Salud, which means “cheers” or “to your good health” is the offspring of Jesús Méndez and his business partner, José Medina Camacho, who teamed up to open the award-winning cocktail bar Adiõs, also downtown. The menu, Méndez says, is inspired by the family meals he remembers from his childhood in Tabasco in Southwest Mexico. The taqueria pays tribute to his father, Jesús Méndez Sr., and stepmother, Christina Tellez, who are also involved as chefs and co-owners. Salud features handmade corn and flour tacos which include a choice of four proteins – carne asada (beef), pollo asada (chicken), suadero (brisket), al pastor (pork) – as well as one vegetarian option, nopal (cactus). The owners have sourced everything locally, predominately from Mi Pueblo and Gordo’s.
The Food
We loved the shot plus a beer, but the beer had to be a Tecate Lite, so we started with a Frozen Margarita and a Seasonal Margarita ($11). Both were good, but felt a bit short-changed by the Seasonal’s quantity. The frozen was the way to go. Along with the drinks, we ordered Guacamole ($10). The chips arrived in a plastic bag with the Guac in a disposable cup with a top. (We didn’t order it to go.) It was ‘meh’. For dinner we had the Sonora Taco with Pork ($10), a Carne Asada Taco ($5), and Beef Brisket Taco ($5). The Sonora came on a cheese crust topped with pinto beans. The tacos were served undressed with only the protein. The tortillas were great, and you can notice the homemade taste. There’s a great salsa bar with 3 different salsas, onions, peppers, cilantro and limes, so you top the tacos as you like. Admittedly, we didn’t order enough food. Our bill with tip was $80.

The Service
The staff couldn’t be nicer. But you order at the counter, which always brings it down a notch.
The Atmosphere
Indoor and outdoor seating with an urban hip feel. Arriving on Thursday at 6:45pm, we sat outside, as there were plenty of seats available. We could see this as a great place to enjoy happy hour when the weather’s good. There were several homeless people drifting around, with one trying to come inside. (It’d be nice if the city would finally curb the post-covid homeless explosion, especially if they want more OTMers to spend money downtown. But that’s a different article.) This pocket of downtown also features Paramount, Helen, Bayonet, Cafe Dupont, Golden Age Wine Garden, Bistro Two-Eighteen, and the soon to open Johin’na, so this is a small area with a lot of options. Our server told us they’re open late on the weekends, so it turns into a fun scene as the local service industry converge to meet for a late night drink.

The Parking
None. If you don’t Uber or live in the area, you’ll have to get lucky on the street or park in pay lot. However, two restaurants nearby do have valet, if you want to try that, which is what we did.
The Bottom Line
Fantastic tacos, great for lunch, good food if you’re looking for a casual bite downtown, and already in the area. If not, it’s tough to justify dealing with downtown.
Salud is located downtown, at 1931 Second Ave. North, across the street from Paramount.