ILLUSTRATION BY MATT LEHMAN
Sometimes I think I’m the sole person in town who remembers Happy Taco, once located on an unassuming block near Delmar and Hamilton. The restaurant housed few tables, but the welcome was always polite and sincere, whether the order was for there or to go.
It was one of the first establishments to offer street tacos in St. Louis. Small, soft, and savory, they were a shock to a city used to lesser sorts of drive-thru ersatz Mexican food. Customers could order chicken, beef, or chorizo in the flour tortillas, but it was the potato version that still lingers in my mind. All it took was one bite, and I was a believer.
The owner once spoke of her desire for wild mushrooms. It was the first time I’d heard of epazote, an herb often used in Mexican cuisine. She said epazote grew wild in the alley behind the building.
We’ll never know how many people began their love affairs with authentic Mexican food at Happy Taco.
