Birria tacos with sauce for dipping. Pineapple-topped al pastor tacos. Chicken tacos and shrimp tacos with poblano peppers.
It was a taco bonanza on Sunday, July 27, at Eastern Market Shed as hundreds of taco devotees swarmed Shed 5 at the market to sample some tasty tacos served by metro Detroit taquerias and cast their votes for the best in the annual Taco Showdown.
A dozen taquerias competed in a bracket-style competition to be named the best. In the end, a Midtown spot took home the Taco Showdown champion trophy.
And that winner, drum roll, please, was Shell Shock’d Tacos. Known for its Latin-inspired, Detroit-style street food, Shell Shock’d Tacos won over judges with its Taco de Pollo. Making it to the final round, Shell Shock’d was up against Tacos Wuey Detroit and a newcomer that recently opened in southwest Detroit.
Shell Shock’d taco featured ample shreds of tender chicken, with a sprinkling of cotija cheese nestled in a double, slightly crispy corn tortilla. Its final touches included a dollop of creme with citrusy lime crema and hints of garlic, followed by a drizzling of Sriracha hot sauce. The Shell Shock’d tacos edged out the tender beef birria taco from Taco Wuey.
Two Detroit natives, Margo Moon, who is CEO, and chef Cedric Andrews, co-founded Shell Shock’d Tacos during the pandemic.
Shell Shock’d Tacos is no stranger to awards. The taqueria came in No. 8 on the list of 2024 Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Top 10 New Restaurants & Dining Experiences. Founded first as a pop-up, the Midtown restaurant at 418 W. Willis, Shell Shock’d earned the People’s Choice Award at the 2022 Taco Showdown. That same year, they won the Big Sean Restaurant of the Year Award presented by Big Sean.
Hundreds of attendees endured Sunday’s high temperatures and long lines for tacos while also having the chance to sip on some margaritas and vote on the best.
Winning the margarita mix was Tequila’s of Roseville. And in the runner-up spot, it was Cooking With Que’s Strawberry Basil margarita. The People’s Choice award went to Jerk At Nite.
At this 6th annual Taco Showdown put on by Dine Drink Detroit, more than a dozen metro Detroit taquerias’ taco creations competed. Taco Showdown judges included me and Lyndsay C. Green, the Free Press’ award-winning dining critic, along with Kara Berg of the Detroit News, Serana Maria Daniels of Tostada Magazine and local photographer Rosa Maria Zamarron.
Participants in the Detroit Taco Showdown include last year’s winner, El Taco Dojo. The line-up also included Tacos Wuey Detroit, a new taqueria from Eddie Vargas. A well-known Mexican chef and Mexican cuisine culinary expert in metro Detroit, Vargas opened Tacos Wuey on July 18, at 3970 Vernor Hwy., in southwest Detroit.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Taco Showdown: Hundreds show up to sample best metro Detroit tacos and margaritas
Reporting by Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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