{"id":39745,"date":"2026-10-14T05:08:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T05:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/39745\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T05:08:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T05:08:00","slug":"tacos-el-mandi-brings-best-of-taquerias-to-south-akron-local-flavor-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/39745\/","title":{"rendered":"Tacos El Mandi brings best of taquerias to South Akron | Local Flavor"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n

The Tacos El Mandi food truck parked at Sahai Chan Asian Market parking lot.<\/p>\n

Bryce Buyakie Akron Beacon Journ<\/p>\n

USA TODAY Network, Reuters<\/p>\n

From that first aromatic corn tortilla taco, I was hooked not with my first bite, but at the first whiff of the barbacoa mixed with cilantro and onion. Tacos El Mandi food truck might be my favorite taqueria in Akron.<\/p>\n

Not only does Tacos El Mandi’s authentic Mexican food remind me of my favorite hometown Toledo restaurant, San Marcos, but it is also a frequent sight around the South Akron neighborhood. Just a few blocks from the house I share with my fianc\u00e9, we often see it parked outside nearby businesses. It’s also easy on the wallet.<\/p>\n

The food truck offers a variety of Mexican dishes, including the classics like quesadillas, burritos and nachos, but it also offers traditional birria and street corn alongside a cubana sandwich and even a baked potato stuffed with sour cream, pico, butter and cheese. Among the specials is an intriguing birria grilled cheese.<\/p>\n

Rain or shine, not even the cooling temperatures will stop my fianc\u00e9 and me from exploring its menu in the coming months.<\/p>\n

Tacos, a burrito doused in sauce and a sandwich. But don’t forget the hot sauce<\/p>\n

Within minutes of ordering, the woman behind the counter handed us our first-ever Tacos El Mandi order: three tacos ($9), a torta sandwich ($11) and the green salsa burrito ($13). We ordered different meats for each dish. <\/p>\n

Starting with the tacos, we got chicken, barbacoa (a slow-cooked meat) and al pastor (pork often cooked with pineapple). Each came in two soft corn tortillas with cilantro and onion. Simple but effective. These are also great vehicles for the two hot sauces that came with them.<\/p>\n

The red hot sauce was the spiciest and our favorite with its smoky flavor. The other sauce was greenish in color. Although less spicy, it had a sharper, brighter taste.<\/p>\n

The savory barbacoa and the sweet and salty al pastor tacos were our favorite picks of the entire meal. <\/p>\n

The chicken torta came with lettuce, pico, cheese and mayo on homemade bread. It was my first torta, and it didn’t disappoint. The toasted bread held firm throughout the meal, so I only had myself to blame when I made a mess.<\/p>\n

The green salsa burrito with carnitas (also pork) was massive. Filled with a meat of your choice, it was stuffed with rice, beans, pico, cheese and lettuce. It was topped with queso and green salsa and served with a side of cheesy nachos. The flavors complimented each other nicely. The salsa and cheese did not overpower each other.<\/p>\n

My fianc\u00e9, who loves green salsa burritos, quickly gave this dish two thumbs up. <\/p>\n

Where does Tacos El Mandi stop? How to find its schedule?<\/p>\n

Despite calling University Park and the surrounding Akron neighborhoods home for almost four years, we never noticed Tacos El Mandi, which has been around since at least 2020. Its first Facebook posts date back to 2020, as do its records filed with the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.<\/p>\n

Then, a few months ago, my fianc\u00e9 pointed out the taco truck parked in the Aldi parking lot along South Main Street in Akron. Then we saw it a few blocks from our house at Sahai Chan Asian Market, one of our favorite local markets.<\/p>\n

Although Facebook posts over the years show it has traveled across Summit County, lately, the food truck has graced our part of town. Not only is it a frequent sight at Sahai Chan and Aldi, but it also visits Advance Auto Parts on Manchester Road.<\/p>\n

To find its most up-to-date location and hours, follow the taqueria on wheels on Facebook.<\/p>\n

Details<\/p>\n

Restaurant: Tacos El Mandi<\/p>\n

Address: Changes each day<\/p>\n

Phone: 234-226-2695<\/p>\n

Hours: Hours can change, but it is often open until 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Service: Takeout<\/p>\n

Information: Tacos El Mandi Facebook page.<\/p>\n

Bryce Buyakie is an Akron-based reporter who covers the courts and public safety for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X @bryce_buyakie.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Tacos El Mandi brings best of taquerias to South Akron | Local Flavor<\/p>\n

Reporting by Bryce Buyakie, Akron Beacon Journal \/ Akron Beacon Journal<\/p>\n

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

\"Three Three street tacos from Tacos El Mandi, a food truck that offers Mexican cuisine throughout the area of the South Akron neighborhood. Bryce Buyakie Akron Beacon Journ USA TODAY Network, Reuters \"The The green salsa burrito from Tacos El Mandi, a food truck that offers Mexican cuisine throughout the area of the South Akron neighborhood. Bryce Buyakie Akron Beacon Journ USA TODAY Network, Reuters \"A A chicken torta sandwich from Tacos El Mandi, a food truck that offers Mexican cuisine throughout the area of the South Akron neighborhood. Bryce Buyakie Akron Beacon Journ USA TODAY Network, Reuters \"Menu Menu as posted on the Tacos El Mandi food truck, as of Oct. 6, 2026. Bryce Buyakie Akron Beacon Journ USA TODAY Network, Reuters <\/p>\n

Copyright Reuters or USA Today via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

This story was originally published October 13, 2026 at 3:00 PM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Tacos El Mandi food truck parked at Sahai Chan Asian Market parking lot. Bryce Buyakie Akron Beacon Journ USA TODAY Network, Reuters From that first aromatic corn tortilla taco, I was hooked not with my first bite, but at the first whiff of the barbacoa mixed with cilantro and onion. Tacos El Mandi food<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39620,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[259],"tags":[415,416],"class_list":["post-39745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mexican-restaurants","tag-mexican-restaurant","tag-mexican-restaurants"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dnc\/117437532965820408","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}