El Zarape

         

This was a spontaneous taco shop review but was I glad to have stopped by this amazing restaurant in the middle of University Heights in San Diego. El Zarape is a small establishment that many might overlook as they drive on Park Boulevard, but it is usually popular in the community that it is located in. As you walk in they have their menu all across the wall; each item with a price written next to it. The selection of items they have is massive giving you great options and combinations to eat. They have the traditional items like carne asada tacos, fries, chips, the whole enchilada. However, they do also specialize in fish as well, they have lobster, calamari, scallop, shrimp, mahi mahi, pretty much common fish that you would see in a seafood restaurant. Meaning they specialize in both meats and fish, so there’s a variety.

            As I walked it, the place seemed cramped and small but it was no matter since there was plenty of available seating. I ordered the fish and pollo asado taco and the quanity they gave me was superb for it felt right with the price tag it came with. They both contained cabbage, cilantro, tomato and their own handmade salsa. The quantity of the food was prefect for it was very filling and had a lot of meat in the taco. As far as quality, everything was hand prepared and the tacos were almost made to perfection. The beer battered fish was one of the best I’ve had in a while and are pretty much comparable to TJ Oyster Bar but I’ll save that review and comparison another day. As far as customer service the food was prepared fast and the employees were very nice and actually made it seem like they were happy to be there. The price was perfect and not steep at all. You get what you pay for and don’t feel bad after words.

            If you were to ever plan on going again just look up El Zarape on Google and their website will show up and it will display everything they have on the menu.

            As for a final score I give this place a 9.9 out of 10 since the place is cramped and can be a little bother some, but that really doesn’t affect the taste of their delicious food.

Panchos Taco Shop

Panchos

            Humble but pleasing Panchos Taco Shop located on Otay Lakes Road right across Southwestern College is sure to make anyone who decides to go in satisfied with what they ate. Panchos is a typical joint that many students go in search of cheap and good Mexican food and boy is it good.

            I stepped in the shop and ordered more than what I thought I could eat but each item I ordered was delicious in its own way. I ordered a surf n’ turf burrito (out of curiosity of course), carne asada and adobada tacos.

 I know that the entirety of the tacos I ordered in the past couple of reviews have been these two types of tacos but I promise I will change the variety of the items I choose. So lets get down to reviewing, the surf n’ turf burrito was completely delicious with all of its components combined making it a perfect item to choose when any student is coming out of class with an empty stomach. The quality of both the tacos and burrito were good; the meat, cilantro, salsa and guacamole were prepared well making it a good mixture of condiments. I was pleased that the burrito was mixed around well not making any flavor or item standout or overpower the burrito, which I thought was a good touch. The quantity was superb since all three items were filling, the burrito was full, the tacos had a lot on them and overall it was a decent meal. Now with the customer service, they were not fazed by my appearance in my suit, making them professional or used to weirdos in taco suits. In addition the food was made pretty fast so that’s a big plus. Finally as far as pricing, it’s a little steep, but its well worth it for I’m sure all the items will be sure to fill you up.

            Overall the taco shop is a perfect option to get quick and fast Mexican food. I give the shop a 9.5 out of 10.

Chili's

            Normally Chili’s was not planned to be in my spectrum of taco shop visits but since they had tacos on their menu I was sure to try out and see if it was worth being curious. Chili’s for those who don’t know it’s a traditional American family restaurant where they serve a variety of foods ranging from fajitas, to hamburgers and of course tacos. It’s a sit down restaurant in the back of the Otay Ranch Mall, so the location is a little inconvenient since some guests have who are new to the area have a hard time finding the place.

            I ordered fried chicken tacos and the quality was not what I expected. The food was prepared well enough, but the mixture of items in the taco was not tasteful whatsoever. The tortillas were too fluffy thus overwhelming the overall flavor of the taco. The taco plat consisted of three tacos, rice and beans. So the quantity was ok and filling. However, the beans and rice were prepared as if they were from a giant can that would be bought probably from U.S. Foods. The tacos contained guacamole (which was amazing) with lettuce, bacon corn and other ingredients that didn’t help. So the overall quality was not the greatest, but what can you expect from an American style taco. The service wasn’t too great either. Although it didn’t help that the party I was in consisted of 13 people, the service still could have been faster and better for a restaurant that was not busy at all. It’s understandable but sill not acceptable. Last but not least the pricing was a little steep, however the meal is filling it surely shouldn’t cost more than 12 dollars.

Overall I wouldn’t really recommend this restaurant since its not really known for its tacos, but I would surely go for their hamburgers and famous fajitas. I give Chili’s a 7 out of 10 for their tacos.

Tacos & Tarros

            Next on my adventure of exploring taco shops galore, is Tacos & Tarros in Otay Ranch off Birch road. Its a sit down and dine in restaurant which is not what I’m used to going to but it is surely a great place to go eat. Now going back to my four main categories, quality, quantity, customer service and pricing, I will be able to explain and complete this review where its short, sweet and to the point. Lets start with quality, I ordered two types of tacos being tacos de lengua and de arrachera which is beef tongue and a special marinated carne asada. After biting down into the tacos I ordered they were extremely delicious, the meat was cooked to perfection topped with salsa, onions, and cilantro which was a perfect combination. As far as the arrachera it was very delicious and juicy, not comparable to the style in Tijuana but still very good, while being topped with guacamole, salsa, onions and cilantro. The guacamole was thick and flavorful making the combination of the rest of the toppings compliments and completes the taco itself. So I would give the quality a 9/10. Next with the quantity, the amount of meat and toppings was superb making me full after about three tacos, it was a lot but no element of the taco outweighed the other giving it a 10/10. With customer service, they were kind and nice about me entering in, but as I ate the service was slow for not being as busy, but that was due to having one waiter the entire night, so it was understandable but a little un acceptable. Overall the service was a 8/10. Lastly the pricing was like any shop they were a little bit expensive but with the amount of meat and toppings they put on the tacos will make up for it. In addition they do have deals each night where they have a couple of tacos and a soda for under six dollars which in my opinion is a good idea but I wasn’t aware of the deal until after I ate. All in all the pricing gets a 9/10 since the price stand point could be a little better, but it’s a dine in restaurant so they can charge whatever they want.

Tacos El Gordo

My next stop was Tacos El Gordo in Chula Vista off of H Street, a small shop, but one that takes the cake so far in my everlasting journey of eating delicious tacos.  I’ve now created easy to understand categories to rate and help me review the shop while keeping it short and simple! The categories are: quantity, quality, customer service, and of course pricing. Upon entering the shop in my taco suit, the usual reactions of people to my suit were present however, once I wanted to order my food the cooks and other employees kept their cool and treated me with respect and made me feel welcome by throwing jokes and staring a normal conversation. I ordered tacos de carne asada, and adobada for the price of the tacos was a bit expensive. Surely after devouring the tacos the price was worth the clogging of my arteries.  The meat is prepared (in my opinion)  to perfection, for the meat was juicy flavorful to the point where I became sad that I was finishing my tacos. The tacos come with the meat asked for, onions, a special sauce and a lot of guacamole. I might say that the guacamole is to die for it is prepared well and with a perfect amount of lemon to give it a faint, but good sour taste. They give you a shit ton of meat in your taco (twss) so the 2 dollars per taco is well worth the price. Now bring it back to my categories the quantity of the food and meat is a 10 out of 10 because 3 or 4 tacos is well enough for any person for they are meat packed. The quality of the food is superb, they really do know how to prepare and cook their meat giving them another 10 out of 10. Customer service is excellent for the employees are bilingual and are welcoming as well, they are more than happy to serve you and talk to you. Last of all, the pricing of the food is a little extreme especially if you want more than 4 tacos, which will already cost you more than 10 dollars. The competition with pricing compared to other taco shops is tough, but I didn’t mind paying the price for the quality of the food was perfect, giving it a 9 out of 10. Overall this establishment is good for anyone who is in dire need of a good taco and does not mind the price. If you love eating tacos from Tijuana, this is the place to go because it is a Tijuana based restaurant and sure does live up to its name by making you fat and happy.