I don't want to speak too soon, but I'm pretty sure winter has finally bid our state adieu for the season. That said, it's time to shift our culinary palates into spring and summer mode—and that means tacos.

As it's near my own home base, I've been paying close attention to South Jordan's up-and-coming Latin restaurants. SoJo has welcomed some great places in the past few years, and this positive trend includes a new spot called Tacos 1905. Its background is that of the Tijuana-style taco, and as I spent the spring breaks of my youth playing Nintendo in my parents' basement, I never quite made it south of the California border.

So what exactly is a Tijuana-style taco? For starters, they're all about the way their protein of choice is cooked. These are typically cooked over a flame grill to produce a good char on the edges of the thinly-sliced protein. They're usually served with traditional taco-cart toppings like onion, cilantro and salsa, along with fresh guacamole that is naught but smashed avocado. Tacos 1905 pays homage to Tijuana with its proteins—all the classic taco-cart options are present, including lengua (tongue) and tripa (tripe).

One of the things I like about Tacos 1905 is that it's bringing an excellent taco-cart vibe to a fast-casual space; the restaurant moved into the spot that used to belong to the SoJo location of Zulu Grille. In addition to tacos and quesadillas, Tacos 1905 offers a few interesting variations on the taco formula that are worth mentioning. But first, let's dig into the restaurant's taco game.

During my first visit, I went simple with the carne asada and pollo asado (both $3.25). Though these are smaller street tacos, the portions are decently-sized. They're served with a complement of onions, cilantro and plenty of guacamole, but you're not truly taco-ing unless you visit the condiment bar and load up on your faves. Tacos 1905 has around a half-dozen different salsas, each marked with a number of flame stickers to tell you how spicy they are.

Both tacos were great. They really lean into the flame-grilled preparation, and both proteins are possessed of a tasty, fire-kissed char. I liked the carne asada a bit more than the pollo asado, but that's usually how it goes for me. I will say that the grilled chicken was a lot better than most taco spots that I've tried; Tacos 1905 has a solid seasoning game plan before the protein hits the grill.

The restaurant's pescado tacos ($3.49) are excellent—plenty of succulent fried fish, shredded cabbage and a tangy orange sauce are all hanging out in this tortilla. Nothing quite screams summer like fish tacos with either beer or a bottle of Jarritos, which is a good time to mention the solid beverage game on display at Tacos 1905. Bottled soft drinks like Coke, sangria and Topo Chico are all on ice, along with a few Coronas and Modelos for good measure.

On top of the bottled drinks are the restaurant's selection of house-brewed aguas frescas ($4.99). I usually don't truck with these specialty soft drinks when tacos are to be had, but I had to try the strawberry horchata. I was expecting to like it, because it's hard not to love horchata, but this was a next-level beverage. It's not overly harsh on the cinnamon, and the strawberry is incredibly refreshing. Good stuff for all the Utah soft drink nerds, that's for sure.

There's nothing wrong with sticking to the taco side of the menu, but it's fun to check out the mulitas ($6.49) and the vampiros ($6.25). The former is a taco served in a softer corn tortilla, and the latter is more like a crispy tortilla sandwich served with a layer of melted mozzarella cheese. The mulitas are great, but since they're pretty similar to the tacos, I'd recommend the vampiros. The flavors are going to depend on your favorite protein, but that extra layer of cheese and the two crunchy tortillas make it easy to add this dish to your rotation.

The quesadillas ($10.99) at Tacos 1905 are also tasty, since they pull from the same protein menu—those after a bit more cheese than the vampiro will dig these guys. One unique item on the Tacos 1905 menu is known as the papa loka ($10.99), which is a freshly-baked potato topped with your protein of choice along with the usual contingent of onion, cilantro and guacamole. I've never had a baked potato dressed up as a street taco, but it's definitely a lovely fusion. The potato interior soaks up all the gorgeous meat juices and makes for a truly simple but satisfying experience.

I think tacos are a bit like pizza in that they're always good even when they're bad, but there's enough nuance at Tacos 1905 to make it worth a spot on your radar. Taco fans—and people who have never been to Tijuana—will want to check this place out.