It's official: This Baja-style Mexican food cart makes the best tacos in Phoenix

Over the last several weeks, thousands participated in Top Taco 2023, voting to determine who makes the best tacos in metro Phoenix, according to readers. All nominees were submitted by readers, and then sorted into categories based on type, including carne asada, birria, al pastor, seafood, chicken and vegetable. The best taco in every category (with top three carne asada picks) moved on to the final round to determine who makes the top taco overall.

Now, the public has spoken: Estero Beach Tacos, a small food trailer known for fish and shrimp tacos, has been named Top Taco 2023.

"There's just so much good food in Phoenix, that it's surreal," said owner Jorge Picos, who works a corporate job during the week and runs popups on weekends, including a regular appearance at the Uptown Farmer's Market each Saturday. "It's a blessing just to be nominated, let alone win."

Estero Beach Tacos brings the taste of the beach to the desert

Picos' journey to opening Estero Beach Tacos began during the early days of the pandemic when he started spending time volunteering to help feed the community with chefs like Silvana Salcido Esparza of Barrio Cafe.

Picos had experience in the restaurant industry working as a busboy and later as a sous chef as a teenager and young adult.

"They were very instrumental in me getting back into the kitchen and enjoying it. Bringing happiness to people, that's what I wanted to do," Picos said. "She (Esparza) would always ask me, you know, 'Are you doing this for clout, or are you doing this because you enjoy it?' And I told her I enjoyed it."

And though he credits his experience with Esparza as helping relaunch his passion for restaurants, his biggest cooking inspiration remains his mom.

"My mom, she's an amazing cook. And she's always been my biggest critic, which is good in a way because it makes me set the bar a little higher," Picos said.

The idea for his business was born out of a desire to share a special family memory. Estero Beach Tacos is named after the beach house in Ensenada where Picos, who moved to Arizona 17 years ago, spent many summers growing up.

Now he shares the nostalgic experience of eating fish tacos on the beach with his family at a weekly farmers market miles away from the sea.

"I didn't want to do the same thing as everybody else," Picos said. "It was really a no-brainer for me (to serve Ensenada-style seafood tacos)."

What makes Estero Beach tacos so good?

Estero Beach Tacos offers a menu of fried mahi mahi fish tacos and burritos; a salsa macha shrimp taco bathed in a nutty salsa made with dried peppers, nuts and oil; grilled octopus, smoked salmon and Gobernador tacos made with a combination of shrimp, onions, bell pepper and melted cheese. They also serve micheladas and aquas frescas.

Picos finishes his tacos with classic Baja sauces like chipotle mayo and creamy jalape?o sauce to "give it the extra kick."

"It's something you won't find from other taco shops," he said.

Picos plans to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant someday. But for now, he's just happy to bring a taste of Baja California to taco lovers in Phoenix.

Visit Estero Beach Tacos

Estero Beach Tacos is a regular at Phoenix's Uptown Farmer's Market each Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the fall, and 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the summer. For other pop-up dates, check out the restaurant's social media pages.

Details: Uptown Farmer's Market, Saturdays at 5757 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. @esterobeachtacos on Instagram. facebook.com/people/Estero-Beach-Tacos.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Best taco in phoenix: Estero Beach Tacos named Top Taco 2023 by locals