{"id":56949,"date":"2021-09-24T11:57:41","date_gmt":"2021-09-24T17:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949"},"modified":"2026-04-03T12:36:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T18:36:59","slug":"tako-ten-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949","title":{"rendered":"Tako Ten – Albuquerque, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Tako Ten on Candelaria and Tramway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gustavo Arellano, author of Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America<\/strong><\/a>, wasn’t kidding when he quipped “The Taco Bell taco is dead. Long live the taco<\/em>.\u201d \u00a0Boomers like me may not have grown up heading for the border, but we did grow up with the<\/span>\u00a0Taco Bell “taco template”–a crunchy hard-shell tortilla crammed with seasoned ground beef, chopped tomato, lettuce, a fistful of shredded yellow cheese and a large dollop of sour cream. \u00a0We’ve long since joined enlightened millennials and generation Z diners in railing against what Chef Rick Bayless calls Taco Bell’s “near-laughable caricature<\/em>” of authentic Mexican tacos. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So just what are authentic Mexican tacos? Travel throughout the Land of Montezuma and whether you get your tacos from upscale restaurants, market stalls or street vendors, you’ll quickly discover their versatility, diversity and deliciousness.\u00a0 Adventurous diners can, for example, enjoy palm-sized tortillas filled with virtually every part of the pig, cow, or chicken.\u00a0 These proteins can be stewed (as in a guisado), barbecued (for barbacoa), roasted on a vertical spit (al pastor), cooked atop a griddle (a la plancha), or served campechano (a m\u00e9lange of chopped meats). Tacos de mariscos (seafood), pescado (fish) and chapulines (grasshoppers) are also pretty popular fare.\u00a0 Notice that they’re never made with ground beef (take that Taco Bell).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Signs Above Mustachioed Skeleton Tell You Where to Go<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As with all time-honored and traditional cuisine, the taco is evolving both in Mexico and the United States–and not just in the form of Taco Bell’s abhorrent breakfast waffle taco. Contemporary diners want\u2014and expect\u2014more mash-ups combining multiple ethnic influences, a blurring of lines between ethnic menus (exemplified by the Korean taco and Hawaiian taco from Albuquerque’s Street Food Sensations<\/strong><\/a>).\u00a0 We appreciate when chefs think out-of-the-box and surprise us with their creativity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not everyone is embracing the evolution of the taco. \u00a0Diana Kennedy<\/strong><\/a>, the doyenne of Mexican cuisine and recipient of the Mexican government’s Order of the Aztec Eagle award, contends \u00a0young chefs are “throwing things together that don’t really go together<\/em>.”\u00a0 \u00a0Traditionalists who agree with that viewpoint may remain content to enjoy the very precise and limited parameters of tradition.\u00a0 That leaves more tacos for the rest of us.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tribute to Dia De Los Muertos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it comes to creativity and actualizing tacos (making them all they can be), Chef Dom Valenzuela may be without peer. \u00a0An Albuquerque native and graduate of the\u00a0prestigious Johnson & Wales University (class of 2004), Chef Valenzuela returned to Albuquerque in 2019 after stints (mostly as a sushi chef) in Hawaii and California. \u00a0He launched Dia Del Los Takos<\/strong><\/a> inside Albuquerque Indoor Karting<\/strong><\/a>, \u201cone of Albuquerque\u2019s funnest adrenaline destinations<\/em>\u201d and quickly earned accolades from readers of Albuquerque the Magazine<\/a>. <\/strong>In its annual \u201cHot Plate Awards\u201d edition for 2019, the magazine\u2019s readers bestowed a well-deserved \u201cHot Plate\u201d award to Dia De Los Takos for \u201cthe entire taco menu<\/em>.\u201c\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Within a year Dia De Los Takos left the confy confines of Albuquerque Indoor Karting and began operating as a food truck (that’s mobile kitchen to you, Bob). \u00a0In January, 2020, Dia De Los Takos was named one of\u00a0Yelp\u2019s Top 100 Places to Eat,<\/strong><\/a> the only restaurant in the state to be so honored.\u00a0 \u00a0Not long thereafter\u00a0Business Insider teamed up with Yelp to determine the best takeout spot in every state<\/strong><\/a> and Dia De Los Takos earned that designation for the Land of Enchantment, ranking 56th. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tako Ten’s Circle of Friends<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite pandemic woes, Chef Valenzuela was soon on the move again, launching Tako Ten on 17 August 2020 in the Bridges On Tramway retail complex. \u00a0The paint on the walls wasn’t even dry when with the help of Yelp, Eat This, Not That! compiled a list of \u201cthe most mouth-watering tacos in every state.<\/strong><\/a>\u201d \u00a0Tako Ten took those honors, too. \u00a0As of this writing, Tako Ten has a 4.5 star rating (out of 5) on Yelp. \u00a0It also earned three stars from the hard-grading Albuquerque Journal restaurant critic.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the outside Tako Ten would look like just about every other retail center restaurant were it not for signage which features a mustachioed sombero-sporting calavera, an anthropomorphic representation of a human skull.\u00a0 Mexican tradition holds that skeletal figures return to this world for El Dia De Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. \u00a0During this holiday, the profusion of skeletons of all sizes performing day-to-day activities signifies the return to this world of the dead who remain who they were when they lived, doing what they did.\u00a0 Their post-mortem activities are depicted on the wall leading to the counter where you place your order.\u00a0 \u00a0 The artwork at Tako Ten is typical of the fun and folly which emanates at every turn at this popular taqueria.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Eight mouth-watering and incendiary salsas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even more fun than the artwork is the menu, a drool-inspiring menagerie of deliciousness. \u00a0First on the line-up are seven burgers and a chicken sandwich. \u00a0The canvas for each burger and sandwich is a toasted bun dressed with green leaf lettuce, special sauce, tomato and red onion served with French fries. \u00a0Naturally, green chile is available for each. \u00a0Half- and full-sized Frida pies, the restaurant’s fabulous nachos are also available as are Granny’s chips and dip served with avocado queso and your choice of dip. \u00a0No visit to Tako Ten is complete without enjoying the menu item named on the marquee. \u00a0That would be takos. \u00a0There are ten of them, hence the restaurant’s name.<\/span><\/p>\n

30 January 2021<\/strong>: Since you’ll undoubtedly be hard-pressed to decide which three or seven to enjoy, why not just order all ten. \u00a0Tako Ten calls this order option the “Circle of Friends<\/strong><\/em>,” ten glorious tacos splayed across the bottom of a pizza box in campfire circle fashion encircling red, yellow and blue chips. \u00a0Eight colorful salsas are provided in a separate box. \u00a0The tako line-up includes such traditional Mexican takos as al pastor, carne asada and carnitas. \u00a0With a vegan sweet potato tako and a battered avocado tako on the menu, vegetarians need not feel excluded. \u00a0The only surprise (at least to me) was a ground beef tako thankfully not made with the Taco Bell taco template. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Chips and Oaxaca Queso<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

30 January 2021<\/strong>: With my Kim out-of-town when The Dude and I visited Tako Ten, I nonetheless ordered the Circle of Friends, foolishly believing I would eat five takos over the course of two meals. \u00a0Alas, after three takos I had to wave the white flag. To the detriment of takos saved for later meals (they don’t taste as great reheated as they do on-the-spot), it took me three meals to finish all ten. \u00a0That’s not an indictment of my manliness, but an illustration of how generously packed each two tortilla takos is. \u00a0Surprisingly my favorite of ten terrific takos was the vegan sweet potato tako<\/strong><\/em> (crisp sweet potato glazed with spiced honey and topped with honey, the creamy house chipotle hummus and a refreshing Jerusalem salad). \u00a0The contrast of sweet and savory flavors blew me away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

30 January 2021<\/strong>: From among the eight salsas, my favorite was the Fresno beet salsa<\/strong><\/em>, the deep red-purple color a portend to some serious heat. \u00a0Even the yellow mango salsa has a respectable level of piquancy as does the Peruvian ahi amarillo. \u00a0Take this from a bona fide fire-eater, these salsas are all incendiary. \u00a0Don’t let the innocuous colors fool you. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Left to Right: Carne Asada Tako, Sweet Potato Tako, Avocado Tako<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

24 September 2021<\/strong>: If\u00a0 the canned gooey glop ballparks and movie theaters call “nacho cheese” has left you so traumatized or nauseated that you’ve sworn off chips and queso, Tako Ten’s fabulous chips and Oaxaca queso<\/strong> <\/em>will bring you back into the fold.\u00a0 This is the queso all turophiles have been searching for.\u00a0 It’s creamy, thick and studded with flame-roasted Hatch green chile.\u00a0 Best of all, the richness of artisan Oaxaca queso with a dusting of queso ground to a powdery consistency is excellent.\u00a0 The chips are low in salt and formidable enough for scooping.<\/span><\/p>\n

24 September 2021<\/strong>: Birria, a Mexican dish from the state of Jalisco is a spicy stew traditionally made from goat meat or mutton, but occasionally from beef or chicken. Leave it to Chef Valenzuela to offer something deliciously different: birria made with pork. What isn’t different about this birria is just how delicious it it. The pork birria is available in the form of birria ramen, a sixteen-ounce bowl of birria consomm\u00e9 and birria takos<\/strong> <\/em>(four juicy pork birr\u00eda takos topped with onion and cilantro, served with a spicy and smokey consomm\u00e9 , and limes).\u00a0 The consomm\u00e9 has a nice blend of aromatics and piquancy.\u00a0 It makes a wonderful dip for the tender tendrils of pork in memorable takos.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Birria Takos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In its May, 2023 edition Albuquerque The Magazine awarded Take Ten’s salsa bar<\/strong><\/em> a”Hot Plate Award.” \u00a0This award is bestowed by the editors and staff of the Magazine “for dishes, drinks, concepts, ideas or persons who are doing amazing things in our local culinary scene<\/em>.” \u00a0Tako Ten’s salsa bar was described as “hard to beat<\/em>.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ten may be the number of takos on the menu, but on a scale of one to ten, it signifies exceptionally high quality–even perfection. \u00a0That’s what some of Chef Valenzuela’s takos are–perfect.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tako Ten<\/strong>
\n12501 Candelaria, N.E., Suite B
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n(505) 508-3518
\nFacebook Page<\/strong><\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 24 September 2021
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 30 January 2021
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 2
\nRATING<\/strong>: Excellent<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 High quality dining experience; very good to excellent food, attentive service, and a well-maintained atmosphere; worth a detour.
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Tako Ten’s Circle of Friends, Chips with Oaxacan Queso, Birria Tacos
\nREVIEW #1203<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gustavo Arellano, author of Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America, wasn’t kidding when he quipped “The Taco Bell taco is dead. Long live the taco.\u201d \u00a0Boomers like me may not have grown up heading for the border, but we did grow up with the\u00a0Taco Bell “taco template”–a crunchy hard-shell tortilla crammed with seasoned ground beef, chopped tomato, lettuce, a fistful of shredded yellow cheese and a large dollop of sour cream. \u00a0We’ve long since joined enlightened millennials and generation Z diners in railing against what Chef Rick Bayless calls Taco Bell’s “near-laughable caricature” of authentic Mexican tacos. \u00a0 So just what are authentic Mexican tacos? Travel throughout the Land of Montezuma and whether you get your tacos from upscale…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440,57,141,563,727],"tags":[746,782,779,747,780,781],"class_list":["post-56949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-mexican","category-new-mexico","category-rating-excellent","category-tacos","tag-albuquerque","tag-dia-de-los-muertos","tag-dominic-valenzuela","tag-new-mexico","tag-salsa","tag-takos"],"yoast_head":"\nTako Ten - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tako Ten - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gustavo Arellano, author of Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America, wasn’t kidding when he quipped “The Taco Bell taco is dead. Long live the taco.\u201d \u00a0Boomers like me may not have grown up heading for the border, but we did grow up with the\u00a0Taco Bell “taco template”–a crunchy hard-shell tortilla crammed with seasoned ground beef, chopped tomato, lettuce, a fistful of shredded yellow cheese and a large dollop of sour cream. \u00a0We’ve long since joined enlightened millennials and generation Z diners in railing against what Chef Rick Bayless calls Taco Bell’s “near-laughable caricature” of authentic Mexican tacos. \u00a0 So just what are authentic Mexican tacos? Travel throughout the Land of Montezuma and whether you get your tacos from upscale…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-24T17:57:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-03T18:36:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/TakoTen07-scaled.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gil Garduno\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gil Garduno\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56949#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56949\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gil Garduno\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf\"},\"headline\":\"Tako Ten – Albuquerque, New Mexico\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-24T17:57:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-03T18:36:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56949\"},\"wordCount\":1674,\"commentCount\":15,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56949#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/TakoTen07-scaled.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Albuquerque\",\"Dia De Los Muertos\",\"Dominic Valenzuela\",\"New Mexico\",\"Salsa\",\"Takos\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Albuquerque\",\"Mexican\",\"New Mexico\",\"Rating: Excellent\",\"Tacos\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56949#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56949\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56949\",\"name\":\"Tako Ten - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56949#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56949#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/TakoTen07-scaled.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-24T17:57:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-03T18:36:59+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56949#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56949\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56949#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/TakoTen07-scaled.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/TakoTen07-scaled.jpeg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920,\"caption\":\"Left to Right: Carne Asada Tako, Sweet Potato Tako, Avocado Tako\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56949#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Tako Ten – Albuquerque, New Mexico\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"description\":\"Follow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico's Sesquipedalian Sybarite. 1,520 Restaurant Reviews, More Than 14,900 Visitor Comments...And Counting!\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\",\"caption\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf\",\"name\":\"Gil Garduno\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Gil Garduno\"},\"description\":\"Since 2008, the tagline on Gil\u2019s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog has invited you to \u201cFollow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico\u2019s Sesquipedalian Sybarite.\u201d To date, more than six million visitors have trusted (or at least visited) my recommendations on more than 1,300 restaurant reviews. Please take a few minutes to tell me what you think. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I'd love to hear about it.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/%20\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/nmgastronome\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/nmgastronome\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Tako Ten - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Tako Ten - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","og_description":"Gustavo Arellano, author of Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America, wasn’t kidding when he quipped “The Taco Bell taco is dead. Long live the taco.\u201d \u00a0Boomers like me may not have grown up heading for the border, but we did grow up with the\u00a0Taco Bell “taco template”–a crunchy hard-shell tortilla crammed with seasoned ground beef, chopped tomato, lettuce, a fistful of shredded yellow cheese and a large dollop of sour cream. \u00a0We’ve long since joined enlightened millennials and generation Z diners in railing against what Chef Rick Bayless calls Taco Bell’s “near-laughable caricature” of authentic Mexican tacos. \u00a0 So just what are authentic Mexican tacos? Travel throughout the Land of Montezuma and whether you get your tacos from upscale…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949","og_site_name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/","article_published_time":"2021-09-24T17:57:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-03T18:36:59+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1920,"url":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/TakoTen07-scaled.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Gil Garduno","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gil Garduno","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949"},"author":{"name":"Gil Garduno","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/person\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf"},"headline":"Tako Ten – Albuquerque, New Mexico","datePublished":"2021-09-24T17:57:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-03T18:36:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949"},"wordCount":1674,"commentCount":15,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/TakoTen07-scaled.jpeg","keywords":["Albuquerque","Dia De Los Muertos","Dominic Valenzuela","New Mexico","Salsa","Takos"],"articleSection":["Albuquerque","Mexican","New Mexico","Rating: Excellent","Tacos"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949","name":"Tako Ten - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/TakoTen07-scaled.jpeg","datePublished":"2021-09-24T17:57:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-03T18:36:59+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/TakoTen07-scaled.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/TakoTen07-scaled.jpeg","width":2560,"height":1920,"caption":"Left to Right: Carne Asada Tako, Sweet Potato Tako, Avocado Tako"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56949#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Tako Ten – Albuquerque, New Mexico"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/","name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","description":"Follow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico's Sesquipedalian Sybarite. 1,520 Restaurant Reviews, More Than 14,900 Visitor Comments...And Counting!","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization","name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/person\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf","name":"Gil Garduno","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","caption":"Gil Garduno"},"description":"Since 2008, the tagline on Gil\u2019s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog has invited you to \u201cFollow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico\u2019s Sesquipedalian Sybarite.\u201d To date, more than six million visitors have trusted (or at least visited) my recommendations on more than 1,300 restaurant reviews. Please take a few minutes to tell me what you think. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I'd love to hear about it.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/%20","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nmgastronome\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=56949"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78915,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56949\/revisions\/78915"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/58537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=56949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=56949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}