Taco the Town

San Francisco, are you listening? THIS is what a burrito should look like.

2012-07-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

If you don't see tasty, golden-brown bubbly patches, odds are your burrito was STEAMED and the tortilla was never given a chance to fulfill its true potential in appetizing texture. Is YOUR burrito wrapped in foil? I thought so. I bet the tortilla doesn't even have lard, and at least half the filling is basmati rice...

El Cuervo Taco Shop (110 West Washington St, Hillcrest)

2011-11-04T16:27:00.004-07:00

Bustling, high-rent neighborhoods are generally the least likely places to find a decent taco shop,perhaps because the necessary overhead to open shop prices out family businesses in favor of trendy chains and aspiring franchise players. Hillcrest, for example, has a plethora of taco shops but few of any real distinction. I can think of a couple standouts on the outskirts of the district, however

Who ate all my photos?

2011-09-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

Looks like something went awry with my photo links while I was away - thanks, Google! Hang in there and I'll fix 'em up. More reviews coming soon!

NEVER pay more!

2011-05-05T13:43:00.001-07:00

Never pay more than $49 for a taco - PLEASE!

Rolberto's Mexican Food (3462 Adams Avenue, Normal Heights)

2011-04-16T16:25:00.008-07:00

Every now and again I wake up to find myself in Normal Heights, an area that's changed surprisingly little since I learned to walk there in the mid-70s. It remains eminently walkable, the single-story skyline is largely intact, and all-in-all it still feels like a an urban, working-class family neighborhood. Sure, it's littered with indie hipsters, but I suspect most of them think Normal is

Tranny taco shop throwdown!

2011-03-09T07:16:00.002-08:00

Some tacos are really good, but worth fighting over, girls? "Oh, hell no!" Apparently this went down at one of the taco shops on University Avenue in (you guessed it) Hillcrest.

Las Cuatro Milpas (1857 Logan Ave.)

2011-01-30T09:52:00.010-08:00

If you don't have an opinion of Las Cuatro Milpas, you're probably no kind of San Diegan. The same family has sold tacos, tamales and tortillas at the original Barrio Logan location since the "zoot suit" era, just a block from present-day Chicano Park. Very few eateries anywhere on the west coast have witnessed so much history; Las Cuatro Milpas would be a mandatory stop on any local taco tour

Pokēz Vegetarian/ Mexican Eatery (Corner of 10th and E, Downtown)

2011-01-11T13:05:00.006-08:00

Downtown San Diego is pretty lively, but decades of economic blight punctuated by repeated redevelopment efforts of varying success have left it with precious little in terms of longstanding local institutions. One familiar fixture that's managed to hang on over the years is Pokēz (pronounced "Pokey's - think of Gumby's orange buddy), a casual and vegetarian-friendly Mexican "diner" open

Aqui es Texcoco, 1043 Broadway, Chula Vista

2010-12-29T08:40:00.003-08:00

San Diego has always offered an abundance of locales serving up fresh SoCal/Norteño dishes, but in recent years the local landscape has seen the emergence of Mexican regional cuisines in the available offerings, and this is an exciting development indeed. Barbacoa de Borrego (lamb barbecue) is a central Mexican specialty that may seem adventurous to the carne asada burrito set, but in its

kalbiQ Korean Taco Truck, La Jolla

2010-12-16T12:25:00.005-08:00

Taco Tuesday at the kalbiQ truck Korean tacos were the clear winner when I held a poll for taco topics not too long ago, and I was excited about the challenge. As much as I enjoy Asian food, I can't claim to be any kind of expert. Heck, I can hardly fake it when it comes to Mexican food! I do, however, know something of the thrill of discovering new tastes and sensations in unlikely settings -

Taco Shop Smackdown at Lucha Libre Gourmet Taco Shop (Washington Street at Indio, Mission Hills)

2010-11-30T08:32:00.007-08:00

Lucha Libre: located in deepest, darkest Mission Hills What exactly is a gourmet taco? Does it come with foie gras? If you've been following these pages, you know that I take a populist perspective when it comes to taco shop dining. I'm certainly not unwilling to pay extra for the good stuff, but I tend to be skeptical when a local taco shop is featured on cable TV and in a search engine

Overheard at a drive-through one Friday night on College Avenue

2010-11-20T07:05:00.007-08:00

Skater kid (knit cap AND hoodie): You gotta understand, man... where I come from, up north, the cheapest burrito costs six bucks! Surfer dude (flannel/sunburn): Yeah but that's like, nicer places, right? With metal forks... where you'd take a girl or something? Skater kid: [shakes head] Not really. And it's not like they even taste real authentic... or very good, even. from http://

El Paisa Mexican Grill (25th & Imperial in Logan)

2010-11-16T10:00:00.008-08:00

El Paisa Mexican Grill As any local taco freak will tell you, when you've found your way to the intersection of 25th and Imperial (whether by accident or by design) you have pretty much arrived in taco vahalla, with several of the most noteworthy taco spots in town well within spitting distance. Right on the corner, one of the neighborhood's highest signposts hypes "the best tacos in town"

Thanks for participating in the poll!

2010-10-29T07:12:00.010-07:00

It looks like I'll be scouting Korean taco trucks in the coming weeks, as that was the clear poll winner. Veggie burritos and potato tacos both got a lot of votes, so I'll be sure to delve into meatless (if not vegetarian) taco shop fare and cover that in the near future as well. Here are the poll results (they'll be deleted when I post the next poll): Which of these should I rant

Back to "the barrel" (Vaqueros Carne Asada, 69th & Imperial)

2010-10-28T11:58:00.006-07:00

Every true San Diegan has a go-to taco shop in their area for the occasional late night (or mid-day) drive-through stop. As long as it offers a few personal favorites done the way you like them and the location is effortlessly convenient, it doesn't even have to be a top-ranked taqueria (though there are usually so many to choose from that there is little need to compromise). The near-instant

Taco Fiesta (4920 University Ave)

2010-10-20T12:03:00.005-07:00

There are basically two kinds of taco shop menus: the short kind, listing a variety of meats of fillings and the various ways they can be served (tacos, tostadas, etc.) and the huge kind, which lists every possible variation of the same basic ingredients in expansive detail, along with a long list of combo plates, specials and sides. My early memory is littered with images of red-on-yellow and

Mariscos Germán taco trucks

2010-10-16T16:46:00.007-07:00

Tacos are the world's greatest street food; there's really no disputing that. However, San Diego's plentitude of shack-sized taquerias has made taco trucks and stands a regional scarcity until recently. The area has been no exception the nationwide recession, nor the food truck trend that has been its sole highlight, and while I don't see them replacing taco shops altogether, these trucks

Tacos El Gordo, National City (1940 Highland Avenue)

2010-10-14T14:58:00.011-07:00

As I got off the freeway and turned onto Highland Avenue, it was hard not to think of the days (or nights) when lowriders cruised the strip. I flipped the radio hoping to find Zapp & Roger or maybe some doo-wop on the oldies station, finally settling on "Wooly Bully" - but by then I had already arrived at Tacos El Gordo. The National City El Gordo is one of several

La Fachada, Barrio Logan (20 25th St.)

2010-10-11T06:23:00.004-07:00

Wish you were here at La Fachada Just a quick jaunt from downtown San Diego, La Fachada in Logan Heights is no secret to San Diegans who love their tacos, so it's a good thing they offer service both in the restaurant and from the taco stand outside. Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and after-hours tacos al carbon, La Fachada offers a huge menu of classic taqueria specialties as