Not to be confused with "Mexican Pradas", knock off handbags. Hidden in Albion, NY, this secret…read morespot has some of the very best tacos & sopes in the USA. Named after race-car driver Lorenzo Llamas. Luckily he doesn't use any of his infamous namesake "Llamas" as meat here. Gives new meaning to the query "como te llamas?" And to "alpaca lunch for you." Lorenzo's ex-wife is Shauna Sand, but she didn't teach him to make food this good. She looks like she's never had a taco in her life. Yet she does have a taco. It's well-publicized, everyone's seen it. But the point is, Lorenzo Llamas does not use Llamas to make his tacos.
What to get: best authentic sopes & tacos this side of Steve Guttenberg's basement
And: tortas are really good too
Plus: real mexican sodas and coke with real sugar, plus free menudo on fridays
Tips?: 5 types of salsa or more. Dark smoky red one is not always available but is the best. Yellow oily watery alcoholic one with big chunks of pepper in it is delicious.
And: Amazing customer service. The teenage boy and young girl are absolutely adorable. The owners are great too. The female chefs are lovely, if very busy. They've served me at 8.57pm even though their food takes 15 min to make, and they close at 9! Fantastic.
Warning: only open 3 days a week. Fri, Sat, Sun - late morning, until 9pm. Don't here too close to 9. If you do, then get it to go.
If this were a high fashion taco outlet, it'd be Ralph Laurenzo's. Whereas if Mariska Hargitay owned it, it'd be Lorenzo & Order: Sope Victims Unit. But then we'd have problems, and I don't think we could solve 'um. The amazing smoky salsa does look like "bad blood" come to mention it. Not that I know much about blood. Unless I'm drinking it in the middle of the night while avoiding crosses.
I can't believe this exists in WNY. Not only is it authentic, it's one of the most delicious taquerias in the country. It caters almost entirely to Mexicans. Several employees don't even speak English. It's part of a Latin grocery store filled with delights. But the true gems are the hot prepared foods coming out of the kitchen.
They only make 3 things here, if you don't count the delicious, greasy Menudo they hand out free on Fridays. (1) Amazing tacos. (2) Even better Sopes. (3) Very good Tortas. While the tortas are fantastic and the bread is heavenly, I'd recommend skipping them, since (a) they cost $8, and (b) the $5 versions down the road in Medina (Monte Alban Truck) are even better and covered in Mexican white cheese. But if you do get a torta here, smother it in the smoky dark red salsa, and always ask for avocado on it.
The food is from Chihuahua in NE Mexico, by the Texas border. The tacos are heaven. The sopes are better. They're similarly sized and priced (around $2 each or 5 for $7), but they're quite different. Tacos are floppy soft corn tortillas, 2-ply, loaded with bits of your meat of choice, plus onions and cilantro, then salsa, radish & lime on the side. Sopes are harder, thicker, greasier squidgy doughy chewy fried corn bases, like a mini pizza bases, topped with meat of choice as well as cream, cheese, onions, cilantro and whatever else. Similar to "picaditas". The sopes win, although both are perfect.
Meat choices:
Cabeza and Tripa - brain and intestines, nah.
Lengua - tongue, nah, but my brother had it, loved it.
Asada - bits of steak, delicious.
Pollo - I usually skip chicken but the spiced, marinaded, smoky flavour here is amazing.
Carnitas - really good stewed pork, give this one a try.
Barbacoa - juicy, similar to Carnitas with beef. Worth a try.
Pastor - star of the show. Dark, smoky, delicious marinaded pork.
Asada, Pollo and Pastor are my faves. There's a reason Lorenzo's only makes 3 things, and why it's always packed. It's absolutely freaking delicious.
Salsas:
Green - hot, tastes a little of guac.
Light Red - very hot, tastes of fire.
Dark Red - hot, deep, dark, smoky and rich, by far the best one.
Yellow - super hot, do not try it.
Yellow with bits of peppers visible in it - hot, delicious, made with alcohol, the 2nd best.
Try all 5 but be careful. They are so hot, they will burn your mouth out.
Also you can get Jarritos soda (try Mandarina and Tamarindo) here. And Mexican Coke regular (1.85) and medio litro (2.50). All soda made with real cane sugar and you can really taste it.
One of the best taquerias in the USA. You absolutely must get out here and try it. It makes no sense that Lorenzo's exists so close to Rochester and Buffalo - two cities with no authentic Mexican (except the home cooking of Buffalo's Valle - tacos and tortas are not the best items).
Need affordable lease housing? Look for "low-rent-homes." Packet of mints just fell onto the floor? They're "low-mentos." Have an intimate knowledge of the former Fu-Gees singer? Then you know "Laurynsholes." And you know you'd better watch out. Some girls are only about that thing. But this is not that thing, nor any of those things. This is Lorenzo's.
