mr THREE once whether the tortillas were made from maize or flour. He said every time corn. I ordered the Taco de res and although the tortilla did not taste like corn, it did not taste like flour and it looked like it could have been made from corn, so I believed it. As another reviewer already wrote, the tortillas they use at their stand are not authentic Mexican mastortillas, but flour tortillas. If you're looking for something else and don't mind that these aren't authentic Mexican streets tacos, you'll probably like it. They get a lot of food for 7 soles $2.50 a taco, but they are huge). Just don't expect to have real tacos and especially if you are intolerant of Celiac or gluten.

We went to Tacos Mexicanos about the advice of the very helpful staff at the tourist office. It was nice to be away from the main tug and find a familiar kitchen that was slightly different from the usual Peruvian tariff. When I saw Alpaca on another menu.... My Spanish-speaking friend drilled the poor waiter about the lack of authenticity in their flour-based menu and asked at least five times why they would not use corn like a real Mexican place. Once she came across this little detail, we enjoyed our meals immensely. As with most Mexican foods, quite everything on the menu had a bean/cheese option, so there was a decent selection to choose from. I had the vegetarian soft taco, the filling was a delicious mix of mostly mushrooms and onions, with one side delicious salsa and a very strange looking guacamole. My friend had a huge chicken salad thing that she had swallowed, and licked the plate later. Seriously. She did that, it was so good. Note: Skip the nachos. You are not the maize chip type you are likely to expect. They are chopped flour tortillas into triangles, and possibly stuck in a toaster oven. Not appetizing.

I wish I had read the reviews from here first. I have bought their corn tortillas at Franco Supermercado and just assumed (stupidly) that they would use those at their little taco-stand. I went late at night and asked the older gentleman THREE times if the tortillas were made of corn or flour. He said corn each time. I ordered the taco de res and even though the tortilla didn't taste like corn it didn't taste like flour either and it looked like it could have been made out of corn, so I believed him. Anyway, like another reviewer already wrote, the tortillas that they use at their stand are not authentic Mexican corn tortillas but instead, flour tortillas. If you are looking for something a little different and don't mind that these aren't authentic Mexican street tacos, you will probably like it. You get a lot of food for 7 soles ($2.50 a taco but they are huge). Just don't go there expecting to have real tacos and especially if you are Celiac or gluten intolerant.

We went to Tacos Mexicanos on the advice of the very helpful staff at the tourist office. It was nice to be away from the main drag, and to find a familiar cuisine that was a little different from the usual Peruvian fare. If I saw Alpaca on one more menu....My Spanish-speaking friend drilled the poor waiter about the lack of authenticity in their flour-based menu, asking at least five times why they don't use corn like a real Mexican place would. Once she got over this small detail, we enjoyed our meal immensely. As with most Mexican food, pretty much everything on the menu had a bean/cheese option so there was a decent selection to choose from. I had the vegetarian soft taco, the filling was a delicious mixture of mostly mushrooms and onions, with a side of tasty salsa and a very weird-looking guacamole. My friend had a huge chicken salad sort of thing which she devoured, and actually licked the plate afterward. Seriously. She did that, it was that good. **Note: skip the "nachos". They are not the corn chip type that you are probably expecting. They are flour tortillas cut into triangles, and possibly stuck in a toaster oven. Not appetizing.