How to embark on a week-long taco tour of Arvada

Anyone who’s been to Olde Town Arvada knows there’s no shortage of Mexican options there. But just minutes away is another hot spot where you can scratch the itch for tacos, burritos and beyond: Near the intersection of West 52nd Avenue and Marshall Street is a growing cluster of food trucks well worth a detour.

Yes, this industrial corridor is an edgier place to get your fix. Instead of reserved patio seating, you might be dining at a roadside picnic table or from a to-go carton off the hood of your car. But the value and regional specialties are undeniable, especially if you can time your visits to coincide with the deals and limited hours.

Here’s an ideal week of eating through the area (but feel free to visit on weekends as well).

Monday

Monarcas Mexican Cuisine
5441 Marshall St., Arvada

Start strong with a sizeable gordita or torta at Monarcas, which offers a wide range of specialty fillings. Try the chicharron prensado, which the menu describes as “pressed pork in red salsa,” that’s a mix of crispy pork skin and shredded meat, chopped and cooked like ground meat to soak up sauces.

This truck is one of the few places in town where you can order nopalitos a la Mexicana: cleaned and diced cactus sautéed with tomatoes, onions and jalapeños, a satisfying filling that happens to be vegetarian. Other favorites are the red chile pork, potato and chorizo, and rajas con queso: strips of roasted poblano peppers with melted cheese.

Open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tuesday

Don Carlos Taco Shop #3
5216 Marshall St., Arvada

Head here for Taco Tuesday, where you can mix and match carnitas, al pastor, chorizo and chicken tacos for $1.75 each. Just look for the line and tailgate tents shading picnic tables and a salsa bar.

In the summer, Don Carlos often moves a plancha flattop outside the truck, warming tortillas and griddling chorizo al fresco. If you’re lucky, it will still have the al pastor trompo spinning, so that while you wait for your order, you can watch the pork sizzle and char as it rotates around the spit.

When it’s not Taco Tuesday, try any of the loaded fries, the Cali Supreme burrito, or upgrade to the Mega Footlong version if you’re feeling ravenous.

Open Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m, Wednesday through Thursday from 2 to 9 p.m., and Friday through Saturday from 2 to 10 p.m.

Wednesday

Ahi Con Oscar
W. 52nd Ave. and Marshall St., Arvada

Stop by early for any combination of breakfast fillings in a taco or burrito. Try the machaca, a type of dried, shredded beef that comes to life when scrambled into eggs or aromatics, absorbing their juices.

For lunch, the burritos are stuffed with a generous portion of meat, refried beans and cheese; specify if you want to add rice. The enchilada and guisado plates come with rice, beans and your choice of cooked or stewed meat (like puerco rojo). He WHO also has picadillo (a spiced ground beef filling) and chicharron verde: puffed pork skins braised in a spicy tomatillo salsa until completely soft and tender. Get either of these in a gordita, which comes standard with cheese.

Open Tuesday through Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Thursday

Taco Chop & Breakfast
5315 Marshall St., Arvada

The Taco Thursday deal is hard to beat: 99-cent al pastor tacos served with your choice of onion, cilantro and a few squeeze bottles of salsa.

Consider coming back for the other offerings, including any burrito smothered in green chile; the Cali Supreme and Las Vegas are the most popular. For breakfast, you can find solid red and green chilaquiles.

Or try the mulita, which is rarely seen in this area: two thicker, fried corn tortillas sandwiching meat, melted cheese, guacamole, plus onions and cilantro. The move is to order this with campechano, which gets you a blend of chorizo and carne asada.

Open Monday through Wednesday, and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday

Barbacoa El Oso Estilo Chihuahua
5216 Marshall St., Arvada (plus other locations)

At the end of the week, head to Barbacoa El Oso, which specializes in Chihuahuan-style barbacoa de res, shredded beef that’s been braised with simple aromatics. Without the dried chilies you would find in birria-style preparations, the consomé here is a clear, beefier broth (which you can purchase on the side for dipping).

This place is all about simplicity and enjoying the pure flavor of slow-cooked meat. The barbacoa is served straight up on tortillas or torta bread, or in a quesadilla or burrito wrapper. The only available additions are onions, cilantro and salsa. If you want to stock up, you can buy meat to-go by the pound.

You’ll find this truck in the same lot as Don Carlos Taco Shop #3.

Open Wednesday through Monday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (hours may vary)