ROSARITO BEACH.-They say that when you have a good product, copy-cats will soon follow with their lame imitations, and in the foodie world this is more common than you would think. Especially when you consider that this delicious offering wasn't created by a famous chef, but rather in a small stand in Rosarito Beach. We are, of course, talking about the "perrones" tacos from Tacos El Yaqui.

Just like any good taco, many claim to be the original, which is why we went on a quest to find out where the tacos perron came from. But, first of all, what is a "taco perron"? A taco perron is basically a flour tortilla filled with arrachera, salsa, beans, and guacamole. This taco was so good that its fame spread well beyond Rosarito all the way to Tijuana, Ensenada, and even crossed the border to San Diego, a city that has been captivated by the delicious flavor or Tacos El Yaqui. The modest taco stand has become an iconic taco shop in the city.

Before the namesake, Don Felipe "El Yaqui" Nuñez, arrived, we spoke with his children, who also work there, about the history of the family business. Later on, Don Felipe arrived and continued to tell us the story, and invited us to try the delicious tacos perrones.

El Yaqui told us that he arrived from the Northern Mexican state of Zacatecas at 16 years of age and wanted to make money in the US to send back home. But, his plans didn't go as well as he had originally thought, because the way of life and culture there didn't please him. So, he moved to what is now the city of Playas de Rosarito (Rosarito Beach), about a 30 minute drive South from the San Diego Border, and he started to work in a carnitas stand. In 1984 he decided to start a business of his own.

In February of 1984, he opened the doors of Tacos El Yaqui, a small stand with large dreams. Don Felipe told us that from the very beginning a friend of his advised him to use arrachera meat (flank steak), which is of greater quality than typical taco meat, and that is exactly what he did. With just a small stand and a small grill, his reputation for good quality became well-known, and hundreds of people started to eat there.

The trademark "taco perron" was a later invention, which Don Felipe tells us wasn't even of his own devise, but rather a client that asked him for a quesadilla with everything and, after trying it, said to him: "Yaqui,este taco si esta bien perrón", which loosely translates to "Yaqui, this taco is very good" (in Mexico, perron could mean anything from awesome to 'delicious' in this case). The rest is history.

VIDEO : The Story of Tacos El Yaqui (Via Tacos El Yaqui)

To this day, Tacos El Yaqui is still a family outfit, which has continued to grow and gain more clientele over the years.

To visit the original location in Baja California, visit Tacos El Yaqui on Mar del Norte street, on the corner of La Palma Street, in Rosarito, Baja California. Click here for directions.

VIDEO: The real tacos "perrones" of Rosarito

Jorge.Guevara@sandiegored.com

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