There’s a new taco truck on the block, and by block, I mean the parking lot of Shoppers Value (RIP Harvest Foods) in Benton. Opened a few months back in September, R Y O Taqueria has set up camp with covered picnic tables and soul-warming made-to-order food.
For the Salem and Avilla area, this is a treat. The truck serves tacos, quesadillas, tortas, rice bowls, burritos and nachos, and forget everything you thought you knew about sauce sides because R Y O Taqueria’s spicy sauce is the only thing you need in your life.
For my first trip to the new food stand, I ordered the tilapia taco on a corn tortilla. With every taco comes the choice of lettuce and cheese or cilantro and onions as the topping, and I opted for the lettuce and cheese. The first bite of the taco could only be described as the closest to heaven you can get on earth. The tilapia had been grilled with special seasonings I’d love to get my hands on, and it’s hard to go wrong with lettuce and cheese. I added a drizzle of spicy sauce to the taco, and I immediately wished I had ordered about 20 more to sink my teeth into.
Cheese and rice always call my name no matter where I am, so I also got an order of the “Delicious Rice” with pastor-style meat. I again topped the meal with the spicy sauce, but in both instances — taco and rice bowl — the sauce was a bonus to the already popping flavors.
For any dish on the menu, you can choose between shrimp, tilapia, pastor, Hawahiano, “any meat” or no meat. While you’re chowing down on your dish of choice, you might want to order a drink as well — especially if you use the spicy sauce — and I highly recommend trying one of the fruit teas.
Whether you’re local or looking for something new, give R Y O Taqueria a try. You won’t be disappointed.
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