Chucho’s Tacos Opens in Newcastle

Before Barrio Comida opened its doors to rave reviews on Newcastle’s Quayside we were limited for Mexican food options in the area. Zapatista was the forerunner with its burritos, while a couple were serving up tacos from a trailer at Tynemouth Market. That couple were Emma and Jesus, and you can read about our first experience of Chucho’s Tacos here.

With successful pop-up stints at Staiths Cafe under their belts, as well as a growing demand for them to attend food festivals all over the region and beyond, it was great to hear that they were also going to be setting up a permanent base. Located at the top of Shields Road, the area isn’t exactly known for being ‘up and coming’ where food is concerned. I recently reviewed Bear & Natural Kitchen not too far away, so maybe there is a change of fortunes in an area that is usually serviced by the likes of Wetherspoons. 

On a drab Saturday afternoon (which also was their first day) we headed along to check out what was on offer. Pleased to see veggie options on offer, we opted for the Verde and Frijol tacos. These were served to us without the feta. Having seen the menu on Twitter, I decided to take along some of our vegan cheese and sour cream to also top them with. Emma was interested in how easy it was to source these ingredients, so watch this space!

We each ordered 3 tacos initially and shared them between us. Mr. Canny’s favourite will always be the refried beans, which are made using his beloved black beans. These were also topped with guacamole, onion, and coriander. The tacos are made by the team and are quickly assembled while you wait. As they are made to order you can tinker with the toppings, much in the way we did. 

The slightly bitter onion and the citrus coriander works well with the smokiness of the beans and the creamy guacamole, which they also make themselves. 

The sweetness of the corn and courgette of the Verde was my winner, and topped with the tangy homemade salsas on offer was a lovely combination. 

We used Sainsbury’s Grated ‘Cheddar’ which, it has to be said, is growing on me. It’s funny how your taste buds change once you eliminate dairy from your diet. I didn’t bother with the sour cream as we felt the guacamole gave enough richness to the ensemble. To be honest, there was no need for the cheese but hey ho.

Mr. Canny enjoyed them so much there were seconds, and he tried out his Frijol tacos topped with Plantain this time round. I was told to less of the green chilli salsa than previously as he concurs with their ‘Hot’ labelling 🙂

Emma said the menu will evolve over time, with new items added in the not-to-distant future. Available to take away or eat in, we were lucky enough to grab a window seat to enjoy our food there. It was great to see them so busy on the first day and hope it continues. They will be returning to Tynemouth Market on a Sunday soon and will be popping up at various events as they have in the past. I hope their beautiful catering trailer doesn’t languish for too long, and it is fantastic to see their business going from strength to strength. You can visit their Facebook page for more info here.

Thanks for reading,

Pip x