Tio Trompo on Shepherd just past Saint Thomas High School is a quaint, fairly new taqueria set in a derelict little retail center – the other business there is shuttered – with a limited menu, but what it offers, and its value, is well worth a trip for anyone who enjoys casual Mexican food. As the name suggests, the trompo, the vertical spit used to cook pork al pastor, is a key attraction. That slowly roasted pork, which retains its moistness unlike at far too many taquerias in Houston, makes its way into traditional tacos, tortas and something called the Torta Arabe. That was a new one for me.
Described on the menu as white pork "Trompo" meat on a pita bread, it was larger than a taco and quite like a gyro or shawarma but with Mexican flavors. Featuring tender, flavorful pork that I slathered with the fiery reddish salsa stuffed into a large pita- and tortilla-like bread, it was delicious. And just $6, too.
Though I was not exactly familiar with this large taco-style item, its name was not surprising as I was familiar with the story of Lebanese immigrants bringing the trompo to Mexico a century or so ago. The taco arabe, I have come to learn, is a specialty of the city of Puebla that is southeast of Mexico City and the birthplace of mole poblano and chiles en nogada, not bad company.
Tio Trompo
316 Shepherd (at Feagan), 77007, (832) 804-6364
tiotrompo.com
Described on the menu as white pork "Trompo" meat on a pita bread, it was larger than a taco and quite like a gyro or shawarma but with Mexican flavors. Featuring tender, flavorful pork that I slathered with the fiery reddish salsa stuffed into a large pita- and tortilla-like bread, it was delicious. And just $6, too.
Though I was not exactly familiar with this large taco-style item, its name was not surprising as I was familiar with the story of Lebanese immigrants bringing the trompo to Mexico a century or so ago. The taco arabe, I have come to learn, is a specialty of the city of Puebla that is southeast of Mexico City and the birthplace of mole poblano and chiles en nogada, not bad company.
Tio Trompo
316 Shepherd (at Feagan), 77007, (832) 804-6364
tiotrompo.com
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