EatMx: Real Mexican food, at home and on the road

La Tapatía: Mexican Food and a Market

La Tapatía may not be your fanciest restaurant, but it's the food that counts, and that's what makes it so popular.

You can get all kinds of tacos, as the sign shows. 

Those on this plate are topped with carne asada, carnitas and carne al pastor. You pay, get a number and the tacos are brought to the table, loaded with onions and cilantro. Then you go to the condiment bar, where choices include a fiery habanero salsa, chipotle chile and avocado salsas, pickled carrots and radishes. 

But there's more than tacos on the menu, including menudo and pozole, breakfast burritos and shrimp platters.

Specials draw customers during the week, like $1 tacos Monday through Friday, tamales on Thursday, tortas (sandwiches) on Tuesday. And chicken fajitas on Friday. 

La Tapatía is in Phoenix, a town in southern Oregon, not the city in Arizona. It's run by a family from Guadalajara--tapatío or tapatía means someone or something from Guadalajara.

It's a market too, with Mexican cheeses, meats and other essentials, so you can plan your shopping while waiting in line. As you can see from the photo, it's kid friendly.

There's always a group waiting to order, but once you get your food, there are plenty of places to sit, because the restaurant area is large.

Even on a crowded Sunday, it's a quiet and relaxed place to eat some very good Mexican food. 

La Tapatía, 125 S. Main St., Phoenix, Oregon 97535 (south of Medford). (541) 535-4565.

Crazy for Tacos at Tacomania

Thank heavens tacos are everywhere.

So when I went from Los Angeles to southern Oregon, I wasn't deprived at all. Instead, I found plenty of really good tacos, like those at Tacomania in Merlin, which is an unincorporated community near Grants Pass.

Modest outside, Tacomania is warm and atmospheric inside. Owner David Anaya, from Guadalajara, has filled it with the look of Mexico. And he's a fine host, going from table to table to make sure everyone is happy.

This keeps Tacomania filled with happy tacomaniacs.

The food makes them happy too, like this plate of carne asada tacos.

And this assortment of tacos with carnitas, carne asada and carne al pastor.

This is a barbacoa taco.

The salsa and condiment bar has more options than I could get in a single photo.

The margaritas made me really happy. They come in big, heavy glasses and stay nice and cold. There's plenty of Mexican beer too. 

Tacomania offers "street tacos y mas," as the sign outside says. The mas (more) includes such dishes as chile verde, drunken shrimp and chicken with chipotle sauce. I would like to try these, but it's hard to think about anything other than tacos at Tacomania, because they're so good.


Tacomania, 144 Merlin Road, Merlin, Oregon 97532. Tel: (541) 291-9010.