AVILES LATIN MARKET
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★★
District: Southwest Omaha
Mexican grocery store serving authentic Latin Dishes
Perfect For: Casual Dining; Lunch; Takeout
Standout Dishes: Cuban Sandwich; Quesabirria; Chicharrones
Jose Aviles never intended on operating a restaurant. After years of living the chef life in restaurants all around Omaha, he’d had enough of the long hours and extended nights in the kitchen.
Instead, he dreamed of bringing a little bit of South Omaha to West Omaha with a market filled with goods from Puerto Rico, Columbia, Cuba, Mexico, El Salvador, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic. He’d have a deli in the back with some prepared meats, salsas, and take-and-bake dishes, but the highlight of Aviles Latin Market would be the market itself.
But that idea went out the window once customers started tasting Jose’s food, and he quickly began adding to the menu. And now Aviles Latin Market, though it only has a few tables, is quickly becoming one of Omaha’s favorite spots for Mexican and Latin American cuisine.
Located on the backside of a strip mall just north of 108th and Q, Aviles Latin Market very much has an “if you know, you know” vibe. You’re probably not going to find this small, humble location on your own. Someone will need to tell you about it, but once you have the food here, you’ll want to tell someone else.
The back counter still offers take-and-back enchiladas, fresh guacamole and salsa, homemade chips, and freshly prepared meats and tamales. But the deli now also offers street tacos, burritos, tortas, nachos, and more.
The meats themselves are worth a visit alone. Whether you take them home to put in tacos, burritos, bowls, or just eat them on their own, these are some of the most juicy, flavorful proteins around. You’ll be hard pressed to find better carnitas, so tender they shred with a fork and have enough spiced, citrusy notes to make your tastebuds dance. The birria is spicy and savory, and beefy, and the al pastor combines a pleasant hint of sweet with its porky flavor.
If you ask Jose, who will almost always be found manning the counter, what to order, there’s a good chance he’ll recommend the Quesabirria. Birria tacos have become so trendy that nearly every Mexican restaurant offers them now, and most serve a pretty watered down product.
Aviles is very much not in that camp.
The beef is rich and powerfully spiced, and it’s joined by enough gooey, melty cheese to put you in a dairy coma for a week. It comes with a cup of deep, intensely delicious consomme that’s tasty enough to drink straight. And the whole dish is finishing by dunking the tortillas in the broth and frying them on the flattop.
If you’re at all a fan of birria tacos or quesadillas, try this. It’ll make you forget other versions of your favorite dishes.
The same can be said of the Cuban Sandwich, which is, in my book, easily the best in Omaha. This version uses carnitas as opposed to roasted pork, and it’s a game-changing substitution. The carnitas are rich and succulent with just a touch of citrus, and they’re a great foil for the salty ham. The telara roll is pressed to get a great crispy exterior, and the mustard aioli adds an extra creaminess.
The Chicharrones, fried cubes of pork belly, are delightfully different than you’ll find at most restaurants. Pork belly is a fatty cut, and cooked incorrectly, it becomes chewy and greasy. But Aviles’ Chicharrones are actually quite tender with just a touch of crisp on the outside, and they bring forth a rush of bacon-like porky goodness.
The masa in the Pork Tamales is so smooth and light that it practically melts in your mouth, and the savory pork and herbaceous green chili sauce are the perfect filling. They could use a touch more filling, but the overall flavor is spot on.
Even the side dishes stand out at Aviles. The Rice is fluffy, buttery, and tasty enough to eat by the truckload. But it’s the Esquites, a bowl of juicy sweet corn mixed with crema, cotija cheese, and chili powder, that steal the show.
The Guacamole is wonderfully creamy with nice chunks of fresh avocado, and it has a nutty flavor with hits of garlic and lime. And the Corn Chips, freshly fried to get a great crisp, are the perfect thing to dunk into the guac or a cup of fresh, tomato-forward salsa that packs a nice punch.
Jose is as gregarious as he is talented as a cook. He’ll happily engage you in conversation, suggest a dish to fit your palate, and offer you a complementary Chicharron. Everything is made on a counter right in front of you, ensuring it’s freshly prepared.
It should also be noted any foodie could have a great time at Aviles Latin Market without reaching the back counter. There are products here you simply won’t find anywhere else, and Jose has worked hard to curate a selection that represents all of Latin America.
But the highlight of the market is the deli counter, which is why its offerings continue to expand. Jose may have wanted to get out of restaurant life, but he’s too good of a chef to escape it completely. This is as good of Mexican food as you’ll find in Omaha; you just might have to get it to go to enjoy it.