Super Tienda Latina
Update: Super Tienda Latina is now La Rosita Latina.
In a word: Square foot per square foot, a good deal of Mexican.
The specs: #0617
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Yelp, The Front Porch Times, 
Latest Super Tienda Latina news and reviews
JM ate two pollo tacos.
Lee ate two tacos loco.
Nichole ate two pastor tacos.
Sam ate a taco loco and a taco pastor.
We split some elote.
The bill was $21, or $5ish/person.
JM, Lee and Nichole gave Super Tienda Latina an A-; Sam gave Super Tienda Latina a B. (see our grading rubric).
The tacos at this mini-supermarket are fantastic.
We met up with two taco enthusiasts for this (long overdue!) trip. There were burritos on the menu but none of us were tempted to stray from tacos for a moment. Between us we sampled every filling - pollo, asada, pastor, and the asada/pastor/cheese behemoth, the Taco Loco.
The standard tacos used one tortilla and came with diced white onions and cilantro. A squeeze bottle of cool, kicky salsa verde was provided.
The chicken, usually the blandest of taco meats, was smoky, spicy and moist. Nichole will go out on a limb and call this the best chicken taco yet (of its style, in Madison, standard disclaimers apply), but that's just based on two bites of JM's compared with the dozen or so other chicken tacos we've had. The pastor was very spicy, lightly sweet, and dripped a steady stream of delicious orange grease into the basket.
The Taco Loco required two tortillas to contain the ample portion of steak, pork, and cheese. The steak was probably the least favorite of anyone's meats, being somewhat chewy and dry, but paired with the pork to add juice it became more than the sum of its parts. Loco, indeed.
Lee asked about the elote before she ordered one for the table, and the description - simply "corn" - had us assuming it was going to be on the cob. The generous portion of big, chewy yellow corn kernels were instead served in a to-go container and topped with sour cream, chili powder, and cheese. Sam instantly dubbed it "decornstructed." The dish was unpleasantly watery on the bottom, but otherwise was a fine side.
Dang, these tacos were good. So good we got another round. Lee called them some of the best tacos in Madison, and Sam agreed. He couldn't quite give them an A only because he'd rather eat home cooking (truth: check out their Thanksgiving).
Super Tienda Latina isn't perfect for dining in. The seating area is small, just a few tables shoved right up against the deli counter; the ordering process is a casual, to the point of being unclear; and for long stretches of time no staff seemed to be out front, behind the register or anywhere. The fresh produce and meats looked good, but the grocery shelves were somewhat understocked. On balance, though, it's definitely worth a trip.
I've never eaten any prepared food there except the tamales. But those tacos look mighty tasty.
Posted by: Skip | January 03, 2011 at 08:25 AM
Yum. This looks amazing.
Posted by: Marissa | January 03, 2011 at 10:26 AM
I am there. Another public service by Madison A to Z.
Posted by: Timmy | January 03, 2011 at 12:21 PM
Are the tacos served only on weekends? My husband and I love their tamales, but haven't been back in a long time. The tacos look great.
Posted by: Lila | January 04, 2011 at 01:35 PM
The hot food does seem to only be served on weekends. I went in yesterday because that elote looked so yummy, and the nice lady working there said "only on weekends," and the hot-food prep area was dark and barren. A shame, because they are right near my workplace! Tacos would be great for weekday lunch! Guess I'll just have to wait....
Posted by: Jen | January 07, 2011 at 08:58 AM