Eat Up Havana: Taqueria Corona Exceeds Expectations With Terrific Tacos

Over a decade ago, former Westword food editor Mark Antonation began his food-writing career by eating his way up Federal Boulevard. Now, we're turning our attention to another vibrant culinary corridor.

The four-plus-mile stretch of Havana Street between Dartmouth and Sixth Avenue in Aurora is home to the most diverse array of international cuisine available in the metro area. From restaurants and markets to take-and-go shops and stands, food lovers of nearly any ethnicity or interest can find a place that will remind them of home or open new culinary doors. In Eat Up Havana, Antony Bruno will visit them all, one by one, week by week.

Previous stops:

• Old Town Hot Pot
• Leezakaya
• Chutney Indian Cuisine
• El Tequileno
• Milkroll
• Shin Myung Gwan Korean BBQ
• Watan Restaurant & Bakery
• Las Fajitas
• Mr. Tang
• Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings
• Yemen Grill
  
• Tofu House
• Sushi Katsu
• Coco Loco
  
• Ali Restaurant & Bakery
  
• Thank Sool Pocha
  
  

Next up: Taqueria Corona

Eating out carries with it a certain amount of risk. Who among us has not been disappointed by an old favorite that one day just turned mediocre, or by a much-hyped new “concept” that is more style than substance?

We've all been there many times, at many restaurants, always leaving knowing that's one meal we're never going to get back. That's one hour of life wasted, one level of trust we may never regain with the friends who ate with us there at our recommendation.

That's why we're fearful of risking the unfamiliar. And that’s a shame, because this risk-averse mentality is what makes it easy to overlook a gem like Taqueria Corona.

Walking into this decidedly sparse Havana Plaza restaurant takes a leap of faith starting at the parking lot, as Taqueria Corona lacks any kind of curbside appeal and is the only Mexican restaurant along a strip largely dominated by Korean-themed eateries.

Expectations don’t get much higher once you walk inside. Depending on when you visit, the plain tables and chairs might be completely empty (always a concern for a first-timer) and the place completely quiet other than the Spanish-language programming blaring from the two TVs. This is no frills at its most no frill.
But the concept of “underpromise and overdeliver” plays strong here, which starts to become evident the moment you speak to the staff. Their response to “what’s good?” is a shrug, a knowing smile, and then — both confidently and patiently, as if speaking to a child — the simple reply “tacos.”

After all, this is a taqueria that started out as a simple taco stand just slightly northwest of its current location back in 2008. But while it may have moved into larger indoor digs, it remains true to both its roots and that of the historical taqueria: simple, affordable meals made for working-class families.

So if you do as the Romans do in Rome, then when you’re at a taqueria, you order tacos. Sure, there are plenty of other options on the menu (such as chicharron, burritos, enchiladas, gorditas), but tacos lead front and center.

The options range from the standard carnitas, al pastor, barbacoa, pollo, chorizo and asada  to the less familiar — lengua (tongue), tripa (tripe), buche (pork stomach) and nopales (cactus). At $2.50 each and relatively smaller sizes, you could easily order five or more without overindulging, so feel free to experiment. Rice and beans are optional side dishes for an equally modest charge ($2 each). And when they ask if you want cilantro and onions, the correct answer is “yes.”
Once your order is placed, the relative quiet of the dining area is broken by the clattering of steel spatulas clanging against a flattop grill, and the sound of sizzling meat as the cook makes your tacos to order, fresh and fast.

Tacos arrive mere minutes later, the filling resting in doubled-up corn tortillas (nobody asks if you want flour… it’s corn, as it should be), stacked side by side in an oval plastic tray with two mini squeeze bottles of salsa: one a Tart green, the other a spicier red.

Once you take that first bite, any lingering worries will disappear in a blast of tender, crunchy meat, along with salt, fat, seasoning and acid. Even if you’re the only one in the restaurant, you no longer care about the empty booths and the TV noise fades. It’s just you and a plate of wonderful little folded packets of deliciousness that you're going to be too busy stuffing into your mouth to worry about who else might be around.

The lengua is beefy and braised. The chorizo is spicy but earthy, the way chorizo is meant to be. The pork in both the carnitas and al pastor is crisp on the outside yet tender and moist inside. These tacos are a medley of flavors that you’ll finish off in a few bites each until all you’re left with is the temptation to order another round.

When the bill arrives, you’ll be forgiven for thinking a mistake was made. Four tacos for $10 in 2025?

Restaurants in Denver are charging three times that but going out of business, while Taqueria Corona has been going strong for eighteen years — because the owners know exactly who they are and who they’re serving. The white board happy-hour schedule is written out in Spanish. The tables have no Tapatio or Tabasco, but rather Mexico’s best-selling hot sauce, Valentina. The ringing of the phone announces all the incoming takeout orders being placed.
On social media, influencers love to brag about “discovering” hidden gems like this. But they haven’t discovered anything. They’ve just gotten wise to something that an entire community has been enjoying for years before Instagram even became a thing — a community looking for an affordable, authentic, flavorful meal at the end of the day.

All it takes is risking nothing more than opening a door you’ve never tried before.

Taqueria Corona is located at 2222 South Havana Street in Aurora and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more info and orders, visit ordertaqueriacorona.com.