Vampiros
A vampiro is a Sinaloan taco built on a corn tortilla toasted on the griddle or over charcoal until crisp and curled, then layered with melted cheese, carne asada, and toppings such as cabbage, onion, tomato salsa and guacamole. Closely related open-faced versions are called volcanes in Jalisco and lorenzas in parts of Sonora.
Description
The vampiro starts with a corn tortilla left on a very hot griddle or over mesquite charcoal until it dries, blisters and curls into a shallow, crisp bowl. Cheese, typically a mild melting cheese such as Monterey Jack or mozzarella in the United States, is spread over it and melted, sometimes until it begins to crisp. Carne asada, often chuck or skirt steak, goes on top, followed by finely shredded cabbage and red onion or pico de gallo, tomato salsa and guacamole, with a squeeze of lime. The tortilla functions as a plate, and the dish is eaten quickly before it softens.
Origin and name
Writers for Taste and L.A. Taco trace the vampiro to Sinaloa, and Taste reports that taqueros there consider El Verde, a small town near Mazatlán, the source of the best ones. Sinaloan migrants are thought to have carried the dish to Tijuana, where it was adapted.
No explanation of the name is confirmed. Suggestions include the tortilla's curled, bat-wing shape on the griddle, the idea that the tortilla is sucked dry as it crisps, and the red salsa that runs down a diner's chin like blood. Taste also speculates that the name may have been influenced by vampire films of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Regional styles
In the Sinaloan version, the meat must be carne asada, and the toppings are minced cabbage, red onion and a thick, slightly sweet salsa of ripe tomatoes. The Tijuana style adds a generous spoonful of guacamole, often a tomatillo-based one, and has broadened the choice of meats. In Los Angeles, Sinaloan taqueros in Compton, Bellflower and neighboring cities serve the older style, while the Tijuana-influenced version with guacamole has become the most common one in the city.
Names shift from region to region. L.A. Taco notes that the same basic taco is called a lorenza in some Sonoran shops and a volcán in Jalisco, and the tortilla supplier Masienda describes volcanes as the northern name; usage is inconsistent, and in Mexico City volcán usually refers to a smaller toasted tortilla with melted cheese and meat.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 600 g beef skirt or flap steak
- Juice of 2 limes, 2 garlic cloves (mashed), 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 corn tortillas (thick, fresh ones work best)
- 200 g Monterey Jack, Chihuahua or Oaxaca cheese, shredded
- 2 cups very finely shredded green cabbage
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup tomato salsa (blended roasted tomatoes with a little onion, garlic, salt and a pinch of sugar)
- 1 cup guacamole
- Lime wedges
Steps
- Marinate the steak in the lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper for 1 hour.
- Grill the steak over high heat to medium, rest 5 minutes and chop finely.
- Lay the tortillas on a hot griddle or grill and toast, turning every minute, until dry, crisp and slightly curled, 4 to 6 minutes.
- With the tortillas still on the heat, cover each with cheese and let it melt.
- Top with steak, cabbage, onion, tomato salsa and a spoonful of guacamole.
- Serve at once with lime.
Where to try it
- Asadero Chikali, East Los Angeles, California
- K Pasa, Los Angeles, California
- Las Ahumaderas, Tijuana
- Mexicali Taco & Co., Los Angeles, California
- Ruby's Taqueria, Sunnyvale, California
- Tacos El Chino, Los Angeles, California
- Tacos El Franc, Tijuana
- Tacos El Gordo (San Diego County), Chula Vista, California
- Tacos El Vampiro, Sylmar, California
- Tacos La Carreta, Long Beach, California
- Tacos Los Poblanos #1 Estilo Tijuana, Los Angeles, California
- Taqueria El Poblano, Compton, California
- Taquería Los Alteños, Zapopan
- Tijuanazo, East Los Angeles, California
- Tury's Tacos, San Diego, California
Reviews
Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.
See also
References
- "Interview With the Vampiro". Taste. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "5 'Vampiros' to Try in L.A. While Watching Netflix's Latest Vampire Movie 'Day Shift'". L.A. Taco. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Stack a Crispy Tortilla With Your Favorite Toppings To Make Volcanes". Masienda. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Volcanes y costras que rifan". Chilango. Retrieved 2026-10-10.