BY ISAIAH FRIZZELL
The best tacos in Idaho? Perhaps! Packed all day long, Taquería Al Pastor, the breezy, flowery, outdoor street spot, is slamming. You can’t miss the yellow truck, right there on Main Street in Hailey, between the Chevron and the State Liquor Store.
You’ll hear ‘truly authentic,’ ‘real deal’ and ‘freaking fantastic’ from locals, transplants and even folks jaunting across the U.S. for summer holiday. The Canos do pastor right.
“We go through 80 to 120 pounds of meat every single day, “ Said Nancy Cano. “My husband [Pascual] is a perfectionist and he’s just passionate… it’s pure love. A lot of people claim they make pastor but If it’s not done in the marinade, put on the spindle where it turns and slowly cooks, it’s not pastor. That’s why we’re named Taquería Al Pastor.” Nancy Cano emphasizes the love and care her husband puts into the food while her beautiful face is always there to help you get what you need.
The Difference
Nancy Escamillo Cano and husband Pascual Cano are dedicated to their craft—a true labor of love. Pascual Cano learned to cook with his uncle in Juarez, Mexico, who ran a popular restaurant chain. After arriving in Idaho to live with family, Pascual met Nancy at the tender age of 19. Four years later they were married in Jerome, and while forging a family they began serving traditional Mexican food to the community.
The Canos began with a small restaurant in Bellevue serving a more extensive menu. They moved to Hailey, with a partner, and began serving from a trailer in the empty lot where CK’s Real Food was eventually built, around 2011. “The people from church would come to eat on Sundays,” Cano remembers.
The Canos have been serving Idaho for over 26 years, 10 of them being at their current location. They consistently strive to treat the community as a family. Pascual Cano’s perfectionism, love and dedication to the craft has culminated in a wildly beloved taco spot, open in Hailey six months of the year. The couple return to Texas from October to March as it’s tough to serve street food in the snow and cold, plus they have kids and family in El Paso.
Community Street Food
Nearly any non-Western country has an abundance of street carts offering unique, extraordinary fruits, meats, and treats. In America, not so much, unless you’re in L.A. To have such a solid offering here in the Valley is a blessing. While food trucks have become prevalent at events, and are generally of good quality, there’s a difference. The price, guaranteed immediacy and simplicity of authentic street food is what draws folks to Taquería Al Pastor and the simplicity of the location—right there in the parking lot, easy, quick, and with perfect attention to authentic pastor. Street food is meant to be quick, with explosive flavors at a reasonable price, and that’s what Taquería Al Pastor does with aplomb.
Just don’t park in the Liquor Store’s parking slots! It’s advised to park behind the truck or on the street.
Nancy Cano is a loving community leader. ”I believe that if you give with your heart, it’ll come back to you and it’s always about the kids. I think it’s rude to sit with three or four friends and four are eating while the fifth isn’t, so I’ll come out and give them a plate of tacos. You know, I’m Mexican, my mom raised me a certain way. You don’t eat in front of other people and have them watch you! So many kids have grown up, come back with their own kids and reminded me, ‘You gave me food when I didn’t have any money!’ and they’re so thankful. It’s a wonderful feeling. I do it with adults, too.
“A gentleman from Sun Valley Roofing once came by and gave me a $100 bill. He said, ‘Here, make sure you keep giving out tacos to the kids who don’t have any money.’ I was blown away! I just love this community, how everyone knows and cares for each other.” The Canos are true community.
Taquería Al Pastor, 209 S. Main St., Hailey, Idaho 83333, Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.,Sundays, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Closed Monday. Taqueríaalpastor.godaddysites.com
