Los Parados feeds a mostly local clientele, but welcome tourists as well. There’s not much english spoken, but the staff are welcoming and patient with non-Spanish sparking gringo guests. They make delicious tacos, tlayudas, and quesadillas.
Taco varieties include chicken, grilled beef (barbacoa), shrimp, beef...short rib (delicious), and my favorite, cabeza.
Tips for first timers:
-From about 6pm onwards, it’s often packed, with a crowd milling around waiting for seats. Don’t be intimidated and don’t be shy. The local style is to grab any seat that opens up. So you should do the same. If you stand there meekly waiting, you might wait a long time. If that doesn’t feel comfortable to you, make sure you make yourself noticed by a staff member and they will help you get a table eventually.
-there’s no air-conditioning and even though it’s outdoors it can get pretty hot. The cool seats are the open air ones at street level. Upstairs is open air but it gets pretty warm. The small inside room at street level is sweltering. I avoid it because I run hot down in Mexico.
-Prices are inexpensive and you’ll probably convince yourself that it must not be much food so you’ll probably order too much.
- They drop a complimentary plate of chips with beans, grilled onion, and nopoles along with salsas when you order. (So instead of looking at each other and wondering ” Did we order that?”, now you know you didn’t. But it’s yours, it’s free, and it’s good.
-The tacos come three to an order and they cost around 30-35pesos per order, so about $1.50 for 3. The tlayudas runs about 40 pesos/$2. Order the short rib version and you get a giant corn tortilla that’s filled with chop meat and cheese, folded in half, and then an additional short rib slice is placed on top. Order the short rib version and you get a giant corn tortilla that’s filled with chop meat and cheese, folded in half, and then an additional short rib slice is placed on top.
The place is not fancy. It’s plastic chairs and bare tables. And it gets crowded and hot. But the food is fantastic and pure and the people are nice and the prices are ridiculously affordable. Definitely worth checking out.More