Cucina Zapata

Cucina Zapata is a wonderful thing. It’s relatively new on Drexel University’s campus and is less than year old. However, it has become a hit with faculty and students alike. They sell awesome quality foods and have a menu that continually changes; that is why they have their entire menu on a little blackboard. Currently the menu boasts things like: Thai Short-Rib Tacos, Chicken Satay Tacos, CapN Crunch Tilapia, Mexican Veggie Burger, Sweet Potato Chicken Curry and homemade Green and Thai Tea. The prices are modest, since the prices range from $2 for the specialty drinks to about $3-6 for food. 

I’m always a little confused as to whether to classify this as a Thai truck or Mexican truck because it has influences in both styles of cooking. I think of it more as Fusion. The food is like the siren’s song; once you get hooked, you keep going back. When I first tried C.Z., it was at the bequest of a friend. He was astounded that a truck used captain crunch as a breading for its chicken. Immediately after trying the food, I was addicted. It had me hooked for about 3 weeks where I ate nothing but its food. I stopped because I felt bad for the other trucks that lost a good portion of my business in the process. I still straddle the line between being addicted (i.e. eating there all the time) and eating their occasionally.

Yesterday, when I decided to go here, I ordered the Thai Short-Rib Tacos and the Thai Tea. It was the first time I had tried both of those things so I didn’t know what to expect – besides flavor! The tacos contained slices of avocado, salad mix, diced tomatoes, some crushed peanuts and the short-rib. While there wasn’t much meat, it was able to have a presence in every bite without being too overpowering. I’m not 100% sure they used salad mix on this taco and I only say it because that’s what it looked like. Whether or not it’s true, it added a delicious crunch. The tomatoes were tomatoes – I don’t know how else to describe them – and the avocado slices were to die for. On a hot day like yesterday, these slices are perfect because it tastes like and takes the place of guacamole while maintaining an appearance of freshness. As a reminder, if you are allergic to peanuts, you might want to watch out or request they not put them on. Each bite was like heaven. Finally, as both my dessert and beverage, my Thai Tea was awesome. I’m not a big tea drinker and I don’t what makes this “Thai”, but I would go back and get it again. I do know that it contained milk, ice and some sort of mix/syrup. If I were to fathom a guess, it had a subtle hint of cinnamon and vanilla – very thirst quenching.