By Christine Georghiou, News Correspondent
Tenoch, an authentic Mexican taqueria, opened its second location in the North End Feb. 10.
Tenoch, named after an Aztec tribal leader, is famous for its array of traditional Mexican sandwiches called “tortas” as well as affordable and authentic tacos, burritos and enchiladas. Brothers Alvaro and Andres Sandoval, who are originally from Vera Cruz, Mexico, opened Tenoch’s first branch in Medford two years ago. The brothers were inspired to open their own taqueria by their friends’ and family’s high-demand for their home-cooked Mexican dishes. The brothers said that the restaurant became so popular by word of mouth that they never felt the need to advertise.
“We opened the doors and it went so fast that we didn’t do any ads – zero in two years,” Alvaro said.
In the new location, business has taken off at a similar pace. Torta-loving locals who have been eagerly awaiting the restaurant’s expansion packed into the canteen-like location and patiently waited in lines that stretched from the register to the door – all in the name of the food.
“I’ve been here four times in two days,” David Cook, a Suffolk University junior from Guadalajara, Mexico, said. “These guys know what they’re doing.”
Cook said that he first came across the taqueria because it opened around the corner from his apartment. Now, the restaurant has become home to his favorite Mexican meals. The owners said they opened it in the North End to wedge something a little different into a landscape designated mostly for Italian dishes.
But for some Northeastern students, the North End is out of reach.
“I usually only go to El Pelon Taqueria because they have the most authentic Mexican food and for the cheapest price I’ve seen in Boston,” Rachel Gould, a middler marketing major, said. “It would be more ideal if it wasn’t in the North End, because location is pretty important to me.”
What the Sandovals said is special about their taqueria is that they make no adjustment to their recipes in order to please the American palate. Instead, their food is served just as it would be at home in Vera Cruz.
“It’s become a unique place. This is how it tastes back home,” Alvaro said. “We make the food for our needs. Not to make adjustments to the Mexican food – that’s the key.”
Alvaro said that one of his favorite dishes from the menu is “the Campechana,” their most popular torta that contains carnitas, chorizo, chipotle mayo, beans, onions, tomatoes, avocado and Oaxaca cheese on Telera bread. The dish costs $6.50.
He also recommended “the Torta Pastor,” priced at $7.25 and “the Garnachas” for $5. Neither of these items are listed on the menu on Tenoch’s website, so be sure to ask about them in-person.
“Look at him,” Alvaro said, pointing to Cook, now a frequent customer of Tenoch. “He is Mexican and he keeps coming back. That’s how you know.”
