Opened: February 2024
This spacious, modern-looking taco shop, specializing in charcoal-grilled meats, has one of those noun-plus-noun names that, for once, conveys its intent, given that al carbon means “cooking over coal” in Spanish. And, indeed, you can taste the smoke in tender carne asada tacos ($3.75), tucked into soft flour (or corn) tortillas and doctored up, at your discretion, with freshly made goodies (limes, pickled onions, cilantro and the like) from an abundantly stocked salsa bar. Early favorites are melt-in-the-mouth lengua ($3.95) and juicy, shredded cabeza ($3.75). A crisp, battered and fried fish taco ($3.50) gets an Ensenada-style smear of mustard, while the gobernador ($4.35) combines shrimp, onions, bell pepper and mild cheese for a tasty, somewhat fancy bite. A chicken tostada offers the crunch of the tortilla, melty cheese and chunks of char-grilled chicken ($5.85), while a quesabirria syncronizada (a cross between a quesadilla and a taco, sided with consomé ($4.50), is beefy and delicious. Lastly, the sweetness and spice of al pastor is delectable in a rice- and bean-stuffed burrito ($12.25), swathed along one side with griddled cheese. Are there cheaper tacos? Sure, but few are as generously portioned or as high-quality.
Wild Card: Crispy, chip-like buñuelos con nieve ($3), dusted with cinnamon-sugar and served with ice cream.
15414 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix, 602-281-2755, carbonandsalttacoshop.com
