Taqueros Media Day - CLOSED

Taqueros

31401 Camino Capistrano

San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

It has got to be an uphill battle for a Mexican restaurant to make a name for itself in San Juan Capistrano. A quick online search of Mexican restaurants in this small south OC city, bisected by the 5 Freeway, yields 14 Mexican restaurants, not counting Del Taco and Taco Bell. But, of course, most people probably wouldn't count those two fast-food places anyway. My point is that in a Mexican food-rich city like this one, you have to get your name out there, and that's what Taqueros did recently when they invited a group of food bloggers, including us, to try their food.

I had heard of Taqueros before when they used to be located across the street from Mission Viejo City Hall. I had eaten there once and remembered liking it, but it was long ago. I also remember that they had an eating challenge, which I do not recall at this moment. My friends from work and I had planned on doing it, but we must have forgotten about it before attempting it.

Taqueros is a family-run business, which is owned by the Lezama family. They have had successes and some tough times in the restaurant business, but they feel they have finally found a home in San Juan Capistrano. The locals have embraced them since they opened here over two years ago. Taqueros describes their food as a nod to Mexico's past, emphasizing modern flavors. They want you to feel like partaking in a home-cooked meal with no dishes to clean up afterward.

Located a few blocks north of the mission and across from Junipero Serra High School, Taqueros was pretty busy this late Saturday afternoon. Not only was this place crawling with food media, but they also had a steady stream of people coming in to partake of their extensive menu. I was impressed that this small restaurant had a varied menu, including an extensive juice menu, which Katie took advantage of. She had this Jamaica ($2.29), a hibiscus-tinged tea. It was fruity but not overly sweet, which is how she likes her beverages.

While Katie enjoyed her tea, I was excited to try the Tacos de Trompo, which Taqueros offers on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. These pork tacos originated in Central Mexico and are cooked on a vertical rotisserie called a Trompo. The pork is marinated in dried chilis and spices, then cut off the Trompo, placed in some delicious house-made tortillas, and garnished with cilantro, onion, coriander, and a slice of pineapple. The pork was juicy and flavorful after being cooked on the Trompo. I look forward to returning here to eat about a dozen more of these pastor tacos soon.

Katie and I are big mole fans, so we wanted to try Taqueros Mole Poblano Enchilada ($3.49). We are glad that we did. The mole here is complex, with a richness that can not be described. It's sweet and savory at the same time, but not overwhelmingly. This enchilada was filled with plenty of chicken and queso fresco and drizzled with sour cream. I enjoyed dipping my chips in the excess mole.

I guess my Chilaquiles ($6.99) obsession of late has spread to Katie, as she tried it here. This is one of ten breakfast items on the menu at Taqueros, and all of them are served all day long. Breakfast for dinner is always a good choice. The chilaquiles were solid, but I would not have gotten my eggs over easy like Katie. I prefer the runny yolk to coat the chips and the red or green sauce. This portion size was very generous, and Katie had difficulty finishing this plate.

I wanted to try as much of their food as possible and continued my tour around their menu with this Hard Shelled Potato Taco ($1.89) and a Carne Asada Taco ($2.79). The carne asada taco was delicious. I've been burned too many times by under-seasoned, tough-as-sandpaper beef in Mexican restaurants, but that wasn't the case with this carne asada. The meat was excellent and tender; you could tell it was marinated well. Again, they were very generous with the beef in this taco, which is a plus in my book. Katie is all about potato tacos, which can be a little boring, but that wasn't true at Taqueros. The crunchy outer shell was a nice contrast to the tender spud inside.

By this time, I was getting pretty full, but I had heard some good things about the Cubana Torta ($7.49), so I had to try it. This sandwich was stuffed with a well-done breaded beef, ham, sliced sausage, tomatoes, jalapenos, guacamole, onion, cheese, and beans. With all this included, the bread was the real hero, keeping everything together. I liked this torta but was not too keen on the sliced hot dog used in this, but it was easily discarded. I also used some of Katie's leftover refried beans to improve this. I'd probably get the carnitas torta on my next visit.

I'm glad the folks at Taqueros reached out to us and had us come down for a visit. Since we live so close, Taqueros will definitely be in our restaurant repertoire of places we eat when we want to stay close to home. We will also make it our mission to visit on nights they feature their Tacos de Trompo. They were delicious. I also wanted to make note that this is a pretty comfortable restaurant to eat at. It was well-lit and very clean. It's easy to see why the good people of San Juan have really embraced them.

For more information about Taqueros, head to their website here: http://taquerosmexicanfood.com/