It’s hard to tell from the outside whether the graffiti tags all over the signs at Bertha’s are a deal breaker. I can still make out “2 tacos and coffee $2.55,” and I call that a deal maker.

Inside, Bertha’s air-conditioning was out on a summer morning, but people were crowded into all but one of the nine tables. With 18 kinds of tacos for less than $2, including seven breakfast tacos at just $1.25 each, I can understand why.

Tacos: Bertha’s laid out four of this series’ most solid, respectable, value-conscious and delicious tacos across the breakfast and lunch spectrum. The fact that none of them cost more than $1.85 just sweetens the deal.

At the head of an elite pack was carne asada a la mexicana ($1.85) which proved that even the fattier cuts of beef can be superstars when they’re done right. Bertha’s laid down a hard sear for crunch and left it cooking just long enough to tenderize the meat and integrate the pico de gallo

I’ve come to appreciate the differences between “all-meat” barbacoa and plain old regular barbacoa. “Regular” means full fat, knobby, shiny meat in short, rangy strands, the way Bertha’s does it for $1.75. Bertha’s went a step extra by bringing out a plate of fresh pico de gallo with it. The peppers, onions, tomatoes and cilantro added just enough sweetness and acidic spark to complete the flavor circle started by the full-fat barbacoa.

A pair of breakfast tacos secured Bertha’s place among my taco all-stars. Finding the right balance of chorizo and potatoes ($1.25) is harder than you’d think, but Bertha’s found it by uniting armored homefries with hearts of gold and torrid red chorizo with the grease and spice to wake up the starch.

You bet a kitchen that can pull off that carne asada taco can knock out huevos a la mexicana, a fresh scramble of eggs thoroughly integrated with a finer chop of pico de gallo for $1.35.

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Tortillas: Bertha’s glossy flour tortillas should come with a trigger alert for the lard-averse. But lard have mercy, that isn’t me. I love this half-leathery northern Mexico-style tortilla. Bertha’s clearly has a bead on the secret to a good corn tortilla as well: toast that sucker to bring out the corn’s natural sweetness.

Salsa: Score another “best of” contender for Bertha’s roasted salsa verde, with real skin in the game. And seeds and stems and cilantro. The result is a slow-building parade of the chile’s sweet vegetable character and its steady, reassuring heat.

Location: 2629 W. Martin St., 210-860-6143, no web presence

Rating: Worth a drive

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msutter@express-news.net

Twitter: @fedmanwalking