The owners of the Tacos y Mulitas Ruben lonchera fleet launches its new brick-and-mortar taqueria today on the corner where you'll find their neon green truck parked in the mornings. Hidden behind a Dollar Tree store that's also grand-opening this week, you wouldn't ever see it unless you were already a Ruben's customer like our sharp-eyed tipster Macielverita.
Ruben's has several trucks. Their taco & mulita truck is a super-stretched green monster that lends its color scheme to the signage of the store. They're famous for their pineapple-topped trompa, the vertical spit that roasts their pork al pastor. This writer selected their mulita, hand-patted with fresh masa dough, as one of the Weekly's 100 Favorite Dishes of 2011.
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The tricky thing about the two Ruben trucks is they move to different spots throughout the day, and it's hard to find information on the internet about them. Why they move is a mystery, but they do. The crowds of people that have supported them for decades before Twitter came along seem to know their spots just fine. Now with the brick and mortar store, you won't need to track down the truck unless you want to do some late-night grubbin'.
The green Tacos y Mulitas truck will continue to park in front of the new taqueria from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Then that truck moves to their evening spot behind the Pep Boys, on East Walnut Street between Main and Cypress streets, until 11 p.m. or when they run out of food. Ruben's mariscos truck parks across the street from the new taqueria every day from 9.a.m. to 6 p.m. except on Tuesdays, when they're off.
According to the store employee I spoke to yesterday, the new taqueria, called Las Mulitas, will sell cooked meat by the pound in addition to the same tacos, burritos, mulitas, huaraches, tortas and tostadas on the truck's menu. No mariscos on their menu, since the truck will handle that on most days.
A tip for you: when asked if you want regular tortillas or hecha al mano (hand-made), always fork out the extra 50 cents or whatever for hecha al mano.
Yesterday's spy photos also show a counter where licuados and aguas will be served. Stay tuned for a proper review once the shop opens!
Restaurante Las Mulitas. Northeast corner of Bishop and Main Streets, Santa Ana. (714) 308-4986. Open Mon.-Sat., 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
The author writes about noteworthy restaurant news, BBQ, and Japanese food faux pas. Follow him on Twitter (@professorsalt) and professorsalt.com.
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