By Anneliese Duong
After exiting the 405 N freeway towards Beach Blvd, a brightly lit canopy illuminates the night. It is the home of Any’s Tacos, a family-owned taco stand.
Every night at 6:30 p.m., people line up at Any’s tacos, a food truck where you can choose a selection of different meats for $2 each. The list goes from: tripa (intestines), pollo (chicken), asada (grilled meat), buche (pork stomach), pastor (pork shoulder), cabeza (head), lengua (beef tongue), chorizo (highly seasoned chopped or ground pork sausage) and suadero (meat from the breast bone of a cow).
The meat spins on top of a fire while the tortilla shells are heated. It took only a few minutes for the line to pass and my dad and I ordered the most popular meat: al pastor. The meat is delicately placed on the shells and wrapped in foil to contain the warmth. As we move up, it turns into a self-serve bar where we can take as many marinated grilled onions, vegetables and salsas as we like. My dad and I were in awe when we saw the huge bins, along with the sandwich bags and small containers, ready to be filled.
I unpacked the foil-wrapped tacos and tried an al pastor one. A piece of pineapple was placed on top of the meat and the first bite was fresh and sweet because of it. The meat was tender, not dry, and you could taste the slight char from how the meat was cooked. The taco itself did not fully reach my expectations though. I was hoping for it to leave my mouth watering and craving more, like with birria tacos.
With the sauces, Any’s Tacos serves salsa roja, salsa verde and guacamole salsa. The first two sauces were incredibly spicy. My dad put a generous amount on his tacos and one bite with the sauces left him with tears. I took one dip with a pinky to try it out and indeed, it was a burning sensation. If you don’t have a high spice tolerance, consider getting the salsas elsewhere.
I went to Any’s Tacos again the following week to try the suadero tacos, the tripa tacos and the pineapple agua fresca. The agua fresca was incredibly refreshing; the sweet pineapple smell was very distinct and every sip went well with the tacos. It’s a good drink by itself either way. However, the price was on the higher side at $5. For the tacos, the tripa was very chewy and the texture reminded me of a squid-like texture. It was good but on a ranking scale, they are below the al pastor tacos. Next was the suadero tacos—these would have to be at the same rank as the al pastor tacos. The meat’s texture was smooth to eat and the suadero was dipped in some of its fat to keep moist.
I wouldn’t say that Any’s Tacos is the best nor the worst taco stand. There are several options to choose from, but there are really only a few good meats.
I will say though, the location of the taco stand is in a good area because Beach Blvd is always a busy street. On Google Maps, they are hidden behind Chevron and directly in front of Beach Girls Cocktails and Games. If you are heading home late and are craving a light meal, Any’s Tacos is for you.
Any’s Tacos is located on 15557 Beach Blvd, Westminster, California 92683. Their hours are 6:30 p.m. to 12 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday, and 6:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
