El Chapin ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado

food truck

Latest visit: Nov 2023

First visit: Nov 2021

As with Dr. Taco, our first encounter with El Chapin was their catering of the Colorado Springs Record Show. Mrs. RJG was helping me with the tables and ran outside to get us some tacos. We both thought they were delicious, but a little messy given the circumstances of handling records and customers (Dr. Taco is much better for this considering his fried chicken and fish). Even though they tasted great, I didn't feel I had a grasp on what their offering is. I never laid eyes on the truck itself since Mrs. RJG took care of the lunch for us. We vowed to visit him for a dedicated lunch or dinner. 

And that day finally happened, as we were seeking dinner on this relatively warm Thursday night. Bizarrely, as with Cogstone, my entire El Chapin experience has occurred during the first two weeks of November. El Chapin can be considered a "permanent" food truck, that is to say their location is mostly static. In fact they have something like a "food truck compound" with one dedicated to Mexican food and the other to hamburgers. And a third truck for catering which is no doubt what we experienced at the record show. You can find their location off of Fillmore not too far from El Paso. There's plenty of seating outside, as they built an awning on top of park benches and tables. Despite sitting in a parking lot, the whole setup is quite comfortable, as long as it's not too hot or cold outside. 

I tried three of their Street Tacos. And also grabbed a container of their hottest salsa. I thought the carne asada and grilled chicken were delicious, with the right amount of chopped onions and cilantro. They also throw chopped radishes and grilled onions on the side if so desired. The al pastor was a bit tough I thought. And while the sauce was blazing hot, it's a bit too thin to cover tacos and there's going to be runoff. Mrs. RJG had two street tacos (chicken and carne asada), rice, and beans. She enjoyed all of it. 

Bottom line: El Chapin goes into the RJG rotation. Many times I'm in this area around lunch time (as is Mrs. RJG), so this gives me/us another viable and tasty option. We also want to try their hamburgers.

11/13/21; 11/5/22; 11/2/23 (new entry)