Plaza Morelia

I'm in love. It's not a crush, not a passing phase, it's full on love. If I could, I would spend all of my time with Plaza Morelia, woo-ing it, eventually getting it to marry me. I'm sure my husband wouldn't mind, he's in just as deep as I am.

You see, after losing our favorite taco truck almost a decade ago (we literally lost it - they moved and we were never able to find them again!), we've done multiple taco tours in our fair city, looking for tacos that were even close. I am so happy to announce that we have finally found a place that measures up and even surpasses our beloved taco truck of late. As an added bonus, it's a taqueria, so you are actually inside, with places to sit. No more balancing our taco plates on the trunk of the car.

You maybe never noticed Plaza Morelia. It's set back a few feet from the road and it's easy to miss going in either direction. And, if you did see it, you may have thought it was only a little grocery store. However, in the back of the grocery store is a taqueria along with tables and chairs. So, walk past the butcher counter, take some notes on which items you are going to get on your way out and belly up to the order counter. There's a huge menu overhead... take a minute to choose your path. No, you can't order one of each - there are way too many options for that.

So far (spread out over multiple trips, mind you), I've tried the huarache, the tamales, a bite of my husband's torta (sandwich) and of course, the tacos. I've tried the carnitas (pork), carne asada (steak), and the pollo (chicken). I tried the red salsa, the green salsa and the other green salsa. While I have enjoyed it all, my favorite is the tacos de pollo, followed closely by the tacos de carne asada.

One of the things I really love is that you add all of your own toppings at the counter. So, you like heavy cilantro, no onion? Extra lime? Green Sauce? Add what you want - the tacos come out naked, with just the meat in a homemade corn tortilla (one of the best tortillas I've had!). My style? Extra cilantro and onion, extra lime, green salsa (not the opaque one, the one that is more translucent).

After you order, help yourself to a real Coke or a real Pepsi from the coolers. Browse the store if you would like. Their baked goods are out of this world. They deliver the food to your table and when you are done, you'll pay for everything, including your sodas and groceries at the front of the store. But on your way out, grab some of the chicken fajita meat from the butcher counter. We did and grilled them up last night - wow! We also grabbed a sugar cane. Yes, like a full stalk of sugar cane. My husband grew up having sugar cane as a treat and was so happy to see he could buy a stalk (He's been gnawing on it ever since).

Oh, and grab a cup of champurrado (mexican hot chocolate) while they have it! It's to die for and they make it daily this time of year.

So, stop in at Plaza Morelia and fall in love. Their food is amazing and everyone is very friendly (yes, they do speak English and Spanish). This place is as authentic as it gets. Just don't ask it to marry you - I've got dibs on that.

Plaza Morelia
3391 River Road N
Keizer, OR 97303
503.385.1081