COMALLI TAQUERÍA

Erik Arizmendi’s Mexican restaurant is just off 7th Street, between Penn and Reading Avenues. “I wanted to open Comalli Taquería just off the beaten path,” Arizmendi says, smiling. “In warmer months, the patio is open, so you can sit outside or indoors in a beautiful environment.”

“Seventeen tacos are our ‘set’ items,” he explains, describing their versatile menu as “small for a reason: to keep freshness and quality over everything else.” The Al Pastor (pastor = shepherd) is created with luscious, boneless pork tenderloin marinated in a traditional blend of herbs and spices, then embellished with piquant cilantro, pineapple and fine-cut onions. Flavorful, grilled corn tortillas provide the taco wrapping.

El Brulée, a Specialty Taco, is the owner’s personal fave. “It’s really unique with its combination of flavors, starting with the mole poblano — sweet and savory — a very complex sauce.” Hand-pulled chicken breast is placed over jasmine rice, along with soft Mexican salad cheese (double crema queso fresca) and a fresh brulée of sweet banana slices. “The tortilla is a nixtamal, a different kind of corn and a different type of process so it’s more coarse and raw,” he explains. The back story: “I was probably about 8 years old. We were in Mexico, and my aunt cooked freshsliced bananas over Mexican-style rice. It was one of my first culinary memories.”

The El Gallo is created with chorizo (a ruddy and well-spiced fresh Mexican sausage) in whipped eggs, then covered with pico de gallo, avocado and cheese. This taco is served over a grilled blue-corn tortilla. “Originally, this was a dish my mom made for me for breakfast for years, which was very special to me. I took that dish and broke it down into a taco.”

Let’s Taco Bout It, owned by Ralph Jiménez, is well established on West Reading’s liveliest street. Jania, his sister, is the cheery, capable manager. Hospitality and friendliness rule at this taco spot where everything is prepared fresh daily from recipes that have been in their family for 30 years. Tacos are Mexican street-style, inspired by food trucks run by their parents, with basic corn tortillas, choices of meat, diced onions, cilantro — and their spicy homemade sauces to meet your “level of heat.”

Do try Horchata, a traditional sweet, cold and creamy rice-milk drink with a hint of cinnamon. Regular customers move steadily in and out, many greeted on a first-name basis, some picking up takeout orders, others sitting at a table, enjoying top-selling tacos like Señor Ramón (adobo-marinated pork with a hint of caramelized onion, dried chilies and spices, topped with juicy pineapple) or Carne Asada, which features madeto-order, sliced, char-grilled steak