La Loma started as a humble taco trailer right outside of its Mexican grocery store in Akron in 2009. But thanks to BuzzFeed, which named it the most popular taco spot in Ohio — and more hype — it now has restaurants in Columbus and Canton too. The Akron location is expanding its sit-down restaurant, and its grocery store and bakery are moving to another nearby building. Owner Blanca Saucedo is a Mexico City native, and her cooks use family recipes. Try chile relleno, flautas and sope, a thick house-made tortilla loaded with toppings.
“Because we started as a taco stand, it’s homemade and authentic,” she says.
Introduced about seven years ago, La Loma’s hit trio of birria tacos ($16.95) sometimes sells out. Making up the base of the tacos, juicy marinated barbacoa beef slow cooks in a broth of cumin, garlic and guajillo peppers for four hours.
“They’re very traditional for our heritage, our culture, because of the guajillo,” Saucedo says. “You put everything in guajillo to give it color, flavor.”
Three corn tortillas are dipped in the broth to soak up flavor, then put on the grill. Provolone and mozzarella are sprinkled on one side of each tortilla — then cooks turn it over, so the cheese grills until it’s golden brown. It’s finished with barbacoa and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and onions. Rice, peas, carrots and broth create a consome dipping sauce.
“You can taste the actual spices of the guajillo,” says Saucedo. “When they put the tortilla on the grill, it’s really delicious.”
Adding seafood dishes almost five years ago — such as oysters, ceviche and lobster — was a game changer. A popular dish is the molcajete ($41.95), named after the volcanic rock bowl it’s served in. Feeding two to three, the dish starts with a seafood broth of bell peppers, onions, garlic, cumin, raisins and annatto paste, simmering for two hours. Then, mussels, octopus, scallops, crab legs, shrimp and fish are incorporated. Before adding the seafood and broth to the molcajete, cooks take the bowl out of a warm oven and briefly expose it to the stove’s flames. It’s served steaming hot with house-made garlic bread.
“It catches people’s attention,” says Saucedo. “They go, Wow, it’s so big!"
The praise is well-deserved — team members cook with heart.
“We take pride in how everything gets cooked fresh,” she says. “When you do something with this passion or love, that food comes out delicious.”
459 Darrow Road, Akron, 330-784-9300; 4794 Dressler Road NW, Canton, 330-956-4363, lalomaohio.com
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
