Taco Summer: Make-Your-Own Grilled Chicken Tacos at Asadero Norte De Sonora in Central Phoenix

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.

12: Asadero Norte De Sonora

Taquería: Asadero Norte De Sonora, 122 North 16th Street
Style: Sonoran
Open: 2001
Signature Taco: Grilled chicken

Asadero Norte De Sonora is best known for chicken dinners and mixed grill parillada (composed of carne asada, tongue, beef head, pastor, barbacoa, and rib), which come with tortillas, a small chopped salad, salsa, and some of the best charro beans in Phoenix — served in a dish filled with a rich, soupy broth peppered with bacon, onions, and chili.

These plates are the ideal setup for make-your-own tacos.

The grilled chicken, on its own, is famed around the Valley for its charred skin and juicy, super-tender meat, and the chicken tacos, which are simply served on corn tortillas with a lime wedge, a grilled jalapeno, and a small cup of guacamole, really let their signature meat shine.

The other tacos are no slouches, either. The al pastor is a harmony of crisp and tender bits of pork, punctuated by the sweet tang of pineapple. The barbacoa and cabeza are meltingly tender and rich, and the carne asada can hold its own in a town full of asaderos.

The restaurant runs a brisk take-away business, but the best way to enjoy a plate of tacos, or a messy, ultra-satisfying corn tortilla assembled from your own handpicked bites of charred whole chicken, is at a laminate-topped table in the homey dining room.

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