The Trompo Is Spinning at Xuba Tacos
By Delekta Editorial ·
Blue corn tortillas, a visible spit, and a menu that has more ambition than the room lets on. Xuba Tacos is making the argument for authentic Mexican in Barcelona — credibly.
Xuba Tacos is on Mallorca in Eixample, counter-style, next door to Albé. Full on a Saturday at 8pm. We were seated immediately. Service moves.
The menu divides into the expected — arrachera, al pastor, pollo — and the less so: a Solomillo Rossini taco with foie gras and truffle cream, tostadas built around red shrimp aguachile and sea bass ceviche. We kept it traditional. The right call for a first visit, and the classics still tell you most of what you need to know.
Start with the Paloma — grapefruit, tequila, spicy salt rim. The tamarind agua fresca is worth ordering alongside. The guacamole is a good portion for two or three.
The arrachera is quality meat, seasoned well. More char would help, but the flavor is there. The al pastor is the thing to order.
Anyone can put "tacos al pastor" on a menu. The question is whether the pork is actually cooked on a trompo — the vertical rotating spit that has been the defining technique since Lebanese immigrants brought shawarma to Mexico City in the 1950s. Xuba has one. You can see it from the counter. The pork comes off it crispy and flavorful.
In a city where Mexican food is finally building real credentials, the trompo separates authentic from approximate. Most places don't bother.
The blue corn tortillas are a nice touch. The salsa trio is where Xuba shows its thinking more clearly: green tomatillo, mild red, and a roasted yellow pepper that's genuinely unusual — creamy, smoky, moderately spicy. Someone worked on that one.
One honest note: pacing stalled. The arrachera arrived and was finished before the al pastor appeared. For counter-service, that gap runs a bit too long.
Casual, focused, food-forward. Reasonable prices for the quality. The chef's specials section is making its own argument — one worth testing on a return visit.
Featured restaurant: Xuba Tacos