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Eat this: Pericos taco at Taqueria Los Pericos Aptos
It seems like all good things eventually come to Aptos. One of Santa Cruz’s most popular taquerias, Taqueria Los Pericos, opened a new location in the Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center this week, joining a list of North County food businesses with locations in Mid-County that includes Cat & Cloud Coffee, Companion Bakeshop, The Penny Ice Creamery, Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen and Whale City Bakery.
The new Los Pericos is very similar to the original 17-year-old location on Water Street, from the expansive menu of taqueria classics like burritos, quesadillas and fish tacos, to the vibrant homemade salsas and a line of customers that snakes from the register out the front door. Jose Ruiz, who owns the restaurant with his business partner Eleazar Zambrano, is originally from Jalisco, Mexico, and prepares everything authentically using traditional methods to create bold, layered flavors.
Over the years, I’ve happily bounced around the menu, but I always come back to the Pericos taco ($4.59). The edges of melted cheese lining the palm-sized tortilla gets crisped on the griddle, then loaded with your choice of meat – I usually opt for tender lengua (beef tongue, additional $1.50) and charred pastor – and topped with green salsa, chopped white onion and thick, generous slices of avocado, way more than the current economy would lead me to expect. It’s always a miracle that the tortilla can support the weight without ripping, but it never lets me down. Eating it requires some finesse, and plenty of warm chips from the salsa bar to scoop up any extra filling.
Here’s what you need to know before you go.
Best of the Week Ahead
Below, find a curated list of the best food and drink events in Santa Cruz County for the coming week. At the top, I share my picks of unmissable local happenings.
News of the week
ICYMI – here are food news stories from Lookout that you might have missed.
Laurie Love on Wine: A deep (and not as sweet as you might think) dive into German wines (Lookout)
Woodstock’s Pizza leans into ‘something for everyone’ with renovation and new cocktail program (Lookout)
Eat This: Chilled tsukemen ramen at Full Steam Dumpling (Lookout)