Mexico: Tras / Horizonte (Tacos Kokopelli)
Full from lunch, we walked around downtown Tijuana until it was time to check into our Airbnb. While CEK took a nap, RW, my sister, and I went down to the beach just a few short staircase from our apartment.
It was a pretty surreal experience. I'd always thought of Tijuana as this major travel destination (at least for college students in SoCal). Yet, the beachfront properties were a testimony of uneven development and an uncomfortable mix of poverty and unactualized potential.
Somber observations aside, we had a great time just walking, chatting, and chasing ladybugs on the sand. Who knew ladybugs liked the beach?
Before we knew it, it was dinnertime and we were more than ready for more tacos. A quick Uber ride later, we arrived at Tras / Horizonte (still more commonly known by its prior food truck name, Tacos Kokopelli):
Looks like we'd found the hipster part of Tijuana:
We didn't have a reservation, but luckily that wasn't a problem. From our perch on a high table, we were able to peek into the kitchen and watch as tacos were grilled to order.
The girls ordered drinks, so I allowed myself to indulge in a glass of cucumber and lime water (27 pesos or around $1.60):
A little bland, to my surprise. I was hoping for more of a bright tang.
My sister and I skipped the entree portion of the menu and focused solely on the tacos. The menu was entirely in Spanish, but we bungled through it with some help from CEK.
We decided to get a few tacos to share. There was the polvora (48 pesos or slightly over $2.50):
The smoked salmon was dressed with chilmole (a black mole sauce made with chilies), roasted poblano chilies, and a salsa made with mango and strawberries.
In addition, we got the pibil (31 pesos or ~$1.70), the rasta (49 pesos), and the chicano (48 pesos):
The pibil taco included smoked marlin with Yucatan seasoning, while the rasta had marinated shrimp with chimichurri, peppers, and black olives. The chicaco was made with grilled marinated octopus, olive oil, paprika, and cactus.
Last but not least, we got the kraken (48 pesos):
The grilled octopus with pesto taco was what attracted me to Kokopelli in the first place. I thought I would love it the most out of all the tacos, but that wasn't the case. Instead...I was confused. My sister and I tackled each taco one at a time. Each time we bit into a new taco, we thought we'd found a new favorite. But then we would go back to a previous taco and be reminded why that one was so good. They were all delicious! There was honestly no front-runner for me.
After demolishing her own tacos, CEK was still a bit hungry, so she added a tiradito atun (107 pesos or around $6) and then invited the rest of us to share:
The cured smoked tuna was sliced super thinly and presented artfully with two sauces and a tapestry of colorful veggies. It was almost too pretty to eat.
Almost. We killed it.
Everything at Kokopelli was well thought out and well-executed. It was gourmet without being too pretentious and without the steep price tag (at least by American standards). While it's not the dirty street taco that I prefer, Kokopelli is a chill place to hang with friends, grab a drink, and enjoy some awesome grub.
Our taco tour was definitely looking up.
Tras / Horizonte
Río Colorado 9680, Marron
22015 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
+52 664 622 5062
http://kokopelli.mx/
It was a pretty surreal experience. I'd always thought of Tijuana as this major travel destination (at least for college students in SoCal). Yet, the beachfront properties were a testimony of uneven development and an uncomfortable mix of poverty and unactualized potential.
Somber observations aside, we had a great time just walking, chatting, and chasing ladybugs on the sand. Who knew ladybugs liked the beach?
Before we knew it, it was dinnertime and we were more than ready for more tacos. A quick Uber ride later, we arrived at Tras / Horizonte (still more commonly known by its prior food truck name, Tacos Kokopelli):
Looks like we'd found the hipster part of Tijuana:
We didn't have a reservation, but luckily that wasn't a problem. From our perch on a high table, we were able to peek into the kitchen and watch as tacos were grilled to order.
The girls ordered drinks, so I allowed myself to indulge in a glass of cucumber and lime water (27 pesos or around $1.60):
A little bland, to my surprise. I was hoping for more of a bright tang.
My sister and I skipped the entree portion of the menu and focused solely on the tacos. The menu was entirely in Spanish, but we bungled through it with some help from CEK.
We decided to get a few tacos to share. There was the polvora (48 pesos or slightly over $2.50):
The smoked salmon was dressed with chilmole (a black mole sauce made with chilies), roasted poblano chilies, and a salsa made with mango and strawberries.
In addition, we got the pibil (31 pesos or ~$1.70), the rasta (49 pesos), and the chicano (48 pesos):
The pibil taco included smoked marlin with Yucatan seasoning, while the rasta had marinated shrimp with chimichurri, peppers, and black olives. The chicaco was made with grilled marinated octopus, olive oil, paprika, and cactus.
Last but not least, we got the kraken (48 pesos):
The grilled octopus with pesto taco was what attracted me to Kokopelli in the first place. I thought I would love it the most out of all the tacos, but that wasn't the case. Instead...I was confused. My sister and I tackled each taco one at a time. Each time we bit into a new taco, we thought we'd found a new favorite. But then we would go back to a previous taco and be reminded why that one was so good. They were all delicious! There was honestly no front-runner for me.
After demolishing her own tacos, CEK was still a bit hungry, so she added a tiradito atun (107 pesos or around $6) and then invited the rest of us to share:
The cured smoked tuna was sliced super thinly and presented artfully with two sauces and a tapestry of colorful veggies. It was almost too pretty to eat.
Almost. We killed it.
Everything at Kokopelli was well thought out and well-executed. It was gourmet without being too pretentious and without the steep price tag (at least by American standards). While it's not the dirty street taco that I prefer, Kokopelli is a chill place to hang with friends, grab a drink, and enjoy some awesome grub.
Our taco tour was definitely looking up.
Tras / Horizonte
Río Colorado 9680, Marron
22015 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
+52 664 622 5062
http://kokopelli.mx/
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