Over the past decade, Salem has seen an emergence of one specific industry that has been of great appreciation to all that live and visit here: Restaurants. It seems almost monthly that our downtown corridor or other main streets such as Lancaster or South Commercial dawns a new eatery that Salemites chomp at the bit to try. This past year alone, Salem has seen over 25 new restaurants come to the Salem market, each bringing the foodies of Salem a different taste and experience.
One such restaurant that has come on to the scene with great attraction and wide public support is Azul’s Taco House. For those that have tried one of their over 33 different taco creations, whether it is their El Capitan, Bulgogi, Cheese Curd taco, or their classic street taco, you know exactly why they are one of the most frequented new eateries in town. “Our goal is that every customer is blown away with each bite,” shared one of the owners Tino Land.
As amazing and unique as their cuisine may be, it is not my favorite part about going in to one of their two locations. The family style atmosphere the owners, Tino and Jay create in their establishments is why I continue to come back for more. Not a time goes by where either one of the two come out, say hello, and catchup, despite the long lines that often stretch far past their entrance. Monica, who you will often find greeting you at the downtown location has one of the most welcoming smiles and always makes you feel instantly embraced. “As much as we love cooking and creating something special for our customers, we pride ourselves on our customer service. It does not matter if it is your first time in or your 100th time, we want everyone to feel like family at Azul’s,” Said Tino.
This sense of family stems from the relationship between the two owners, Tino Land and Jay Razo, who grew up as best friends from childhood. “Like many friends, we always dreamed of going into business with each other,” Tino stated. “We started out with a little food truck that we picked up in Portland 6 years ago and continued to work towards opening a store front like we have now.”
If Taco’s are not your food of choice, you can experience the unique flavors of their burritos and quesadillas that will certainly make you come back for more. The story behind the different flavors and styles of their tacos, comes from Tino and Jay in the kitchen, trying different things and finding flavor profiles that make their customer’s mouths water and say “WOW.” “We are just trying to take the taco game to the next level.” One of their fastest selling flavors, that only comes out on special, is their Mac Daddy Taco which is a balanced combination of bacon, jalapeño, mac and cheese, on top of beer battered fries, carnitas, with the perfect amount of spicy barbeque sauced drizzled over the top.
Visit one of their two locations, and see for yourself why everyone loves Azul’s:
West Salem: 1142 Edgewater St NW, Salem, OR 97304
Downtown: 245 Court St NE, Salem, OR 97301