Auténtica Taqueria in Kendall, Miami

My friend, Miss Y., surprised me with an invitation to eat tacos at Auténtica Taqueria. It was exciting – the first restaurant I visited since the pandemic! We were short on time, so we only ordered two dishes – a chicken tostada and tacos, of course.

Chicken Tostada

A crispy tortilla topped with refried beans, choice of meat, lettuce, pico de gallo, and sour cream sprinkled with cotija cheese. Miss Y. ordered the chicken one, and it looked terrific. She offered me a crispy-crunchy bite, and it was delicious. Confession – I have never had a tostada before, and this messy little tasty-taste convinced me that I have been missing out on a lot. The tostadas come in the following flavors:

Steak

Chicken

Al Pastor with Pineapple

Al Pastor no Pineapple

Carnitas / Fried Pork

Cochinita Pibil / Broiled Seasoned Pork

Barbacoa / Steamed Seasoned beef

Ceviche de Pescado

Ceviche de Camaron

Ceviche Mixto

Chicken Tostada. Photo Credit: Yenis Jaramillo

Three Tacos

Soft corn tortilla with your choice of meat. The minimum order for tacos is three, so I chose one chicken and two Al Pastor. Both were well-flavored. The homemade tortillas were delicate and airy. The tacos were served plain so you could dress them as you liked with pico de gallo, salsa verde, guacamole, and lime. I loved the chicken taco, but the Al Pastor, made with fatty and juicy diced pork, was my favorite – I just wish that the pineapple chunks were cut a little bigger to make their flavor more significant. The tacos also come in different varieties, and they have a taco sampler on the menu.

Al Pastor (3 tacos)

Al Pastor no Pineapple (3 tacos)

Chicken (3 tacos)

Steak (3 tacos)

Carnitas / Fried Pork

Cochinita Pibil / Broiled Season Pork

Barbacoa / Steamed Seasoned Beef

Mix (No Seafood)

Vegetarian (3 Tacos)

Fish (3 tacos)

Shrimp (3 tacos)

Shrimp Tacos. Photo Credit – Yenis Jaramillo

Auténtica Taqueria is located in a deep corner of a strip mall. It was simply decorated with Mexican details and a cozy reception area. The service was friendly and fast, and the waiter kept extolling his father’s culinary virtues, who happened to be the owner. He hails from Jalisco, Mexico, and is married to a lady from Nicaragua who learned the Mexican way of cooking from her husband.

The menu is varied and extensive and offers authentic Mexican regional specialties and drinks, including Aguas Frescas that come in four different flavors. I plan to go back to try more of the dishes in this little corner of Kendall.