Treasure for the Taco Hounds at Taqueria La Palapa
Food
Taqueria La Palapa
6096 S 900 E, Murray, UT 84121
(801) 261-9604 | taquerialapalapa.com
Monday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sunday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
I make no apologies. I love tacos. I yearn for them. I wanna be abused by the fancy ones packed with marinated seafood and bulging with colorful julienned things like mango and dragon fruit. I want to learn stoicism from the simple ones consisting of nothing but a palm-sized corn tortilla, seared steak, onions and maybe, just maybe, a sprig of cilantro. But I’m not bougie. Sometimes my happiness is the ol’ reliable: a hard-shell, greasy ground beef, neon yellow cheese, watery lettuce and a drizzle of Del Inferno sauce.
After a lifetime of chasing folded-meat satisfaction, I’m always interested in finding a new taco stop. This is what brought me to Taqueria La Palapa on the east side of Murray.
Open only since May, “La Palapa” translates to palm roof, and that’s exactly what halos the shiny steel of the cooking area and all around the restaurant.
Near a check cashing shop and next door to a disc golf store, unassuming Taqueria La Palapa got my attention aromatically before I’d even entered. Open only since May, “La Palapa” translates to palm roof, and that’s exactly what halos the shiny steel of the cooking area and all around the restaurant. The beachy theme is carried both on the walls and through the menu.
Before I’d decided on my entrée, I had already ordered the California ($7.49), a juice concoction of orange, pineapple, strawberry and guava that entered the blender as I stood debating. Sensing my indecisiveness, the owner and operator, Jinia Herrera, asked what I liked and recommended tacos al pastor, carnitas or shrimp. This is the second restaurant that Herrera’s owned, and she has 22 years in the restaurant industry, so I trusted her expertise. Since the tacos ($2.99) are sold individually, I took one of each with a side order of a rainbow-colored gelatina ($2.69).
The California arrived as soon as my lunch companion and I sat down. The towering drink came with a well-portioned sidecar that probably would have sufficed, but my companion was more than happy to hop in. The tartness of fresh citrus and the glorious perfume of guava cut through the meaty smokiness that hung in the air.
A flight of four salsas arrived with a plate of crackling chips fresh from the fryer. Sampling the lot from a rich, smokey chipotle to a lighter, spicier verde was a good way to kill time, and it did indeed take time. Each dish at Taqueria La Palapa was cooked to order with minimal ingredients prepared in advance. It took time, but my patience was rewarded.
I started the fun by attacking my taco al pastor. It was good-sized but austere, just pork and tortilla. But the subtleness of appearance belied the depth of sweet and savory the chef had coaxed out of the meat. The shrimp taco was next. The crunch of the shellfish led back into a citrus aftertaste that satisfyingly continued the beach theme. I ended with the carnitas taco, and I was glad I did. The pork was savory, but the fried points provided a perfect complement of salt and crunch: three tacos, three tasty successes, and a full stomach.
My lunch companion had taken a different route and chosen the Cubana torta ($13.99). I felt the price sounded a little steep for just a sandwich until I saw and sampled the final product. The torta was the size of a small football and overflowing with a meat mélange of breaded beef, pork, chorizo, sausage, ham and headcheese. It wasn’t exactly light lunch fare.
The owner is a perfectionist. In addition to performing all the normal duties of a small business owner, Herrera has yet to find anyone with the correct training and background to cook her food exactly the way she wants it cooked.
As we were finishing, the owner came by to see how we enjoyed our meal. This commitment to making sure everything is done right, checked and double-checked is a theme with Herrera. The owner is a perfectionist. In addition to performing all the normal duties of a small business owner, Herrera has yet to find anyone with the correct training and background to cook her food exactly the way she wants it cooked. Rather than sacrificing her standards, she has simply rolled up her sleeves and committed to working ten-hour days, seven days a week to make her food taste exactly the way she wants it to taste.
Those standards are impressive, and the result is impressively delicious. So, if you suffer from the same taco voraciousness as I do, add Taqueria La Palapa to your list.
View the menu or place a to go order on their website at https://taquerialapalapa.com/.
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