Taco Summer: South Phoenix Crispy Pork Skin and Buche Tacos

In the hunt for the latest trendy restaurants, our spotlight often misses neighborhoods that are home to some of the Valley's best kitchens — including those making metro Phoenix's best tacos. Over the next several weeks, we'll be guiding you toward the Valley's tastiest tacos, and the taquerias that serve them. Welcome to Taco Summer.

11: Taqueria La Hacienda #1

Taquería: Taqueria La Hacienda #1, 202 East Buckeye Road
Style: Sonoran
Open: 1997
Signature Taco: Chicharrón

This taco truck sits on an unremarkable corner of Buckeye Road and Second Street in South Phoenix, in a location that's not quite central, but easy enough to access that it has become known as an ideal spot for a quick meal on the way to or from the airport, on a lunch break if you work downtown, or on a Saturday evening, when the truck stays open until 1 a.m. to feed hungry late-nighters.

Most of the taco meats here are pretty standard, with carnitas, carne asada, chicken, lengua, and al pastor on offer. The meats all share a smoky char, and served on warm corn tortillas with a scattering of lettuce, a wedge of lime, a few cucumber slices, and a green chile, they are all pretty easy to love.

But the real reason to head to this unassuming taco truck is for the chicharrón taco, which comes overflowing with crispy pork skin and bathed in a red sauce, and the ultra-rich, meltingly tender buche (pork stomach) taco, which is a hard-to-find cut anywhere in the Valley, and done especially well here. These messy tacos are best enjoyed on the spot at one of the tables set in the adjacent parking lot.

Our Taco Summer picks so far:
50. Taqueria Don Beto
49. Kiss Pollos Estilo Sinaloa
48. Tacos Tijuana
47. El Burrito Grande
46. El Horseshoe Restaurant
45. Tacos Sahuaro
44. El Pollo Correteado
43. Adrian's
42. La Fiesta
41. Taqueria Lucy
40. Tortas Ahogadas George
39. Taqueria El Chino
38. Joe's Tacos
37. Taqueria El Gallo de Lagos
36. Tacos Huicho
35. Puffy Taco Shack
34. Ni De Aqui Ne De Alla
33. Mr. Mesquite
32. Senor Ozzy's
31. Tacos Jalisco
30. Ta'Carbon
29. Taqueria Los Yaquis
28: Helio Basin Brewing
27: Sonora Taco Shop
26: Mercado Y Carniceria Cuernavaca
25. Restaurant Atoyac Estilo Oaxaca
24. Paquime Street Food
23. The Rez
22. Asadero Toro
21. La Frontera 1
20. Taquería Yaqui
19. Presidio Cocina Mexicana
18. Mucha Lucha Taco Shop
17. Casa Reynoso
16. Backyard Taco
15. Taquitos Jalisco
14: Waldo's Tacos
13: Moreno's Mexican Grill
12: Asadero Norte De Sonora