Gerardo’s Drive In

You might think stumbling upon a defleshed cow skull in a parking lot is a bad omen, but at Gerardo’s Drive In, that just means the barbacoa is ready. Open since 1977, this Northside meat market and taqueria operates on weekends only. The barbacoa here slow-steams in giant stainless steels until the meat is tender and smoky, and comes either by-the-pound or stuffed into house made corn or flour tortillas. In addition to barbacoa, you can also try copper-pot prepared pork carnitas, bowls of menudo, or fluffy egg breakfast tacos. Gerardo’s will even sell you the entire cow’s head for around $100 so you can have your own skull trophy.