Taqueria 3 Hermanas
Taqueria 3 Hermanas is a fairly recent addition to the diverse ethnic food scene near the intersection of Highway 55 & 54. This taqueria actually shares space, including the seating area, with the Jamaician restaurant “Jamaica Jamaica” which set the stage for some strange musical dueling (Bob Marley vs. Univision soap opera theme songs). The staff at Taqueria 3 Hermanas were really friendly and spanglish was being freely spoken in the kitchen, so ordering was really easy for this gringo.
Since I was stricken with a mid-afternoon taco craving, a couple of tacos al pastor ($1.75) were the first order of business. The menu said that the al pastor came with pineapple but, unfortunately, neither of my tacos had any.
The al pastor was nicely marinated and had just the right oil content. Not too dry and not too greasy. The tortillas are made fresh with each order, though these were a little more dense than the offerings at other area taquerias. These tacos had to share my affections with this nice gordita de pollo ($2.50).
The chicken filling in the gordita was very moist, but ended up soaking its corn vessel and contributing to the untimely structural collapse of the (starship) gordita enterprise. My dining partner enjoyed a torta de pollo ($6.00) which, though very tasty, suffered a similar soggy fate towards the end of our meal. Next time, I’ll be sure to provide photographic evidence of the delicious destruction.
Though I didn’t order any of the weekend specials on this visit, Taqueria 3 Hermanas offers menudo ($9.00) and birria de chivo ($10.00) on Saturdays and Sundays. The menu’s description of the birria de chivo special makes me a little regretful that I didn’t get it: ”Meat goat [sic] is seasoned with spices and hot peppers and cooked in a pit barbecue.” I’m definitely going for the goat next time. In summary, Taqueria 3 Hermanas is a nice addition to Durham’s embarrassment of taqueria riches.
Taqueria 3 Hermanas
4853 Highway 55
Durham, NC 27713
(919) 884-0170
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I agree with the review. I ordered a bunch of tacos from Taqureia 3 Hermanas a few months back. They were quite tasty, not solely worth a drive from my house in N. Raleigh, but if you’re nearby, a worthy stop. Gotta like a place that serves goat!
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If I head towards this area, I’ll have to give it a try. It doesn’t sound like some of the items would hold up for a to-go order or it would have saturated it enough to cause a structural demise upon opening.
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Hmm, looks like a torta worth trying!
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Do they have a fixins bar? Gotta have the pico, limes, jalapenos, and extra cilantro. Looks like it from the pics.
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Yes, they have a pretty standard salsa and fixins bar. It was a little depleted when I was there but everything was tasty.
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Do they serve pupusas? I used to love the Mexican place that used to be in that location because of their pupusas!
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No, unfortunately they don’t have pupusas on the menu.
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Most Mexican places, and especially Taquerias generally dont have pupusas…on rare occasions they do…since they are actually Salvadorean
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Did the tacos al pastor taste like they had pineapple in them? I used to frequent a taco place in California where the meat and the pineapple (very, very finely chopped) were mixed together on the flat top for a few minutes with some extra sauce before being served on the tortilla. The result was that you didn’t see the pineapple but you could taste the tartness and a bit of the sweetness from it in the meat.
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I stopped by this place last week and my tacos al pastor did indeed have a pineapple flavor. I didn’t examine the filling visually or anything though.
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I stopped by for lunch today so I guess I can answer my own question.
First of all, here is what I ordered: 1 taco al pastor, 1 taco de lengua (tongue), and 1 carne asada (beef) gordita.
Here is what I thought of the food:
Taco al Pastor – No spit in sight. The meat also looked like it was finely chopped instead of cooked on a rotisserie as is the norm. The marinade was very tasty, with some heat/spice to it. However, I couldn’t taste the pineapple at all. It might be used in the marinade (the purpose of the pineapple is to tenderize the meat, which was very tender), but I didn’t see it or taste it.
Taco de Lengua – Very well cooked tongue. Tongue can be chewey and rubbery if not cooked correctly, this was soft, if a bit spongy (to be expected). It was sliced into very small cubes, howver, instead of the normal “strips” that I’m used to seeing (no big deal). The only problem was that the red sauce I added to it (chili sauce) and the corn tortilla ended up overpowering the taste of the meat. This is one taco I’d rather have on a non-traditional flour tortilla.
Carne Asada Gordita – The best of the bunch! I really enjoyed the freshness of the crema and the saucyness of the beef. The carne asada was excellent and I’m definitely ordering this dish the next time I go. As stated in the review, tho, my gordita did get a bit soaked in juices by the end of it. I just finished eating it with a fork (it was too deliciuos!) and then proceeded to pick up every scrap left on the plate. There was also some cheese in it that made it even creamier, MMMmmm. However, the take-out menu mentions it having aguacate (avocado) but I didn’t see/taste any.
I work 5 minutes from here and will definitely be returning to have some more gorditas and some more tacos al pastor. Maybe next time I’ll try the cabeza (head).
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I returned today to give a few other options a chance. This time I got an Al Pastor burrito (I’d post a picture, but I don’t think I can in this blog). The burrito has the meat, rice, and beans wrapped in a flour tortilla with the lettuce, tomato, crema, and avocado being served on the side. I chose to scoop a bit of the side mixture (which I cut up and mixed well) onto the burrito before each bite.
The meat was very flavorful and the rice and beans were heaven. It’s good that they don’t put the salad inside the burrito or else it wouldn’t close (they pack it with the other ingredients). I finally did taste the pineapple, but not in every bite. I think they cook the meat with the al pastor sauce and the pineapple so that you get a chunk here and there, but not with every bite. It was refreshing to have a bite with the pineapple, tho, so I wish they added more of it.
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[...] 3 Hermanas, 4853 Highway 55, Carpe Durham Review. Note: A few picnic tables out [...]
I came back from lunch at what used to be Taqueria 3 Hermanas. It is now Tico Tacos. Of the three tacos I had, the carnitas were the best but I must say that the salsa bar was quite sad compared to what they used to keep around in the former incarnation of this taqueria. Item of note, each taco was $2.50!! This place may hold the title of most expensive taco in Durham (excluding Mez and Dos Perros, of course).
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Correction, even though the menu stated that the tacos were $2.50 per, they rang up on my receipt as $2.00 per.
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