Tortilla made of cheese as good as it sounds

When it comes to cheese, San Antonio can agree on one thing: More is always more. And no eatery in town takes takes it to excess like Chela’s Tacos Mexican Restaurant with its costra taco. Costra tacos substitute the tortilla shell with a griddled crust of cheese.

For those with a serious cheese craving, La Costra de Chela ($10) is possibly the city’s most unique and indulgent tribute to the ooey and gooey. This dish is a little different from other costra tacos in that it is enormous. It begins with a cup or more of Monterey Jack cheese spread out into an oval the size of a platter on a hot griddle. The cheese bubbles and melts, forming a golden brown skin on the bottom, ringed with crispy, crusty edges, while the top remains soft and stretchy.

You have the option of filling that cheese crust with flavorful pork al pastor laced with pineapple chunks, well-seasoned carne asada, or a mix of both. The fiesta of fromage is then capped with a party hat of fresh pico de gallo and served with a bottle of roasted tomato salsa.

Somewhere under all that cheese is a laughably small flour tortilla quietly absorbing all the oozing fat.

It takes a brave soul and strong heart (trust me, you’ll want to do some cardio afterward) to eat the entire thing in one sitting, but it’s hard to resist doing otherwise.

Costras are still a relatively rare find in San Antonio and a fairly new Mexican food entry. According to taco experts, the costra taco emerged from the Mexico City nightclub scene about 20 years ago at a taquería called Las Costras. Not surprisingly, it spread rapidly because, well, cheese crust. ’Nuff said.

Chela’s Tacos Mexican Restaurant, two locations: 5231 Broadway, Unit 117, 210-753-1040, Facebook: @chelastacosalamoheights; 3420 N. St. Mary’s St., 210-267-1511, Facebook: Chela’s Tacos Restaurant-St. Mary’s; chelas-tacos.com.

Paul Stephen / Staff The costra taco at Chela’s Tacos is an indulgent dish that starts with a giant platter of cheese griddled to a crisp.