In Oklahoma, Indigenous tacos aren't just food, they're tradition. Everyone has their favorite spot, their preferred frybread texture and thickness, and very strong opinions about what belongs on top. Especially me.
So when I started hearing internet whispers about Soul City Tacos—an Afro-Indigenous food truck serving Indian Tacos with scratch-made frybread, Philly Steak Nachos, Fried Tacos, exotic desserts and vegan options—my curiosity and hunger were immediately piqued.
A quick check of Soul City Tacos’ Facebook revealed the new-to-the-scene food truck was open right...that…very…minute. Even though it was across town, I had a craving and just enough gas to do something about it.
Driving past stop lights, crosswalks, and screaming ambulances, through traffic, I finally came to the corner of N.W. 63rd and MacArthur, in front of the Feathered Nest Market… that’s where I discovered Soul City Tacos and, hopefully, a new reason to live that day.
Of course, the line was out of the proverbial “door”—it was a food truck, after all—but while I waited, the unmistakable scent of the made-from-scratch frybread was seeping out the screen-window and into my nostrils, making it hard to concentrate when it was finally my turn to step up to the window and place my order.
Without a doubt, I ordered an Indigenous Taco, but I also ordered a few more items on the menu, starting with their incredibly refreshing drink, doctored Kool-Aid. Oh, yeah!
In a 32-ounce container that doubled as a disposable cup, I had the tropical Strawberry Lemonade ($8.00) and, with fruit pieces sealing the unbreakable lid, the taste was sweet, tart, and everything in between. It was perfect.
As a matter of fact, as I sat down to write this review, I got distracted trying to figure out where Soul City Tacos was parked and if I could get some more of that illicit liquid immediately.
Taking another long swig, my food promptly came out. Before the Indigenous Taco, though, I had to start with their version of the Fried Taco ($9.00). It was a flour tortilla filled with ground beef, beans, and cheese, as well as additional toppings like tomatoes, onions, olives, and jalapeños.
Truthfully, every time I have ordered a fried taco, it has ended up greasy, stale and wet. But not here. With its fried flour tortilla wrapped around spicy meat, simmered beans, cheese and sour cream, this was the first time the fried taco experiment actually worked, and the result was pretty damn good.
But, alright, then came the moment I had been impatiently awaiting: Soul City Taco’s Indigenous Taco ($14.00). On a pillowy piece of scratch-made golden frybread, it was leveled out with ground beef, beans, and shredded cheese, with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, olives, and jalapeños strewn atop.
This might be one of my top five Indigenous tacos of all time, I thought as I took my first bite.
The soft, airy frybread got top marks—golden and pillowy, yet sturdy enough to support the generous toppings—while the seasoned meat, simmered beans and cheese came together in the kind of perfect harmony that stops time and all conversation.
Sorry, but seated at the folding table set-up next to the truck, and without regard for the crowd of patrons, I gobbled up the whole thing and then had to order another one for my wife, because she absolutely had to try one herself.
Despite being truly wiped out by the tacos, I was way too curious to pass up their unique dessert menu—especially the Strawberry Cheesecake Taco ($7.00)—I had to try it.
Though it looked more “nacho” than “taco,” whatever it was, it was the perfect dessert: creamy whipped cheesecake, fresh strawberries and a large dollop of whip-cream on cinnamon-and-sugar-coated fried tortilla strands. Tremendous.
This food truck earned the chase.
So the next time you're craving one of the best Indigenous tacos in Oklahoma City, or a wildly delicious twist on dessert, track down Soul City Tacos and let the women running the truck set you up good. I know I'll be back soon—and I'm not leaving without one of those Kool-Aid pickles!
Cómpralo ya!
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
