Barbacoa, huraches, al pastor and aguachile

Just a few blocks from historic downtown Glendale, antique cars rolled by as kids chased a chihuahua down the street. Ladies carried bags of clothing into the Coin Less Laundry. And, in between the liquor stores and Latino barber shops, a strip mall bustled with restaurants offering a stunning assortment of regional cuisines that rival those found in the open-air markets of Mexico. 

To experience the sheer diversity of the Valley’s Mexican food scene, I spent several days working my way through the stretch of Glendale Avenue, from 64th to 66th avenues, packed with two dozen small stores. I savored pork al pastor fresh from the spinning trompo, dug my chips into a limey bowl of shrimp aguachile, watched the steam rise off a bowl of goat meat birria and ripped into an array of homemade corn tortillas fresh from the basket.