The best taco guy! Super delicious food and very reasonably priced! Alvaro and his wife are so friendly and we really enjoyed ALL the food he made! Our guests all kept commenting on how delicious the tacos were at our party! 5-stars!!! read more

This guy and his crew were amazing! Tacos and salsas absolutely delicious! Can't beat the price! I had a lot of questions, and he got back to me asap each time... It was obvious he paid attention to details... He came out in the rain with a smile on his face... It was very apparent how much he cared about the quality of his food! We had a lot of guests and they all raved about his food! Thanks Alvaro for making our occasion so great!!! read more

We've been using Alvaro's Tacos for many years and he came through once again at our annual Halloween Bunco Party. He is always professional, on time and his food is always amazing and a hit. I always feel at ease using him because he takes care of everything and I can focus on hosting. If you're looking for a taco caterer, look no further and book with Alvaro. read more

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This review is way over due and I'm really not one to write reviews but felt compelled to write this one quickly. This was the first time having someone cater and it was a great experience. I really enjoyed the food and all my guests did as well. I know some plan to hire them soon. read more

I'd like to address right up front that Alvaro's Tacos has pretty good food. My guests all said they were good tacos, and I agree. The rice and beans though, are bland and boring, and just a basic accompaniment. These were left almost entirely untouched, and we ended up tossing the lot. Where Alvaro falls short, is in his lack of honesty, fraud in general, and extremely poor customer service. I booked Alvaro's for a party of 60 well in advance, and had a long stream of questions and answers about service and food over the weeks preceding my party, as numbers adjusted etc. About a week before the party I received an email from Alvaro, stating that he had me down for a 7:30 pm serving time, and asked if that was the latest he could begin service (he stated they will arrive one to one-and-a-half hours early for prep in all previous communications). I went into a bit of a panic, as my party was at 6pm, and I requested service no later than 6:30. He agreed to this way in advance, and had confirmation emails etc. When I replied no, that he was to arrive around 5 pm for prep, and start service by 6:30, he stated that he couldn't do 6:30. Panic again. I sent him copies of our correspondence with the agreed upon time, and he replied that he had made a mistake, and was looking at another booking for a different date. Yes, no problem, 6:30 was fine. "Will you be here at five?" His reply, "Approximately, yes." Okay, so I didn't have to rush and find a new caterer after all, which was nice, since I had already given him my deposit. The party starts at six, people are arriving, but still no taco cart, and no call. Later I get a call about some direction details from the caterer, who eventually arrives at around 7 pm. I complained that he was two hours late, and he tells me that Alvaro had him down for seven PM service at my house, and that he had just come from another event. Great. For the next hour he sets up and cooks the food. Service starts just before 8 pm. Some of my guests have already left, and many had already eaten. (My wife, worried that there wouldn't be enough food, had her mother and sister make 150 enchiladas, along with rice and beans, and chips and salsa.) So, full and sated from the emergency, just-in-case food, people make their way to the taco cart. Everyone enjoys the after dinner taco snacks, and they are almost entirely eaten. We are left with about one pound of chicken and another of pork. The beef went really fast. Also of note, is that Alvaro quoted 27 pounds of meat for 60 people. The meat on the grill was clearly a fraction of that. If I had relied on an honest quote and arrival time from Alvaro, and not had the enchiladas, my party would have been an utter disaster, with everyone hungry. Needless to say, this was very disappointing. I paid the employee the full price despite my dissatisfaction, as this was no fault of his, and opted to take out my frustrations on Yelp. Anyway, here's what I thought of the food. Tacos: The beef was pretty good, the favorite of most, and the pork was tender and spicy, and my favorite. Some of the chicken meat was on the dry side, and just okay, but the cilantro, onions, and salsa made them just fine. The tortillas were heated to order, and everyone loved them. Salad, rice, and beans: All bland and simple. Condiments: made well in advance, and perhaps leftovers from the previous event, but they were fine. Grilled Jalapenos and pickled carrots: Difficult to review, as these were included in the quote, but did not make it to my party. Flavored waters: We got the lemonade and strawberry flavors, both of which the kids all really enjoyed. Salsas: They were appropriate for the tacos. Not spicy, but pretty good. Quesadillas: I paid $30 extra for these. The kids liked them. My complaint here is that they were all made at once, and placed in a steel bin next to the condiments, and got cold and congealed pretty fast. Taco guy: I don't recall his name, but he was clearly aware that I was frustrated, and did a great job all night. He was very friendly and professional. If Alvaro's Tacos had shown up as promised, and had the agreed upon quantity of meat, I would have been happy to give them at least four stars for service and tacos, despite the rice and beans. The fact that he outright lied and cheated earns this dishonest character the dreaded one star rating. read more

I have hired "Alvaro's Tacos" for a couple of luncheons for my company and most recent, for the super bowl. It was a BIG hit! They are licensed, professional, punctual, clean, organized and have a good presentation. Their food is well seasoned and the two types of salsas can be made mild, medium or hot. The best thing is their price! I have searched with different taco guys and they either charge too much or they don't offer the green salad, beens, rice with the price. I highly recommend "Alvaro's Tacos" for your next event. read more

Great catering (food), service, and price! We hired Alvaro's tacos for a non-profit church event at a regional park.. Alvaro sent two caterers who were very hard working and sweet. They came on time with all the necessary equipment and utensils- even a canopy for the rain! All our guests enjoyed the wonderful food and service. They even stayed behind longer and joined us in the festivities. Definitely would hire Alvaro's tacos again for our next event! In fact, we're planning on using Alvaro's catering for our outdoor dinner event next month! read more

Alvaro is not an honest business man! First of all, I planned my event 3 months out. I told him the location where I wanted my party (Corona Del Mar Beach). Alvaro told me he was familiar with this place, and I have nothing to worry about. This made me very happy, because I was coming from Las Vegas, and trying to set things up from here. I was happy to hear Alvaro say, I don't have to worry about anything, but my guest having a good time. Needless to say that was Not the case! Alvaro said this is his expertise, and that he does 500 events in a year and knows how to accommodate his clients. I was coming from Las Vegas, with a group of 45 people and we were all looking forward to the Taco Cart grill experience, which we did not receive. The long and short of it is, Alvaro was trying to do less work for the money. I ordered the chili and cheese bar, and 1 week before my party, Álvaro told me he would not have the means to keep the chili or cheese hot, he would have to purchase a $300 generator to accommodate this order. Interesting why he would wait so long to inform me of this when I booked with him 3 months out. He knew the whole time I was going to be at the beach, so wouldn't it make sense to say that then........ So when I canceled the nacho bar, Alvaro tried to get me to purchase other side items, to which I disagreed because I felt I had enough food. Alvaro told me he couldn't grill at the beach due to the beach prohibition, however the people at the beach basically said it is up to him. But one of my issues is I am the client, he should have known where he cannot do business. Alvaro told me he did an event shortly before mine, (different day) in the same area (the houses near beach), it would have made sense to find out at that time if he could not bring his grill into the beach area beings though he was so close by, the area. It is the caters job to know these types of details. I believe one of the reason's Alvaro didn't fire up his grill was he didn't think it was worth the money. Alvaro told me he would have to cook the meat elsewhere, but not to worry because the meat was freshly cooked, and not to worry. That never even crossed my mind, that he would use left over meat from another event. but hindsight is 20/20, and that is what happened, he used left-over meat for my party. The food was fine, but I don't believe it was freshly cooked. I would never know the difference, but after meeting this guy this would not be out of his character totally. Alvaro told me his staff would be there for 2 hours, first of all they ran late, and he used his minor nephew to meet and tell me the bad news about not being able to grill at the beach, (coward move I thought)! Anyway they started late, and wanted to leave early, how's that for customer service. He was suppose to be there 2 hours or early if the food ran out, but there was plenty of food left. Thank GOD, I went with my first mind and didn't order more, like Alvaro suggested. However I did replace nacho bar with the quesadillas. Alvaro said it would be a good idea to order the quesadillas, because if I wanted cheese for the event, I could also have the quesadillas for same price. I never saw the shredded cheese or the grilled veggies that supposedly comes along with it for that matter (now that I think about it). I was clear with Alvaro, if you cannot grill the quesadillas fresh, I don't want them! So he claimed to have gone to his truck and grilled the quesadillas discreetly, bogus! His business is a disappointment because of his dishonesty. From the other reviews, the "5" stars, I wonder if they were asked to post these good review, because I cannot see how he can be good sometimes and completely off at other times (hit and miss). Either you have good business practices all the time or you don't have them at all. Thank GOD the food was decent, and none of my guest really knew the ins and out of the situation. We ran out of green salsa, and Alvaro said that is all he brought, which was a very small amount. Genuine customer service would never allow condiments to run out. I feel Alvaro was just being petty at this point, his attitude was "that is all you paid for" (real petty). Hire at your own risk! read more

I've used these guys twice now. Once for my kids first bday party and once for a company xmas party. Both times everyone exclaimed how much they loved the food. They were a half hour late or more the first visit due to our guy getting lost. 2nd time they were exactly on time or even a little early so that made up for it. Price will be a little cheaper than most of what you will find out there. Since they've always given good service and great food I'll continue to use them. If I had one complaint it would be their nacho bar is mainly just canned chili and canned nacho cheese and it's just ok. Also their drinks are just powdered drink mixes so they weren't very popular. read more

Alvaro was great! He showed up on time, was all ready before the party started and the food was outstanding. Highly recommended. Thank you, Alvaro! read more

If I could give Alvaro 10 stars I would. We have used them for so many events, office parties, birthday parties, and even my wedding. They have always been on time, been very friendly and professional, and to say the food is AMAZING is an understatement. Thank you Alvaro for making all of our events even better! read more

So I booked them to have a taco cart at my wife's birthday party 2 months from now - I booked them 4 days ago and paid $95 out of the $350 total - I cancelled today and was told no refund - that I paid $95 to hold a date that is two months away - nice business model - I plan on letting BBB know about this as well - anyone that does business with them is foolish at best!!! read more

This company is outstanding! Alvaro is professional and his food is outstanding!!! We had a party with 75 guests in my back yard and he set up a tent with grills and a display of condiments that was just fabulous!!! All of my guests LOVED the food and I would highly recommend!! He helped me with the menu that worked out great. He works with his wife and niece Abby and they were great!!! We had chicken and steak tacos, rice and beans and I added quesadillas, grilled veggies and extra guacamole, salsa and sour cream. IT WAS A BIG HIT!!! THANKS ALVARO !!! read more

We used Alvaro's Tacos for my sons football banquet. They were early, professional and the food was delicious! All the boys and parents had nothing but compliments. We will definitely use them again for other events. The price was crazy reasonable and we had so much food! read more

AMAZING!!!!! This is the second time we've hired Alvaro's Tacos and boy they get better and better each time! I didn't think that was possible but with the amazing quality of meats they use and the fresh beans and rice that was beyond delicious. They are professional and super friendly. They came on time and cooked everything on site. All our guests were going on and on how delicious the food was. Alvaro always answered my messages and emails very quickly and he made me and my family feel at ease. Alvaro's Tacos has clients for life! read more

I have been using Alvaro's for over 4 years now for my catering needs for small parties of 50 all the way to over 250 for large school functions. Every time has been a home run - my guests always remark how tasty and plentiful the food is (try the spicy pork!) and how attentive the staff is. Alvaro is a very conscientious business man and cares about his clients. To him, every experience needs to be great. And so far, each one has been. Thank you Alvaro and staff! read more

They served at my Dads 70th Birthday Party yesterday. The man was so professional and friendly. Showed up on time and of course the food was great! read more

The tacos were delicious and everyone enjoyed them. But we had 61 guests and had to order for 75 because there was no package for 70 people and we wanted to have enough food for everyone. Better more than not enough. But we were dissatisfied with the amount of salad. There wasn't enough. Alvaro's said they buy only 2lb of salad and that it will feed 85 people! And that the reason they stated we didn't have enough salad was that people were using it on the tacos and as a salad. How much does a bag of salad cost?! At Costco only $2 for 3lb. And that bag definitely does not feed 85 people. Granted it is only salad, but we did pay for 15 extra people and yes we did get to keep the extra food. But to keep your customers happy spring for more bags of lettuce. read more

Alvaro catered my wedding and all my guests loved the food! There was plenty of food and everyone was happy! He and his staff were professional and replied in a timely fashion. They were professional and respectful. I would highly recommend them to anyone! read more

I have used Alvaro's for at least 5 parties now, they have always been good in the past. However not this time. I had a 7pm start time, told they would be there 1 1/2 hours in advance. That did not happen. Alvaro got to my house at 6pm and said he would need to see where the grill would go. I told him the back yard. He asked how he should get there and I showed him the way they have come in the past. I went back upstairs to start my makeup, for our annual Halloween party. I was then called back downstairs to Alvaro saying he had a problem. He was unable to lift his 500b grill up the 3 stairs I have to get to the back yard. He never asked me about stairs when I spoke with him on the phone. I said I wish he had asked I would have been able to tell him about the stairs. He said he had looked on google earth and it looked fine. Not the most reliable source, especially when you have the customer on the phone. He offered to cook and serve the food in the front yard on my driveway. I was not going to have that happen. I told him no, and he said that he wasn't going to be able to get his grill in the back yard because he didn't want to injure himself. This is when I got my husband involved. When my husband spoke to Alvaro, he started to get agitated and aggressive. My husband asked how to resolve the problem, and Alvaro's answer was to go through the house. He could put down a board , but if he scratched our floor or caused any damage he would not be held responsible. My husband told him we were through and he left. Fortunately, I had not paid him anything yet. By this time it was 6:30 and we had 100 guests coming at 7. Forty adults and 60 hungry kids. What were we to do? I still had not done either my husband's or my costume make up and I now had to figure out how to feed 100 people. We have a local Mexican restaurant called Chela's, so we tried them. There were able to get us a taco bar with all of the fixings by 7:30! I will not ever use Alvaro's Tacos again. They caused undue stress and Alvaro did not seem sorry at all. The customer service has got to be much better if you expect to be referred. We have many friends now, who will probably never use Alvaro's Tacos. read more

Myself and my family and friends have used Alvaro's Tacos several times. Always on time, always great prices, always friendly and professional but best of all, the food and service is spectacular!!! Can't say enough how everyone loves the food. Would highly recommend them for any occasion!!!! read more

We used Alvaro's Tacos last night for a backyard event and it was just perfect. Anthony arrived in plenty of time and proceeded to cook up delicious tacos for our guests. He was polite, talented and friendly. We appreciated how he boxed up all the leftovers in aluminum containers and cleaned up the service area. We will definitely use Alvaro's in the future. It's nice to deal with a company that responds to emails, is licensed, and acts professionally. read more

We have used Alvaros for a number of family events; reunion with 90 guests, wedding receptions with 75 guests and smaller parties with 50 guests. We have always been over the top happy with both their food and service. Prices are very good as well. Our guests always rave about how good the tacos are. Highly recommended read more

I would not recommend using Alvaro's tacos; they bring enough rice and beans for 25, very small food containers, and they run out of tacos within the first hour, I had extra guests so I added quesadillas, and my aunt had to get cheese out of her refrigerator. Food ran out in one hour and one half. The remaining drinks and chili sauce were not even offered to be kept by the hostess but taken by the cook. I feel ripped off. Never again. Be careful when you schedule Alvaro's tacos, as you know rice and beans are a staple and not an expensive item to make, for $10.00 you can have a huge pot of rice for 70 people and beans for 70 people. Again make sure you address all of this up front or else you will have children's plates served instead of an adults. read more