Linda Falkenstein
Three tacos and a bowl of dipping sauce sit on black and white checked wax paper on a tray.
Dipping broth alongside three rich, crispy birria tacos.
Pambazo, where have you been all my life?
Full disclosure, I have known about the pambazo, a Mexican sandwich that is usually described as prepared “drenched” in guajillo pepper sauce, for a long time. But until recently this sandwich wasn’t that common on Madison-area menus. Plus, a sandwich “drenched” in anything didn’t sound all that appealing to me.
Mistake. My late arrival at the party, that’s on me.
On my first visit to Tacos El Capi, the Mexican spot that opened in the former People’s Bakery in late fall, I finally noticed that pambazos aren’t just any old torta drenched in sauce. They’re traditionally stuffed with the combination of potatoes and chorizo (papas con chorizo) that I love, and finished with lettuce, cheese, mayo and crema. How much harm could a guajillo drenching cause to that goodness? I ordered and never looked back. At Tacos El Capi, the sandwich isn’t that messy — guajillo pepper fans may even feel there’s not enough of the sauce; “drenched” is certainly not the descriptor to use.
The red sauce soaks into the bread but also, after a brief griddling, crisps up the exterior of the bun. The mash of potatoes with chorizo sausage blends with the soft interior of the bread, all that cotija cheese and crema and mayo. I added green hot sauce, the milder of the two sauces available. It carries pleasant cilantro notes, and makes for a tart flavor contrast. I have eaten the pambazo hot, lukewarm, cold and heated up in the microwave. Potato filling lovers, and you know who you are, this is the dream.
My pambazo epiphany aside, Tacos El Capi is probably best known for its birria tacos, and rightly so. These are made with beef, long stewed and tender, and melted cheese, stuffed in corn tortillas made reddish from a dip in the spicy meat sauce before frying. The tacos are topped with cilantro and chopped onions, and served with radish and lime slices and a cup of the meat juice for dipping (or you could eat it as soup). Whether you sip or dip, it’s a rich, rich platter of food. The birria tacos, which come three to an order, are best eaten in-house, crisp and hot. Consider sharing an order (that said, leftovers heat up okay). Sweet cinnamon-tinged horchata complements these flavors beautifully and tempers the salty, savory birria in the best way.
Another filling to love at Tacos El Capi is the chicken tinga, shredded chicken in a tomato/adobo sauce. The chicken is very tender, very shredded, and discernibly smoky from the adobo. I recommend it topping the tostadas, stuffed in the flautas, and especially inside the chicken mole enchiladas — while there is not a lot of mole, this was a great comfort dish, almost as soft as tamales. There are also chicken tamales — like the enchiladas, served with a side of rice and beans. The rice is straightforward; beans are pinto.
Unless you’re ordering for children, skip the bland ground beef filling. Carnitas filling, served in traditional tacos, was dry — but also not greasy, which some may appreciate. Alambres (grilled beef), pastor and tongue fillings are also on the menu and they come on, or in, tacos, nachos, tortas, burritos, gorditas and chimichangas; plus “Capi’s Steak Fries,” a french fry-based version of nachos that is a house specialty.
Not on the menu is anything especially geared to vegetarians, although staff say the beans are not made with lard and any entree can be made vegetarian, though that means sticking with beans, lettuce, avocado, rice, pico de gallo and other add-ons.
Paul Hernandez, who started the business, has been involved with area Mexican restaurants run by his family members including Mercado Marimar, Tapatios Cocina Mexicana, and the Taquitos Marimar food cart. His team has done a great job of cheering up the drab and awkwardly laid out People’s Bakery space. Cheerful black and white chalkboard-style murals in Mexican motifs cover the walls and a neon sign says “I love Tacos El Capi” (a not-so-subliminal advertising ploy). The small dining area is fine for eating in; takeout has also worked smoothly. I love Tacos El Capi.
Tacos El Capi
2810 E. Washington Ave., 608-630-8048
tacoselcapi.com
11 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon.-Sat.
$3-$14
