The middle of the night Insta reel death spiral led me here to the Hayward location of El Asadero Poblano. Our favorite Tijuana style taqueria is Mi Reynita but we were thrilled to see this place open just a few minutes down the street from us so we decided to give it a try.
Rating Breakdown:
1.5/2 Stars for Taste --
We tried the asada, cabeza, lengua, al pastor, and tripas. Our favorite is the cabeza, which was tender and just the right amount of fatty. I'm not usually a fan of asada because it tends to be too dry for me, but the asada here had a good smoky flavor that made it a surprising winner. The al pastor was juicy but I was sad it didn't come with any pineapple. The lengua was pretty standard, it didn't stand out much to us. I ordered the tripas in a corn quesadilla. The handmade tortilla itself was chewy and delicious, but the cheese inside wasn't melted all the way and it felt like they skimped a bit. They were generous with the tripas , but even though I asked for it extra crispy, it came out a bit soggy/chewy and offputtingly oily. There were three types of salsa. The green mild salsa was kind of bland. The super spicy orange one felt more like pain without flavor. We liked the medium red one, which had a nice balance of flavor and heat. The horchata was creamy and sweet, the way I like, but my husband prefers the more watered down version.
0.5/1 Stars for Value --
It's $3.50 per taco, which is pretty standard nowadays. The quesadilla was $13, which felt expensive for what I got. There is also a $2 upcharge per item for tripas and lengua, which I found a bit steep. This is why I ordered the tripas as a quesadilla since it's also $2 but you get a lot more protein. The aguas frescas are $5, which is cheaper than some other places.
1/1 Stars for Customer Service --
The server at the front was super nice and helpful. You order at the front and they give you a ticket to give the kitchen to start your order. The salsa and grilled jalapeno/onions are self-serve. The truck next to the gas station so parking is limited. You can pay with cash or Zelle.
Bonus star because although it does not beat out Mi Reynita in our hearts, we would come by again for tacos if we are too lazy to drive all the way to San Leandro. We would skip the meats with surcharge and quesadilla. They didn't have the fresa con crema agua fresca this time, so I would come back to try that next time! read more