You may recall, that I love Mexican Food. So much so, that if my last meal could only be one cuisine, it would be Mexican. When I was turning 5, I told my whole class I was born in Mexico (I’m most certainly not), don’t know if that has anything to do with it (past life? who knows, kids are weird) but there’s definitely a passion for the culinary style.  Hell, I make guacamole for dinner more times than I can count! When I discovered Aztecas Yokosuka, it brought the local Mexican restaurant count to three (yay! less 30+ minute trips!). 

There are others, but they aren’t straight Mexican food. Mike’s Tex-Mex still has a place in my heart but I’m sorry, besides the fruit margaritas, Aztecas Yokosuka blows the local competition out of the water.

[Editors Note: This post was originally published in July of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness.]

The intel: Aztecas Yokosuka

Prior to Aztecas Yokosuka existence, the location housed a Peruvian restaurant.  So if you search for them on hotpepper.jp, tabelog.com, or one of the other Japanese Yelp-like restaurant searches, it’s hit or miss that you may see data from the other restaurant. If you like food pictures, they have a Facebook page to whet your appetite.

They are open every day of the week from 3 until 1130 pm, so you’ll have plenty of time to catch the last train if need be.

Oh, and they are not the original. There is also a location in Bashamichi in Yokohama. Definitely somewhere I’ve hit up after beer at Yokohama Brewery, Bashamichi Taproom, or American Antenna!

Looking for somewhere to have a party? The Gran Aztecas Yokosuka location has room for 50 people and 4000 yen 飲み放題 nomihoudai course – all-you-can-drink!

Bring on the food porn

The menu is a few pages long but still definitely concise in its options. Between a couple of visits, my friends and I have gone through the entire thing. You can NOT go wrong with any of the options. To start with, the guacamole is your best option. The salsa and nachos are also very delicious but the guacamole is some of the best I’ve had in Japan (and I eat guacamole any chance I get).

I wasn’t introduced to chilaquiles until later in life. In my opinion, they are the precursor to nachos but the tortillas get to simmer in all that yummy goodness on top to saturate the flavor more.  If you’ve never had them, here’s a good place to try it!

The enchiladas can come with either red or green sauce, they are both tasty just depends on what mood you are in for.

The tacos come with toppings to add if you feel so obliged.  They are great as served as well.

Chili con carne was an afterthought the day we got them, but delicious and come with tortillas.

Don’t forget your margaritas! The blue margarita is my favorite but they also have regular and a Cadillac version.

Enough! Where is Aztecas Yokosuka located?

The two locations are both located in Downtown Yokosuka. If you are coming by train, the Yokosuka-Chuo Station 横須賀中央駅on the Keikyu line is closest but Shioiri Station isn’t that much farther.

Enjoy! And let me know what you think!

Fun internet find of the day – how to find guacamole ingredients in Japan! Let’s admit it. Japanese grocery stores can be intimidating. Especially when you are new to the language. What are all these different types of miso? What’s this weird vegetable? More importantly for someone that jokes that they had to be Mexican in a past life for how often they seek out Mexican Food in Japan, where the #$@# is the cilantro?! I honestly use to think that it didn’t exist. It IS possible to find guacamole ingredients in Japan, let me tell you how.

The Search is Real

Yes, I’m really about to tell you about my escapades on just finding guacamole ingredients in Japan. Why? Because I honestly don’t cook in Japan. Why would I when there are so many amazing, different restaurants to try out? So when I do? I make guacamole.

1. It’s amazing.
2. Until recently, it was near impossible to find Mexican restaurants and the ones I knew of were nowhere close to where I lived.
3. Did you miss the part where I had to be Mexican in a past life? Seriously, for my 4th or 5th birthday, the conversation in the Montessori School I went to turned to where I was born. I said, “Mexico”. Now go and look at my about page, far from it! I even remember the ensuing discussion between my teacher and my mother. They got a kick out of it.

A whole post about it though? Yes, because this use to be hard!

Guacamole Ingredients in Japan: A quick Japanese Lesson

The basics for the words for guacamole ingredients in Japan are easy. You won’t usually have trouble finding (notice most are in katakana):

• tomato, トマト (to-ma-to)
• onion, 玉ねぎ (ta-ma ne-gi)
• avocado, アヴォカド (a-vuo-ka-do)
• lime,ライム (ra-i-mu) or
• garlic, ニンニク (nin-ni-ku)

Fresh herbs though for me always seemed to be hiding in a cold, dark corner when I first arrived in Japan. And today, I learned something new language-wise.

Cilantro though…

Cilantro in Japan, whether seed form or fresh, is generally translated as “coriander”. It’s even spelt that way…some of the time, コリアンダー (ko-ri-a-n-daa). Fine if you are actually looking for coriander, head-banging-against-the-table annoying if you aren’t expecting that.

However, fresh cilantro is also known as パクチー, which is derived from the Thai word for coriander. Just to make things confusing. However, also the usual way you will see it.

The newest fact though? There is also a kanji writing for it because, of course, the Chinese have an actual name for it. 香菜 or シャンツァイ, Shantsu~ai.

Why’d I tell you all this? Because Google Translate won’t give you the correct translation on near any of that. Get a good Japanese-English dictionary or use some free apps like JED or the website jisho.org.

Spices

I listed garlic up with the rest of the vegetables. To be honest, as the Japanese pallet tends to not favor spicy, I have yet to find decent peppers in a Japanese grocer. When I do, I’ll be sure you all are the first to know! Stick to dry for now. Kaldi, which is fairly widespread, does have some decent pastes. They aren’t just a coffee roaster in Japan but a great importer.

The spice aisles are very robust (I can’t wait to tell you all about miso) and luckily, the packaging tends to be in English and Japanese, but just in case:

• cumin, クミン
• cayenne pepper, カイエンヌペッパー
• salt, 塩, shio

My recipe for Guacamole

I don’t believe in any two guacamole being the same. I love playing it up. I’ve even been known to add blue cheese to the mix (which is fantastic). Play around with the guacamole ingredients in Japan I’ve listed above and let me know what you think in the comments of your best!

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