Sonoma’s taco trucks – nothin’ fancy, just delicious

Stopping for a bite to eat at one of the many taco trucks around Sonoma Valley transports me instantly to another culture without the expense of a plane ticket.

I, for one, enjoy being surrounded by the melodious sound of the Spanish language and the smell of something delicious cooking. Unlike the relative insulation of restaurant dining, eating at a food truck puts you smack in the middle of a lively scene where spontaneous conversations happen effortlessly.

I’ve eaten at all the Valley’s taco trucks and I enjoy them all. La Bamba, which you can’t miss in the Larbre Automotive lot in Boyes Hot Springs, has always been a favorite and can translate into a bit of wait, but who cares, if you are having a good time? Here are some other favorites. This is by no means a complete list, but maybe it will entice you to try one.

The hungry lunchtime crowd of tradesmen and winery workers heads over to Eighth Street East near Denmark Road for expertly made tacos from El Gitano. The truck pulls up on a dusty patch of a frontage road shortly before noon on weekdays to waiting carfuls of hungry diners, many of whom have ordered ahead by phone. My favorite dishes are the succulent beef head (cabeza) and the beef tongue (lengua) The lunch rush is fast and furious. If you want to avoid the crowd, arrive after 1 p.m.

Not exactly a truck, but a taco cart that gets rolled out every evening in front of Tortilleria Jalisco on Highway 12 in Sonoma has a special charm. At night, diners cozy up to the stand on four wooden stools, watching the cooks expertly prepare tacos, tortas and quesadillas. My favorite is the chicken quesadilla.

The wizards cooking at Los Magos are a friendly pair of brothers whose bright orange truck is wedged into the parking lot of the newly decorated Armando’s Auto in the heart of Boyes Hot Springs. The whole scene is a convivial mix of characters. Their weeknight hours are from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., and they stay open until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Stellar tacos, yes, but I’m partial to the gordita, a sandwich of two griddled masa cakes filled with meat and cheese. My favorite is the al pastor.

John McReynolds is culinary director at Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards and Winery and author of “Stone Edge Farm Cookbook.”