Tacos Don Martin stands as a guard which watches over the glorious Sugarhole in Sugarhouse.
Tacos Don Martin
Highland Drive and roughly 2150 South
(right in front of the Sugarhole in Sugarhouse; across the street from the library and Barnes and Noble)
3.5 out of 5 stars
801-414-6182
Slctacos.com is back. I apologize for a bit of a lull in taco journalism, but since last year I was nearly robbed of my entire summer I decided to grab the summer of 2009 by the reigns to make sure I could enjoy it as much as possible.
But this post is not the true miracle I want to talk about this evening. Tonight I want to talk about how dreams come true. Some of you remember that I have lamented the fact that while in the past there was a pre-SUGARHOLE taco stand in Sugarhouse. I actually scribbled this on the top of my Christmas list to Santa :
“a taco stand in sugarhood”
Christmas has come early for this young man because now there street tacos which are walking distance from his home! What else could you want? You wanted a burrito? Tacos Don Martin has you covered. Oh, you want a vampiro? Tacos Don Martin has those too! Excuse me, you wanted a full plate of asada? Done. Tacos Don Martin is back. It may very well be the driving force which revitalizes the heart of Sugarhouse.
The SUGARHOLE in March, 2009. Notice the lack of buildings, but more importantly notice the lack of TACOS!!!
Years from now, our children will be sitting in class and learning about history. They will learn about the settlers of the Salt Lake valley and they will learn about how Obama made good on his promise in 2011 for every child to have his own jetpack.
Even more importantly, they will learn about the magnificent return of street tacos to Sugarhouse. They will read about the events leading up to this : Wallstreet greed, credit shortages, recession, and finally SUGARHOLE. Finally they will read about the singular event which changed Sugarhouse as we know it and ultimately ended the Recession in the United States. This event is the return of tacos with the opening of Tacos Don Martin.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. You are a taco enthusiast and you want to know more about the tacos. Taco Enthusiast Dr. Wilkin was the same way when I called him up a few weeks back. He was chomping at the bit to try out the tacos at this new stand, so we decided to make a date of it. Dr. Wilkin is a medical doctor and the only thing he loves more than saving lives is eating tacos. Dr. Wilkin leads a fast-paced life of medical breakthroughs sprinkled with miraculous events of saving the lives of orphans. Since his time is precious, I was sure to be on time when I walked down the street to his home for our taco adventure.
FILE PHOTO : Dr Wilkin on another taco adventure. He works hard, but he plays even harder.
We arrived at the taco stand on a beautiful summer evening as the sun was setting over the rugged shores of the Sugarhole. We looked over the menu for a bit and decided to get down to business. Here are a few items on the menu and their prices. This is definitely one of the cheaper places to dine in Sugarhouse :
Tacos – $1
Vampiros – $1.50
Plato de Asada – $6
For those curious of what styles of tacos served here, the list is as follows :
Asada, Al Pastor, Carnitas, Pollo, Cabeza, Buche, Barbacoa, Chicharron, Birria, Lengua, Tripa
Dr Wilkin unwinds at the taco stand while other taco goers try to jump into the frame amidst serious taco journalism
Our tacos were good. For some reason I didn’t take any photos. Maybe I was starving. Maybe I was giddy that there was a taco stand in Sugarhouse. Maybe I was laughing with a fellow taco customer next to me and the stand owner when some other “gringo” walked away with paying.
At any rate, I enjoyed the Carnitas and the Barbacoa most. The Al Pastor was also tasty and I will definitely order it again as I continue to revel in street food in Sugarhood.
Tonight I stopped by the stand and had a quick Barbacoa taco while I asked the stand owner how business was going. She said that it is up and down. Some good days and some very slow days. I was surprised when she told me that her busiest time of the day is at lunch. I would have assumed more people at night since I often see quite a few standing around when I drive down Highland. If you want to make an order to go, or have them cater a party, you can call the number above and they can set you up with some delicious treats.
Reading the lettering on the stand at Don Martin, you wonder to yourself if they can live up to the claim of serving up street delights “a la altura de su buen gusto“. In this humble reporter’s opinion, I believe that they do make delicious tacos at the height of your great taste. Sugarhouse is back on the map!
-burgersmoke
SLC Tacos 