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.