La Cruda, Merced
La Cruda
Truck Info:
1055 W 15th St, Merced, CA 95340
In the parking lot of Courtesy Rent A Car
Operating Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-7pm. Cart is open at nights from 7pm-12am
Metrics:
Tortilla Type: Corn, cooked in oil until slightly crispy
Garnishes: Lime, grilled serrano/jalapeño, grilled onions, sliced radish, sliced cucumber
Salsa: Red: Very savoury, slight spice
Green: Tart and acidic in all the best ways
Meats: Asada, Al Pastor, Suadero, Buche, Pollo, Birria
Spice Level: Green: 1/5, not much spice, Red: 3/5, some spice but not enough to hurt, sometimes they have an extra spicy salsa available, ask them if its out that day
Payment types: Cash, Card, Mobile Payments
I hope everyone had a nice new year, filled with lots of festivities. Now I’m sure the day after was rough for many of you, so what better truck to discuss than La Cruda in Merced.
La Cruda is a newer truck that has rapidly been jumping up my personal list of favorites for their consistency and variety of great options. The tacos are a bit smaller than at other places, but all that means is that you get to have more of them. I also feel that for some meats like birria, the size is actually optimal for cleaner bites.
I’ve tried a few different options at this truck so far. The asada tacos are very solid, with a nice crispy texture on the meat and a healthy amount of onions and salsa to keep it nice and clean tasting. La Cruda is also one of the few places in the area I’ve seen that offer suadero, and they definitely do it justice. For those who do not know what Suadero is, it is a thin cut of beef or pork that is fried off in its own fat, similar to the preparation of carnitas, but made with a more tender cut. At La Cruda it is salty, spiced, and incredibly tender, everything you want suadero to be. The birria is very tender, and the consomme is very rich and flavorful, and surprisingly not that oily. It is one of the few consommes that I will happily drink completely after I am done dipping my tacos, even moreso on these cold winter nights.
Speaking of birria at night, one of the best parts of La Cruda is the after hours. The truck is open from 10am to 7pm on Tuesday through Saturday, and at 7pm the truck closes, but they open a cart in the same location that runs until midnight. Each night has different specials, ranging from quesabirria taco combos, to tacos and mulitas, to quesadillas and so on.
Definitely give La Cruda a shot, whether you’re out hitting the town and need a late night pick me up, or you go the next morning to nurse your own “cruda”.