Instagram Brought Us to Tacos Don Goyo

 Tacos Don Goyo

379 West Central Avenue

Brea, CA 92821

When scrolling through my Instagram feed, I usually mindlessly try to get to the next thing. It's infrequent that I stop and notice what I see on my phone screen. What had me drooling, you ask? It was Tacos Don Goyo and their carne asada fries. Well, it was really everything on their Instagram page, but the way they showed them making their Don Goyo-style loaded fries made me take notice. I almost immediately made plans to meet my parents here that weekend. 

Tacos Don Goyo has three locations, this Brea spot and others in the City of Industry and Downey. The Downey location opened in 2018 and is named after chef and owner Ricardo Jasso's late father. Ricardo describes his Mexican cuisine here as a cross between the food you can get in Mexico City and Tijuana. He's a native of Mexico City, and this place is an homage to the taqueros of that city. It also filled a void for good tacos he craved when he first came to the United States.  

If it weren't for Instagram, I never would have known about Tacos Don Goyo. This location in Brea is far removed from the busy area near the mall, in a small strip of stores alongside Central Avenue, between Tamarack Avenue and Memory Garden Memorial Park. There's a hearing aid store and urgent care, and the only other notable storefront is the Phoenix Club, now based here after many years near the Honda Center. I made a note and must return to satisfy my bratwurst and schnitzel cravings.  

Back to Tacos Don Goyo. We arrived at 5 p.m. on a Saturday, walked right in, and ordered at the counter. However, that was not the case as our visit went along. They got pretty busy, and the line stretched almost to the front door for the remainder of our stay. Maybe one reason for the long line was the considerable menu. It's a little overwhelming, even for me. They offer ten types of meat and fifteen ways to utilize them, such as tacos, burritos, mulitas, and more. Depending on the item, they also have a top sirloin option, which costs between thirty cents to a couple dollars more. We grabbed a table and waited for our number to be called. 

I've said it often, but my mom is a light eater. This evening, she only had one Carnitas Taco ($3.07 plus 52 cents for adding cheese). She also requested no onions or cilantro on it. This is not a good representation of a Don Goyo taco, but I wanted to include it to show they are willing to accommodate their guests. My mom loved this taco and thought they were generous with the pork they provided. She was also excited that guacamole was included at no additional charge. 

My dad selected this Chicken Taco ($3.07) as the first of two items he'd be having at Tacos Don Goyo. He loved it, featuring plenty of seasoned chicken, onions, cilantro, and guacamole. He felt it was in the upper echelon of chicken tacos he had. He wouldn't hesitate to get it again. 

My dad is approaching 80, and this is his first time having a Mulita ($4.68). He selected carnitas as his protein of choice, and he might just be a mulita convert now. For those of you who are unsure what a mulita is, it's best described as a quesadilla, but instead of one folded tortilla, it uses two tortillas with the filling sandwiched between them. This one had shredded pork, cilantro, onion, and guacamole. I stole a piece of the carnitas that had fallen out and felt the pork was good. It had the consistency of pulled pork that is served in barbecue restaurants. Almost a little too moist, but still good.  

Like father, like son, I got my own mulita but opted for the Chorizo Mulita ($4.68). The chorizo was a good choice; it had a big flavor boost and went well with the other ingredients. I enjoyed the corn tortilla here, as it was left on the grill just enough to make it sturdy enough to pick up and hold most of the inner workings of the mulita inside. 

I like to try as many different kinds of meats as possible at any Mexican restaurant, so I got both a  Pastor Taco ($3.07) and a Buche Taco ($3.07). Both were good, but the al-pastor was the better of the two. The marinade they use on the pork has an excellent flavor profile, with equal parts sweet and savory in each bite. The pork was tender, and the taco was traditionally served with a pineapple slice. Not all pastor tacos are created equally; this one at Don Goyo was one of my favorites. Buche is not something that most people like, but I'm a fan. For those unaware, buche is the pig's stomach lining, stewed for several hours until it becomes soft. I've had some excellent buche, and some were pretty bad. This is in the former group.  It had a good chew to it but was not overwhelmingly tough. If you're curious about buche, this might be the spot to start your buche journey. 

Since I enjoyed the al pastor so much, I also got it in their Quesotaco ($3.38). This one came with everything in their regular tacos but had fried cheese. It was well worth the extra thirty-one cent upcharge. I'll get all my tacos like this on future visits to Tacos Don Goyo. 

Saving the best for last, here's what got me to visit Tacos Don Goyo, their Don Goyo Fries ($17.67). I selected the carne asada for these fries, which were topped with beef, nacho and white cheese, onions, guacamole, sour cream, and cilantro. I was full after all that I had eaten here up until this point, but I could not stop myself from trying to finish this. It's meant for more than one person, but I had little help from my tablemates with this. They were very generous with the toppings here, and plenty of carne asada was included, and it had a nice smokiness. It is one of the better care asada fries I have had. I'm usually averse to nacho cheese, but it worked here. Their Instagram page showing this being made got me here, but after having this, it's also what will bring me back. 

We did not have any misses on our trip to Tacos Don Goyo. It's a legit taqueria that I look forward to trying again soon. I am already planning what I will have next time; one of their burritos, a quesadilla, and the papa loka, a loaded baked potato with your choice of meat and cheese. I'll also be hard-pressed not to get the Don Goyo fries next time. The prices were not too outrageous here, as the tacos were packed with meat, and the serving size of the Don Goyo fries was more than generous. The girl at the counter was patient as we took a little time to order our food. Be aware that this place gets packed with people at peak meal times. They may also have seen Don Goyo's Instagram posts and decided to head over. It was an excellent decision.  

Out of five oil derricks (because the flag, seal, and logo of Brea all feature an oil derrick alluding to the economic boom that helped the founding of the city in 1917), five being best to zero being worst, Tacos Don Goyo gets 3.5 oil derricks. 

Tacos Don Goyo does not have a website, but you can find out more about them by checking out their Yelp page by clicking here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tacos-don-goyo-brea-brea

Rerouting to Tijuanazo

 Tijuanazo Birrieria

676 South State College Boulevard #101

Anaheim, CA 92806

Truth be told, we had not anticipated eating at Tijuanazo. We had planned on going to Tacos Los Cholos down the street before heading to an early-season Angels game. Tacos Los Cholos has been on my list forever. After so many false attempts, we were determined to finally experience what many consider one of the best taco spots around these parts. 

It was not to be, though. We cruised into the parking lot to see an extensive line of people around the building waiting to get their tacos. The open-air grill expelled an aroma that told people far and near that the tacos at Los Cholos might be worthy of the hype. I would have to wait to find out, as we had to pivot to find somewhere else to eat, as the mediocre food at Anaheim Stadium would not suffice. A quick Yelp search brought us to Tijuanazo Birrieria. 

They are not to be confused with the famous Tijuana taco stand, which recently opened two locations in the US, one in LA and the other in San Diego. Tijuanazo Birrieria has four locations, all in the Inland Empire, except for this one. Their first foray into OC opened last year. In that time, they have garnered a 4.8-star rating but with only 45 reviews. It's not a big enough sample size, but we were intrigued enough to try them.  

Tijuanazo is strictly a birria restaurant. Want carne asada or pastor? You're going to have to find another spot. They serve birria in many forms; burritos, tacos, nachos, tortas, party packs, and even ramen. Regular birria tacos cost $4, while the quesabirria taco will cost you a dollar more. The rest of the menu is modestly priced, with nothing over $14. They also have Taco Tuesday and other specials throughout the week. We ordered at the counter and sat in the spacious dining room while waiting for our food to be prepared. Let's see if Tijuanazo is a good stand-in for where we were initially going to eat.  

I got two Quesabirria Tacos ($4.75 each) and one standard Birria Taco ($3.99). Pay the extra 76 cents to get the quesabirria tacos. The regular taco was fine, and once I dressed it up with onions, cilantro, and their extra spicy hot sauce, it was just as good as any birria taco I've had. The cheese mixed with the moist birria brings these to the next level. The consome here is one of the best I've had, and when you dip the tacos in it, it is like a flavor bomb going off. I did not have a bad bite while here.   

When we first had Birria Ramen ($13.50), I thought it was just some gimmick to be shown on social media. Then we tasted it, and now we are converts. We can never go back to regular Cup Noodles ever again. The birria and the consome make this more comforting than hot chocolate on a chilly evening. Katie found it hard to share with me, but luckily, this was good sized, so I got a few bites after she got her fill. 

Even though we had not planned on eating at Tijuanazo, our flexibility paid off. These were some of the best birria items we have had to date, and as a bonus, they were not as pricey as other places we have visited. The restaurant was clean, the employees were friendly, and the food will have us returning soon, probably during Duck's hockey season. 

Out of five salads (because the Caesar salad was invented in Tijuana 100 years ago), five being best to zero being worst, Tijanazo gets 3.5 Caesar salads. 

For more information about Tijuanazo Birrieria, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.birrieriaeltijuanazoca.com/

Wrapping up Restaurant Week With a Visit to Bodega Laguna

 Bodega Laguna

400 South Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

I did it. This was the finish line for my quest to eat at seven restaurants in seven days to celebrate OC Restaurant Week. My criteria was that I'd eat at a restaurant I had never eaten at before, which was easy to achieve since there were over 170 places to choose from for restaurant week. It was a rare Saturday off for me, and since my good friend Daren hooked us up with parking, we did not mind finishing my restaurant week quest in Laguna Beach at Bodega Laguna. 

Opened late in 2022, Bodega Laguna occupies the space formerly home to Tommy Bahama and, before that, the Jolly Roger. When it opened two years ago, it was known as Laguna Fish Company, but it was rebranded in October 2023 as Bodega Laguna. They are part of the ZA Restaurant Group, which also operates Skyloft, Rumari, and Mozambique in this picturesque seaside town.  

We arrived just before noon on a Saturday. This was before the touristy season, but they had a steady stream of customers during our stay. Back in the days when this was the Laguna Fish Company, this was an order at the counter, and then the food was brought to your table establishment. That was scrapped when they turned it into Bodega Laguna. We were seated in the restaurant's bar area, which made us think of the Central Perk coffeehouse on Friends. About six couches spread throughout the space, with bar seating and a few tables making up the rest of the front portion of the restaurant. 

The all-day menu here is good-sized, and even though they ditched the seafood name last year, their menu still has plenty of seafood to choose from, although with a Mexican semblance to it. There's also plenty of everyone's traditional Mexican favorites as well. Since this restaurant is on prime real estate across the street from the beach, it's no surprise that menu prices are on the high side at Bodega Laguna. Entrees range between $23 to $73 for a platter with steak, pork, chicken, and everything else needed to make you and a few friends some tacos. 

Happy hour is from 3 pm to 5 pm every day of the week, except holidays and holiday weekends. They also feature brunch on weekends from 10 to 1pm, which Katie took advantage of because she was not feeling the $25 OC Restaurant Week options I would be having. So, let's see if my hot streak with the restaurants I've been eating at all week will continue. 

Any Mexican restaurant worth its salt will begin each meal with at least one basket of Chips and Salsa. I was really a fan of both of these. The chips felt like they were freshly fried, light, and crispy. They came with a small side of red salsa with just the right amount of chunk. I did wish it had a bit more heat, but it was good nonetheless. They did refill the salsa and chips without us asking. 

My first item on the $25 restaurant week menu was this Chicken Tortilla Soup. Usually, I would get Caesar salad or street corn, but it was a chilly day when we were here, so I went with the soup. The soup comprised roasted corn, black beans, cilantro, poblanos, queso fresco, avocado, tortilla strips, and some cubed chicken. The flavor was good, but they were slightly stingy with some ingredients, like the avocado, chicken, and queso fresco. Only three pieces of chicken and one tiny slice of avocado were in the bowl. 

Katie almost always enjoys trying Breakfast Burritos ($19) whenever we go out on weekends. This one might have been the most colorful one we've encountered in a long time. The tortilla was filled with scrambled eggs, fingerling potatoes, chorizo, queso Oaxaca, pico de gallo, and avocado. Katie loved this burrito, calling it one of the best she's had all year. She loved that it was balanced and layered just right, so each bite combined a little bit of everything. The green salsa was delicious, with just enough heat to hang out in the background. If the burrito had been grilled on the flattop for a minute or two, or if they had not skimped on the avocado, this burrito would have been even better. 

With the Restaurant Week menu, I had the choice of four entrees; a veggie burrito, three tacos, chicken enchiladas, and what I eventually ended up with Carnitas. This was a good-sized plate of slow-braised pork. There were a couple of bites where the pork was a little dry, but for the most part, the pork was tender, flavored well, and a pleasure to eat. This came with cilantro-lime rice, black beans, flour tortillas, and the same excellent green salsa that accompanied Katie's burrito. The beans were delicious, and I'm not much of a rice guy, but this rice was nicely done and blew away everyone's favorite rice from Chipotle. Katie ordered the Small Guacamole ($3.50)  to supplement the lack of avocado in her burrito. It had an excellent chunky feel, and the flavor from the onion, garlic, cotija cheese, and pepitas made this a great addition to the tacos I made with my carnitas. 

With my Restaurant Week menu, we were supposed to get only one dessert, but our server, Juan, was generous enough to bring one out for Katie. The Churro Sundae came in a waffle bowl with soft serve vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and a churro sticking out of the top. The waffle and ice cream were fine, but the churro was excellent. It's funny that they don't even have churros on their online dessert menu, so ordering this sundae is the only way to try them. The Traditional Flan was topped with some strawberries and a tiny amount of caramel sauce. It was rather drab, and I let Katie eat most of it. 

Based on this visit, Bodega Laguna is a good Mexican restaurant. With a few tweaks to what we consumed this afternoon, it could eventually become one of the better Mexican spots in Laguna Beach. Right now, I feel they are only chasing Coyote Grill, La Sirena Grill, and Rasta Taco, two of which are fast-casual restaurants. Service was outstanding on this early afternoon, as our server, Juan, took great care of us during our stay. Prices are steep in this neck of the woods, but take advantage of their happy hour or wait for OC Restaurant Week to roll around again. Bodega Laguna helped make me seven for seven during my week-long sojourn to experience Restaurant Week. Not a clunker in the bunch. We'll see if that streak continues next March. 

Out of five birds (because the Northern California city Bodega Bay was the setting for the Hitchcock film "The Birds."), five being best to zero being worst, Bodega Laguna gets 3 birds. 

For more information about Bodega Laguna, head to their website by clicking here: https://bodegalaguna.com/

Elevated Fast Food at Taco Mesiata?

 Taco Mesita

765 El Camino Real

Tustin, CA 92780

There are different ways we find ourselves at restaurants. Most of the time, I'll find out about a place on Instagram, Yelp, magazines, or even on TV. I jot them down on my restaurant wishlist and hopefully get around to visiting them. I also get tips from readers of this blog, followers on my social media channels, and people I meet and talk with once it's revealed that I'm a foodie. This visit to Taco Mesita was about different. 

Back in the heyday of restaurant blogs, I'd get invited to restaurant openings or restaurants that were looking to boost their sales, wanted to highlight new menu items, or wished to showcase seasonal menus. Yes, it was fun to get free meals, and we had a great group of OC bloggers that we got to know well and saw at all these places. It was like having dinner with friends, but a bill would never come to the table. Then, bloggers were replaced with Instagrammers and TikTockers, and they are now getting free meals.   

Every so often, I get an invite to promote a restaurant. I always imagine it's a PR person who is new to the industry and inherited someone's old Rolodex or list of media contacts. Taco Mesita contacted me through Instagram and invited me to their first-anniversary party. We went back and forth, and I said I was in and made sure I knew who to meet up with before we left for the party. 

The place was packed with people, and I made the split-second decision that we'd just pay for our food and write a review for all of you. I saw the person I was supposed to meet with briefly, but he was swamped, and I didn't want to bother him. We stood in line and waited to order. 

Taco Mesita took over the old Alberta's Mexican Food place in Tustin. It's completely unrecognizable from when the former tenant was there. The vibe reminds me of a hip Palm Springs restaurant. The predominant color is white, and the breezeblock wall shuts out what's going on outside the restaurant. There are only six tables, and the kitchen activity is easily seen through huge windows behind where you order. There's also a drive-thru for your convenience. 

Taco Mesiata is the brainchild of Ivan Calderon and his son, Nico. If they sound familiar, it's probably because you've eaten at their other restaurants, Taco Mesa or Taco Rosa. They added a third partner, Nico's childhood friend Max Moriyama, a designer in charge of branding and the restaurant's look and feel. Nico wanted to create high-quality food in a fast-food setting, something that you don't find anywhere. 

The menu at Taco Mesita is smaller than that of other Mexican places, which the owners say helps them provide high-quality items while keeping prices relatively low. They offer a trio of tacos and burritos, snacks, and breakfast items served until noon. Most items hover around the $6 mark, with only the chicken and steak burrito reaching double-digit territory. People looking to save even more can partake in their Taco Tuesday and late-night happy hour offerings. Now that you have the backstory let's check out what we ate this evening. 

We've always enjoyed the Chips and Salsa ($3) and Guacamole ($7.25) at Taco Mesa, and we are happy to report that the same is true at Taco Mesita. In fact, I'm pretty sure these are the same chips that they serve at Taco Mesa. We got more than enough chips for three dollars, and they came with a whipped jalapeno and a smoky tomato salsa. Both salsas were on point and provided an excellent contrast to each other, as I found myself switching back and forth between the two. The guacamole could also be the exact same recipe they use at Taco Mesa. We've eaten there numerous times, and Katie always orders the guacamole. This had the same flavor, freshness, and texture to it. If it's not exactly the same, it's very similar. Katie also tried the Jamaica Palmero ($4.50). This hibiscus beverage also included lime and organic agave. The lime helped subdue the sweetness, which was much appreciated. Very refreshing and one of the better juices that Katie has had in a while. 

The majority of the menu at Taco Mesita is snacks meant for sharing. We decided to share all the ordered items, which is rare because I'm usually a selfish eater. First up was the Quesadilla Dorada ($6) and the Panella Taquitos ($6). The quesadilla was like an empanada filled with corn, vegetables, and Oaxaca cheese. It was too bland for me. The outer shell was crispy, but the inside portion fell flat, with only the corn providing any flavor. The taquitos were a better pick. They are filled with fresh cheese and fried nicely to give a big crunch when bitten into. I would have liked more of the avocado crema, which was promised on the menu but was absent when these came out to our table. 

We finished off our meal with all three tacos on their menu: Pork Shoulder ($5), Rottisserie Pollo ($5.75), and Woodfired Steak ($6.50). I actually liked all of these tacos, but if I had to pick my favorite, the Pork Shoulder would get the gold medal. It came with savory and smoky pork that played well with the pineapple and cascabel adobo. The silver medal goes to the chicken taco, which is rare for me to pick chicken over steak anytime. The chicken was tender and came with a delicious tomatillo corn relish and the avocado crema, which again was used too sparingly but might have pushed this taco to the number one spot if it had more on it. Settling for the bronze medal is the steak taco. I liked the marinade they used on the steak, but too much greenery and a lack of cotija cheese cost them the 2nd position on the taco podium. Yes, I've been watching far too much of the Olympics going on right now. 

Taco Mesita is a fascinating concept, and I feel they are still evolving. The food here is definitely an upgrade in quality to what you'd expect to get at a place with a drive-thru. The price point is manageable, but the portion sizes will not overwhelm you. It's a fine line that restaurants are walking these days regarding portion sizes versus item costs, especially with more quality ingredients. If you like lots of cheese, sauces, and heavier proteins, Taco Mesita might not be the right fit for you. But if you want a more authentic, subdued meal, this place might be what you are looking for. I'm glad they reached out to me, and I look forward to seeing what's ahead for them. 

Out of five digital clocks (because mesita translates to English as a bedside table, and I still have my grandmother's digital clock I inherited from her as a kid over forty years ago), five being best to zero being worst, Taco Mesita gets 3 alarm clocks. 

For more information about Taco Mesita, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.tacomesita.com/

A Perfectly Pacifying Breakfast at Chuponcito

 Chuponcito Mexican Cocina

23411 Aliso Viejo Parkway

Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

As much as I try to eat something other than fast food during my lunch hour, there are few options for me to get to and from work and eat at a sit-down restaurant, all in a 60-minute time frame. I have been at my place of business for 24 years, and predictably, I have gotten tired of all the sit-down restaurants near my work. So, when I checked Yelp and saw a new place had opened nearby, I made a beeline for it. That brought me and my coworker, Oz, to Chuponcito in Aliso Viejo. 

Chuponcito opened for business in April of last year and has received glowing reviews from Yelp users. With over 400 reviews posted, it has a perfect five-star rating. They are open daily, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but they close early on Mondays and Tuesdays at 2 p.m. Otherwise, they are open until 8 p.m. I visited twice for breakfast, which they serve until 11 a.m. on weekdays and an hour later on weekends. 

Located at the corner of Aliso Creek and Viejo Parkway, Chuponcito is in the same small shopping plaza as Starbucks, Subway, and the Mobil gas station. This area is off by itself, but the isolation of this strip mall has not deterred people from seeking it out. That might be due to owner Alix Wiesen-Todd's gracious and welcoming attitude, which greets everyone who walks through the door. She's worked in the hospitality business for years, most notably at the high-volume Nick's and North Italia. When COVID-19 ravaged the restaurant industry, she and her family prepared home-cooked meals for people in need in her community. Once again, proving that restaurant people are some of the best people you will ever meet. 

At Chuponcito, you order at the counter, and the food is brought to you. The dining space has a nice and relaxing feel. If the entire ten-seat communal table smack dab in the middle of the restaurant is filled, there will be room for close to 30 guests. There are also a couple of tables out in front. 

The Chuponcito menu is short and compact. The breakfast includes nine entree options, coffee, beverages, and pastry offerings. The pastries are made in-house. I have yet to have lunch or dinner here, but I plan to soon. The lunch/dinner menu features four starters, nine entrees, and three salads. Prices for breakfast hover around the $15 mark, while dinner entrees are a few dollars more. Oz and I made our selections rather quickly since we had to reluctantly go back to work to finish out our shifts. Here's what we had. 

When eating the day's first meal, I try to always pair savory with sweet. That meant I had to try one of their pastries, and the one available this morning was the Coffee Cake ($4). The top of this reminded me of the old Hostess Coffee Cakes I had as a kid, with those cinnamon pellets perched on top. This did the trick, but I would have liked more of the icing on top of this and the fruit (maybe blueberry?) to be more involved here. Pretty impressive that they make their own pastries at Chuponcito. 

I'm a big fan of Chilaquiles ($15), but Oz selected this before I could call dibs. At Chuponcito, you do not have a choice of red or green sauce, but Oz seemed okay with that. The fried tortilla chips came with two fried eggs, sour cream, diced onions, avocado slices, and a sprinkling of cotija cheese. Oz's mom is a former restaurant owner, and he's always partial to her cooking, but he found these to be pretty solid. He liked the slight tinge of spice from the red sauce, and the chips stayed crisp throughout his meal. No complaints from Oz about his breakfast. 

With Oz picking my beloved chilaquiles, I was relegated to my second choice, the Carnitas Benedict ($17). This visually stunning plate included a mound of carnitas perched on top of the split English muffin with verdolagas and an eye-catching cilantro hollandaise sauce. I had no idea what verdolagas was, so I looked it up. It's a green vegetable used in other areas, notably Latin America, which I thought resembled spinach. The poached egg was cooked perfectly, and when pricked with my fork, it released the glorious yolk, which helped bind everything together. The English muffin was a little hard to cut through, which made it difficult to eat. It was hard to get a bite with all the elements, but this is true of most benedicts. The hashbrowns were good, with a nice crunchy top layer, but maybe some added seasoning would have helped the potato underneath. 

My second visit to Chuponcito was with my friend George. He's a very plain eater, as he got the same Chilaquiles ($15) that Oz got, but without onions, and after I was done taking my pictures, he plucked his avocado and sour cream off his plate and gave it to me. I guess there are some fringe benefits to eating with picky eaters. These chilaquiles appeared less saucy than the one Oz had, but George did not seem to mind. He liked this plate and polished it off rather quickly. 

I have steered clear of chorizo omelets since I had a bad one at Broken Yolk many years ago. I should have known it would be bad at that mediocre breakfast restaurant, but I decided it was time to get back on the horse, and I had a feeling Chuponcito would make a better one than Broken Yolk. I was right about that.  This Omlete ($15) has three eggs and chorizo, Oaxaca and jack cheeses, and chayote inside. I should have taken a picture of the inside, but I immensely enjoyed it. The egg was light and fluffy, and the inside was not overly filled, so you could taste it. The chorizo used here was better quality than at the Broken Yolk. This was made even better with the avocado and sour cream George gifted me. Thanks, big guy. 

Again, pairing sweet with savory for breakfast is a good idea. Chuponcito was out of all the pastries I wanted on this visit, so we improvised by getting these Churros ($9) off their dessert menu. The churros were nicely fried and not greasy at all. They were evenly dusted with cinnamon and sugar and tasted fine on their own. The sugar-water sauce that came out with these was fine, but we used it sparingly. Chocolate sauce would have been a better alternative.  

Chuponcito was like a breath of fresh air during our lunchtime. It broke the monotony of going to the same four or five restaurants week after week. It will definitely be in my rotation of restaurants to visit. I'm incredibly excited to try their lunch menu on my return trips. All the food was fresh and light, which I look for when I have to return to work to finish my day. Both times I have been here, Alix has taken my order and been very welcoming. The food arrived promptly, and we returned to work on time. Not that I ever care about that. The longer the lunch, the better. Sorry, boss. 

Out of five pacifiers (because the name of this restaurant translates to a pacifier), five being best to zero being worst, Chuponcito gets 3.5 pacifiers. 

For more information about Chuponcito, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.eatchuponcito.com/

The OC Weekly Has Brought Me to Taqueria El Zamorano in 2024

 Taqueria El Zamorano

925 West Warner Ave. 

Santa Ana, Ca 92707

I miss the OC Weekly. From the time I started this blog until now, that free paper I'd pick up outside my local liquor store would give me plenty of tips about where I should be eating. OC Weekly had the best collection of food writers ever assembled in OC. While my other favorite source for OC restaurant news, Orange Coast Magazine, highlights more mainstream/well-known restaurants, the OC Weekly usually showcased out-of-the-way, hole-in-the-wall spots. These restaurants are ones I would never have heard about and placed on my restaurant wishlist, like Taqueria El Zamorano. 

My friend from work, George, is a big fan of this place. He's been coming to Taqueria El Zamorano for years and wanted to be here to share my first visit. El Zamorano opened its doors in 1997 and gained great praise from the people of Santa Ana for their tacos and burritos until a fire closed them down in 2005. They rose from the ashes (pun intended) in 2014 and are now one of the top-rated taquerias in Santa Ana. They opened another location in Costa Mesa six years ago, and a few years later, it was converted into a vegan taqueria. 

This original El Zamorano is near the corner of Warner and Flower Street in a blink, and you'll miss it spot.  The white building resembles someone's house, and it's set slightly back from the street, which adds to the aloofness of this restaurant. There are only five spaces in the cramped parking lot, so snagging one of the spots during lunchtime could get tricky. Be advised that they are only open from 8 til 4 pm and are closed on Mondays, so eating here for dinner is not an option. 

The menu starts with some breakfast items I have heard good things about. Then there are tacos, tortas, burritos, combo plates, quesadillas, and some starters. They have some nice video screens above their register that show their menu, but they have tape over most prices with the correct prices written on the tape. Most prices hover around the $10 mark, while tacos go between $3.50 and $3.99. We ordered rather quickly, and since we were the only ones here, we had the pick of any table we wanted while we waited for our food to arrive, which took less than five minutes. 

A few reviews ago, I mentioned my friend George and how he is the most basic eater I've known. No cilantro, onions, pico, or salsa on tacos. He's been coming to El Zamorano since childhood and still eats like one. Kidding, George, kind of. When we visited here together, he got the Asada Torta ($10.99). Typically, the tortas come with mayo, tomato, lettuce, onion, avocado, salsa, and beans. His torta came without onion, avocado, and salsa. He likes that they grill the telera roll to give it a little crunch, and the cubed asada had some excellent grill marks. I'd like to get a torta the next time I'm here, but I'd get the carnitas and ask for extra beans. He probably got the fries as a side item, as there was no mention of a side coming with this.  

Yes, six tacos might seem excessive, but I wanted to try as many of the meats as possible, and I was unsure of when the next time I would be here. It was a thing of beauty the way they fanned the tacos around the plate. From the one o'clock position on the plate, I tried the Birria ($3.50), Asada ($3.50), Carnitas ($3.50), Chorizo ($3.50), Pastor ($3.50), and Tripas ($3.99). There was not a bad one in the bunch. If I had to pick, my top three were the pastor, tripas, and carnitas. These meats shined, were flavorful, and went well with the provided onions, cilantro, and salsa. The tortillas are remarkable here. They were really soft, but they held the contents of the tacos admirably. They seemed handmade, but I wonder if they make them here. Taste like it, though. 

I ordered a Carnitas Burrito ($9.99) for dinner later. The burritos at El Zamorano come with beans, rice, cilantro, onion, and, of course, a choice of meat. I should have taken a picture of the burrito before I cut into it, but you'll have to trust me that it was approximately eight or nine inches long and had a good amount of girth. Unfortunately, there were some issues with it. Too much rice was included, pushing the carnitas and beans to the side. It's a decent burrito, but I expected more from this. 

The tacos at Taqueria El Zamorano are enough to get me to come back. They were some of the best I've had in a long time. I just wish this restaurant was more convenient. It is only open until 4 pm, closed on Sundays, and, as of recently, I learned they have switched to being cash only. It will take some planning, but I'll return here soon to try their breakfast burritos, chilaquiles, shrimp tacos, and hard-shelled potato tacos. I'm glad I had the foresight to write down this place that was recommended to me by the good folks at the OC Weekly all those years ago. My hope is fading that they will come back, but at least I still have some of their restaurant suggestions on my list to explore. 

Out of five cans of soup (because the city of Santa Ana was founded in 1869, the same year as the Campbell Soup Company came into existence, and they sell 440 million cans of soup a year), five being best to zero being worst, Taqueria El Zamorano gets 3 cans of soup.  

Taqueria El Zamorano does not have a website, but click here for their Yelp page: https://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-el-zamorano-santa-ana