Taqueria Los Olivos
1997 North Orange Olive Road Ste. B
Orange, CA 92865
Hockey season brings me some pretty big challenges. Not only do I have to endure going through another season of watching our beloved Ducks go through another rebuilding season, but I also have to find places to eat before the 15 games we attend yearly. After decades of games, it seems we have been just about everywhere to eat before watching countless goals, brawls, wins, losses, and more at the Honda Center. That was until I read about Taqueria Los Olivos in the OC Register.
Every Tuesday for the last year or so, Brad Johnson, the acclaimed restaurant reviewer for the OC Register, has written about a spot to get tacos in our wonderful county. I've gotten numerous tips from this regular column and added them to my must-try list. When we were leaving for a recent game, I figured we had just enough time to fight traffic and try Taqueria Los Olivos, just a few blocks from Honda Center.
This tiny taqueria is situated in a very sleepy shopping center anchored by at least three thrift stores, which I counted, and apparently all close earlier than the 6 p.m. time we visited. For further reference, the center is situated right across from Shaffer Park. I've gathered that this was the home of another taqueria, Taqueria Guadalupana, which was around for over 20 years in this spot.
Taqueria Los Olivos took over in early 2017 and made some minor adjustments, like a fresh paint job, adding a small salsa bar, and changing over from an all-cash payment method to accepting debit and credit cards. Welcome to the 21st century. The menu is pretty much the same as the old place. They offer seven types of meat; you can get it in a taco, burrito, torta, or quesadilla. On weekends they have menudo with handmade corn tortillas. I was excited to see if this place would be top shelf or if it would hit iron and our goal of a good meal would be denied. Let's check it out.
Katie opted for two tacos for her pregame meal this evening: a Chicken Taco ($1.39) and a Pastor Taco ($1.39). These no-nonsense tacos come with onion, cilantro, and a little red salsa. More salsa is available at the aforementioned salsa bar. Katie liked the chicken taco but was much more excited by the pastor. She loved the flavor profile and was especially fond of the tortillas here, which she suspects are handmade, but I'm unsure.
The taco party continued with my plate of three tacos. I chose the Buche Taco ($1.39), Pastor Taco ($1.39), and the Carnitas Taco ($1.39). All were dressed similarly to Katie's except the buche, one of the best versions I have had of this taco. For those unaware, buche is pork stomach, and can be a little dicey ordering it in some places. This one was crisper than most, which allowed for a good texture. The pastor is sliced freshly off the trompo, which is always a good sign. Not as good as the one I had at the Taco Stand in Downtown Orange, but it's a steal at half the price of that one. The carnitas was good and flavorful, but I missed the crispy tips I loved when ordering it. The tortillas were great vessels for these tacos, as they held everything together and had a nice crispness due to them being placed on the flattop for a short while.
As good as the tacos were here, Katie and I were very impressed with this Carne Asada Quesadilla ($6.72). This flour tortilla bursts at the seams with plenty of cheese and carne asada. The cheese and beef worked in great tandem inside, while the lightly grilled tortilla provided a nice crunch on the outside. This was cut into four triangles, so it filled us up perfectly. One of the better and greater value quesadillas we have found in a long while.
It's safe to say that we will definitely return to Taqueria Los Olivos before the upcoming Ducks games and when we are in the area and want some solid Mexican food. This is a low-key taqueria, so if you are looking for a place with more ambiance, you might want to try somewhere else. Service was super friendly during our stay, and they seemed genuinely grateful for every guest that came through their door. All of the above and three bottles of water only set us back at less than $14, leaving us with enough money to park at the game.
Out of five olive trees (because olives are in the name of this restaurant and the oldest olive tree in the world is 4,000 years old and resides on the island of Crete, your fun fact for the day), five being best to zero being worst, Taqueria Los Olivos gets a very strong 3 olive trees.
Taqueria Los Olivos does not have a website, but you can find more information about them on their Yelp page here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-los-olivos-orange
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