Tacos Chukis.....Another Seattle Original Gets The Me Treatment

Word of mouth is one way to find a good spot to eat on the cheap when you are new in town. Sure, it has been just over a year now, but that is still on the new side for a Seattle-ite. Finding the affordable spots around town sometimes relies on getting to know people so they can share their faves with you. Of course, for someone like me who is notoriously terrible at socializing and meeting people, this can be somewhat of a challenge. Still, I soldier on and occasionally am able to break out of my introvert shell and actually converse with folks without feeling or seeming weird or awkward. It is in these times that I always try to steer conversations toward food (my own personal comfort zone) and pick their brains for where to go and what to eat.

Over the course of the past year more than one person casually mentioned Tacos Chukis as some place I ought to try. After looking them up online I had more of that feeling I get with food around this town, okay, seems like it is geared toward students or more likely folks who are drunk or stoned. I know it is a running theme and I harp on it a lot, but come on. Tacos, pizza, burgers? It might be unintentional, it might not be but the evidence is there of what people in Seattle gravitate towards to feed their hunger. I guess you could chalk it up to comfort food in times of rainy gray weather but I like my theory better.

Still, if more than one person is going to recommend something, eventually I will wear down and give the place a shot. I mean, they must be pretty good as their one original spot in Capitol Hill in 2011 has expanded to three other locations around the city and you can’t do that if the food isn’t good—usually. It also seemed only right to go straight to the source and eat at the original location. A tiny spot tucked into an upstairs back corner of a building that you probably wouldn’t know was there if someone had not told you where it was and how to get there. Think of it is a true locals only spot folks made an effort to find and keep going to.

So here we are and this is different. I am going out of my food comfort zone with a couple of their house specialties. The asada taco—steak, onion, cilantro, salsa and guacamole (without an upcharge!) on a soft corn tortilla (you actually get two). Yes, guacamole, I know, but it came with it and felt like a sin to say no. You do get a heap of meat and the extra tortilla really helps contain everything. The steak was nicely grilled and the guac does add some creamy richness to it, though I could still pass on it, otherwise, it was a tasty couple of bites. Now that other taco….

They call it the tacos Chukis and it is their house specialty. Adobada pork, grilled pineapple, melted cheese, onion, cilantro, salsa and guacamole on a soft corn tortilla. Hmmm, okay sure. Salty, sweet, crunchy and all that stuff. If all this stuff together doesn’t sound like something for the drunk and stoned then I don’t know what does. But it also begs a bigger question—grilled pineapple on a taco? I feel like I could down a whole rabbit hole discussion on this much like the intense debates folks get into over pineapple on pizza. I fall squarely on the no side, though without to much of the judgey-ness about it. I mean if that is what you like then okay, eat away. Here it does seem a lot like the same concept. I can understand the salty sweet appeal as I do like to peanut butter up chocolate chip cookies and in these bites it gives you all that and a bit more with the guac. There is a lot going on in each bite though the pineapple can kind of take center stage since you quite a chunk of it. Is it my thing? Ultimately, not really, but while I might not get this again, it does have its fans and is a star of their menu. If this is the kind of thing in your taste profile then you should definitely give it a try. I am quite sure you won’t be disappointed.

Besides the pineapple thing they also have some other interesting menu items like baby burritos, mulitas (a slightly larger soft taco but not quite a quesadilla often called a sandwich taco), quesadillas and if you don’t want a soft tortilla they will serve things up on nopal (prickly pear leaf). So definitely props for some interesting choices. They also something else that caught my eye, tortas.

Yeah, we are talking sandwich versions of tacos with just lots more of everything. Here is the adobada torta—a Mexican sandwich with adobada pork (meat marinated in an adobo sauce featuring chiles, orange juice, coriander seeds, oregano, cumin, garlic, and other spices), mayo, onion, cilantro, salsa, and guacamole on a toasted hoagie roll. You get a little bit of salty spiciness from the pork, a little sweet with the grilled onions and some creaminess from the mayo and guac. I might have traded out the guac for some cheese, but whatever. The marinade and greasiness from the meat seeps into the bread and to be honest, one bite of this was like satisfying some kind of late night craving. It all just works in one tasty bite after another. Mouthful after mouthful was delicious and I was neither drunk nor stoned and it wasn’t two in the morning after a bar crawl. Something about this sandwich just appealed to all my hunger and taste bud needs. This was one darn good sandwich I could go back to over and over again. I can totally understand its appeal, even more so than the pineapple taco thing. This was right up my alley and should be on your list of things to try in Seattle.

Another bonus with Tacos Chukis is their prices won’t bust your wallet. Tacos will run around $2.75, quesadillas $5.50 and tortas $9.25. All in all a good bargain for some eats that will fill you up pretty well. I can understand the appeal of the place to those dining on a budget and those who suddenly feel the need for some grease to soak up all the alcohol or salty sweet for the hungry stoner crowd. Okay, okay, I know I bring it up a lot when talking about food in this town but I think this place has really hit the spot for all in this city. Good food, good prices and you don’t have to be drunk or stoned to enjoy. Unless that is your thing—no judgement.