The crown jewel of Adrian Ortega’s tacos is his salsa — just head to La Plaza Supermarket and see for yourself. After emigrating from Michoacan, Mexico, to Cleveland in 1988, Ortega started thinking about ways to support himself and his family. Coming from a background of farmers and chefs who operated their own businesses, he was inspired to do the same. His first restaurant, Mi Pueblo, opened its doors in 1995 and featured cooking techniques he remembered from watching his mother make tacos and traditional dishes for locals, workers and families in Central Mexico.
“My mother always would buy the ingredients for tacos, the meat, the onions, peppers, all of that the day of so it was fresh,” Ortega says. “But, one thing she always made sure was exact was the salsa. It’s the final ingredient, the last thing that makes you different from the taco stand across the street.” Although he closed Mi Pueblo in 2013, he opened La Plaza Supermarket in 2011 as one of the places in Northeast Ohio to get delicious, authentic tacos with fillings such as barbacoa, nopales, poblanos and lengua.
He also experiments with his own salsa recipes using unique ingredients and flavors. He struck gold when he created his salsa verde, the sweet chile sauce full of fresh tomatillos, serrano peppers, avocados, cilantro and garlic, which he serves with his popular nopales and fish tacos. “What’s fun is I can try to recreate the tacos I grew up with and get as close to the traditions and tastes I know best drawing from my childhood and Mexico,” he says.
Cleveland Taco Guide: La Plaza Supermarket's Adrian Ortega Lets His Authentic Tacos And Salsa Shine
The Lakewood restaurant and supermarket is the place to go for delicious, authentic tacos filled with barbacoa, lengua and more.
