Tacos El Cuñado at the Downtown Market

When it first opened, the Downtown Market was pretty much a bust for vegans. Walking past the giant butcher and the very smelly fishmonger was one thing (the fish doesn’t smell any better today), but almost no one catered to vegans. Thanks to Tacos El Cuñado, vegans did have a reason to visit and you should still check them out today. Tacos El Cuñado is authentic and super good.

The standard rice and beans are paired with something you don’t see very often around town – tempeh. Another great vegan option is nopales – prickly pear cactus – substantially better than it sounds on paper. Few of the “authentic” taco joints in the city are accessible to vegans because of animal lard in the beans, but Tacos El Cuñado has your back. You can add either the tempeh or nopales to your taco or burrito. Heads up that the tempeh has some spice.

Other add-on options include fresh avocado, guacamole, cilantro, spicy pickled vegetables, caramelized onions, and pico de gallo. There is also a fresh salsa bar that offers a range of sauces to complete your meal. Tacos El Cuñado also offers a few Latin American grocery items for sale, if you want to whip up nopales at home.

The tortas aren’t vegan, because the bread used contains egg. Everything else is vegan-friendly.

Tacos El Cuñado serves all their dishes on compostable plates and they make a big effort to recycle. Another reason to like this place.

**Please note, that the only location of Tacos El Cunado we recommend is the location at the Downtown Market. There are other taco stands in the city with the same name, but their food is not vegan-friendly.**