I tried the Bay Area taco that’s as big as a baby

Luong Dang believes that we eat with our eyes first, so when he decided to add a giant taco to his Taqueria Azteca menu, he made sure to give customers an eyeful.

In late October, a massive hard-shell taco made its way to the strip mall restaurant at 7155 Amador Plaza Road in Dublin. With a mountain of shredded iceberg lettuce and overly generous toppings of pico de gallo, crema, salsa and guacamole tucked inside a shell that could hold a newborn baby, the entree has since gained wide notoriety thanks to a viral post.

“We have a lot of lookers who come in and ask about the taco,” co-owner Dang told SFGATE. “It’s fun making this thing and seeing people’s reactions.”

I first learned of the larger-than-life taco last month when a colleague shared the viral Instagram post that has since garnered nearly 130,000 likes. Darian Frazier, who is better known by his 198,000 Instagram followers as @bayareafoodz, was all smiles in a late October post where he ate not one, but two giant tacos served on metal platters. Frazier shifts from giddiness to sheer panic as he analyzes the tacos from all angles. Eventually, he raises one taco with two hands and digs in. Seeing the giant taco in person was even more daunting.

While it wasn’t my first time tackling an oversized dish, nothing could prepare me for the giant taco. I found myself at the Dublin restaurant on a recent Tuesday evening with my strictly traditional Mexican mother, who only agreed to join me for moral support. When I ordered my massive taco with tender birria meat, the cashier’s face shifted from a kind smile to a concerned expression. She studied my face to determine whether I was serious and whether I knew what I was getting myself into. Like a fool I looked back — deadpan — and repeated my order.   

The colossal taco will set you back $30, but it’s intended to feed three to five people, Dang said. About 2 pounds of Mexican rice, beans, lettuce, protein of choice and garnish are tucked inside a 14-inch hard-shell taco that’s fried in-house. Taqueria Azteca sells about 35 of these behemoths a week, with birria being the most popular protein choice. There’s also the option to choose from three flour tortillas, in white, red or green shells. Despite the dish being the equivalent of about 10 regular crunchy tacos, Dang said that most customers are eager to try one for themselves.  

“I think it’s a bragging opportunity,” Dang said with a laugh.

My mom and I grabbed a corner booth inside the strip mall restaurant. To complete the giant taco, I decided to order a Modelito to help wash it down, because tacos and beer (even the miniature ones) go hand in hand. After a few minutes, the cashier turned the corner holding a platter with the enormous taco. It was even bigger than I expected. The taco practically covered the entire circumference of the tray. As I tried to figure out how to begin eating this mammoth taco, a customer walking to his table stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the tray. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally took his seat and joined his friends for a round of giggles. Meanwhile, my mom stared at the tray of food in horror.

While giant tacos aren’t new to the Bay Area, they’re also not widespread. San Jose food truck Con Sabor a Mexico is known for its take on quesabirria tacos that are made with a giant, handmade corn tortilla. But Taqueria Azteca might be an outlier when it comes to massive crunchy tacos in the Bay Area.

Dang uses a flour tortilla, which is fried in-house using a special mold. He admits that creating the taco shell was challenging and required plenty of trial and error at first. Eventually, he figured out how to keep the bottom of the taco shell flat to stand on its own once plated.

Taqueria Azteca, which turned 25 this year, is also known for its slew of other creative dishes. Dang and his wife Estefany Garcia Dang have curated a colorful menu that both celebrates and blends their cultural backgrounds. That’s why you’ll see dishes like a pho birria, which honors Dang’s Vietnamese roots, and enchiladas Michoacanas that pay homage to Garcia Dang’s Mexican heritage. Customers will also spot ramen birria served with a short rib, birria grilled cheese sandwiches, and even a massive concha French toast for brunch.

If at this point you’re wondering whether I finished eating the giant taco on my own, the short and obvious answer is no — not even close. I barely made a dent into one corner of the taco using a knife to saw the shell and fork to scoop up the meat and lettuce. Its most notable quality was that the shell managed to be just the right mix of soft and crunchy. At one point, I used pieces of the shell as nachos to scoop the flavorful topping. But alas, I reached my breaking point and couldn’t take another bite. In a surprising turn of events, my mom, who knew I’d be defeated long ago, broke a piece of shell and took a bite in solidarity.

At that point, I flagged down the cashier and asked her to wrap up my taco before we headed home. Although the giant taco at Taqueria Azteca won this time, I plan to come back someday with newfound wisdom and an even bigger appetite — albeit with friends.

Taqueria Azteca, 7155 Amador Plaza Road, Dublin. Open Sunday through Thursday, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.