What makes you stop at a taco truck?

With an ever-growing and already-sizeable representation of them in Memphis, you can’t try them all. I mean, technically, you could, but chances are you won’t.

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So, when you see one — most likely, on a busy road with plenty of traffic and lights — what are the deciding factors that make you pull into the lot?

For me, it can be a number of things.

I am, in some ways, predictable in that I rely almost primitively on my senses when it comes to all things food. I’m not impervious to flashing lights and big pictures of freshly cooked whatever. I’m certainly a sucker for the smell of good smoke coming from a mobile chimney. But the thing that gets me most is people.

When I’m traveling abroad, I eat as much street food as I can. In countries and cities where street food culture is bustling, there are usually an overwhelming number of options and oh-so-little time and stomach space. So, I go to the places that draw the most crowds. Call me a hypebeast; call me a sheep. It works.

I like to apply the same strategy here in the States. Look around at all the food trucks and ask yourself, “Where are people really eating?”

You’ll stumble upon places like Taqueria Express #5.

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This taco truck is smack-dab on the corner of North Perkins Road and Summer Avenue in the parking lot of a busy convenience store. Besides discount housewares, disposable vapes and cheap bongs, the most interesting thing here is the taco truck, which, every time I’ve seen it, has drawn at least a small line. Such was the case the other day, when I finally ate there.

I parked and stared up at the truck’s big red decal until I made a decision based on the pictures alone — always a convenient one, in my experience. Quesabirria and a California burrito. Too easy.

First good thing about Taqueria Express #5: They take cards, which can be hit or miss at other taco trucks. This one seems to have too many customers to not offer a card reader. That’s a plus in my book because I never have cash on me.

But more importantly, the food here is great. Birria is big across the menu in multiple formats, including pizza (a big one, too). You get three large tacos — all folded and fried with the shredded beef and melted cheese — with a side of consomé for $10.50. The birria is tender and spicy, as it should be, and one cup of the fire-red broth is the perfect amount to dip three tacos.

I tried the California burrito, too, because I was surprised to see it on the menu. I grew up eating these overstuffed flour tortillas bursting at the seams with fries and carne asada, and that’s exactly what I got.

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The asada is tender and greasy in the best way, and the pile of fries soaks up all that extra juice. I was mildly disappointed there was no guacamole in the burrito — which I believe is a central testament of a California burrito — but I’m sure you could add it for an extra couple of bucks. Probably worth it. 

That said, they’ll give you as much salsa as you want, both rojo and verde, and it’s fresh and addicting. 

If you opt for burrito instead of birria, might I suggest you order a side cup of birria consomé for $2. It’s worth dipping your burrito in for the best of both worlds.

Taqueria Express #5, located at 4590 Summer Ave., is open Sundays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to midnight. Call (901) 214-8222 to order ahead.