absolutely love the green quesadilla..I live in Las Vegas anytime I'm in town visiting family in O.C. even though it's out of the way I drove here and get 5 or 6 quesadillas because I just love them read more

Just like I remember it from my childhood of the 80s! Combo Burritos, Steak Taquitos, Quesadillas, Nachos cannot go wrong here Outdoor seating or to go read more

El Taco - Beef Taquitos & Combo Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

Always amazing!! Red quesadillas and taquitos are my go to favorite!!! Please don't close this location!! 25 plus years of amazing food I can't live without!!! read more

I use to go here when I was in high school in the 70"s but it was on Firestone. The bean and cheese was yummy like before and maybe a little better. The taquitos were real good as before except the guacamole was spicy. It brought back good memories. The women working there were very nice. I will be back read more

I thought I wrote a review of this place. I always go to my steak taquitos, add cheese, combo burrito (ground beef, beans, cheese, and red sauce), chicken soft tacos, or green chili quesadilla, messy and delicious! No frills decor. Outdoor seating, counter service, which is always friendly. Food is made to order so the drive thru orders can take a while. Parking is very limited, and it is tricky to get in and out of the space if you park and dine. Love this place! An institution! read more

El Taco - Entrance sign on Florence - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

So I go to El taco and I asked for jalapeños, but they said they don't know where they put the jalapeños by the way, whole jalapeños it will be nice if you guys had any type of peppers, yellow peppers, jalapeños food is great, but I would love some peppers read more

Nothing fancy but good food and friendly staff. We used to go to the location on Firestone but the Florence location is just as good. Over 30 years of good memories and food read more

I am so disappointed in this restaurant. I drove all the way from dodger Stadium after opening day to get a quesadilla because they had amazing reviewsand I couldn't wait to try it . I arrived at 9:39 PM. It says they closed at 10 PM and they would not serve me and said they ran out of food. What a big disappointment and not only the quality of food, but the customer service read more

Old school place U remember the one in Whittier now closed. Like most places reduction due to covid and chain competition this Here in Downey is one of the left Icons of taco places 1958 it started now down to two locations. We ordered combos I got Chunky chicken and wife got ground beef. She got fries I got rice. Dude! The rice is so ol school like my mom made it. Burritos aren't mega but they are good size. Fries are crispy. Count service is great very friendly bi lingual. Outside dining patio pretty nice. Parking to some may be a little tight but it's drive thru worthy. My stars are for my taste in old school style and good food. Price to product = 7 Location = 6 Food quality = 8 Customer service = 8 Cleanliness = 7 Overall 8 read more

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Food is like no other place. Their own delicious recipes - can't get any where else. For cheese lover - the BEST QUESADILLA - with verde sauce Family owned Will drive the distance anytime!!! read more

My husband has been raving about the beef taquitos here for a long time. I finally tried them an a they were good. The beef filling was good shredded beef and they were covered with avocado, no sour cream ! I was not disappointed, I'll be back again next time I'm craving Mexican fast food. The ladies were "en chinga" getting the orders out. I wish I had cash for a tip. I'll get getem next time. read more

El Taco - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

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Food is some of the best around, customer service is some of the worst. Drove over an hour to make it here by 10:00 PM, the posted hours open (made it by 9:35). they would not take my order... hours on window said 10, hours on google said 10, hours on Yelp said 10, hours given on the phone when I called were 10:00. read more

Tonight's Carne Asada Burrito wasn't really up to par. Still searching for the carne. It was slight. I know the price of beef is up. But really ? read more

Delicious food! I'm happy every time I get to eat there! Staff are hard working and provide quality food for your family.

Their breakfast burritos and salsas are the best. Too bad they stopped making these burritos after a certain time because we loved eating these at all hours of the day. Now we rarely come because of this. Please make the breakfast burritos with eggs at all times! read more

Was local hungry with a craving for Shredded Chicken Taco's. Whipped out my phone and opened my Yelp app to see what came up for the area. Eye in mind for Shredded Chicken Hard Shell Taco's. El Taco was close and the pictures and reviews looked good so ai chose. Great choice. Get there shortly after and that's exactly what ai ordered along with a Chunky Chicken Burrito. Arrive at the window (talking with the order taker) WE decided ai should try a couple more items on the menu. So ai ordered Shredded Beef Taquitos (w/Guac) and the Chunky Chicken Quesadilla just due to the genuine professional and friendly interaction that gave great business ambiance. Got my food drove off and grabbed a Taco at the light. That first bite had me pulling over into the next parking lot. Couldn't believe how flavorful and tender that Shredded Chicken was. With a real nice crunch on that Taco Shell. Hit THEEEE ENTIRRRRRE SPOT! Went back to back on the Taco's (cause ai ordered 2) and that had me curious about the Chunky Chicken Burrito. Let's just say that tender Chunk Chickens flavor along with the base? Ai am in love and El Taco's my new flavor these days. Got around to the Shredded Beef Taquitos and the Chunky Chicken Quesadilla for lunch today. Even after warming it up in the oven. El Taco just did not MISS! The crunch on the Taquito Shell coupled with the Guac (that ai reapplied once ai got it out of the oven) made me happy almost.The tender Shredded Beef almost melted with that first bite. Just totally flavorful and the Guac no different (held up well over night). Ran through the Taquito's and had the Chunky Chicken Quesadilla. Brought back fond memories of our first encounter last night. FAAFO that they just don't MISS here at El Taco! Thinking about it now makes me wanna go back. Gratitude and give thanks El Taco! Great flavorful and fulfilling experience. read more

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I went through the drive-through and the worker told me my total is going to be $24 when I asked for a receipt back, it came out to $23.04. Just make sure to ask for a receipt because you never if they're pocketing your money read more

very good old school fast food; has been the same quality/taste for decades. used to visit el taco in costa mesa on Harbor blvd way back in the day read more

Great food and service. Personally I always stick to a few dishes (so far) because they're always so good. These dishes are as follows: the chili relleno dinner plate, the carne asada taco dinner plate, the chicken enchiladas with green sauce dinner plate, the hard shell taco dinner plate, the fries and sloppy joes. It's a chill tiny spot so parking is limited. They also have table seating outside if you'd like to eat there . :D read more

El Taco - Chicken enchiladas dinner plate with green sauce and sides of red rice and beans included. Not shown is a bag of tortilla chips. - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

Amazing little place in Downey! My mom used to come here all the time in high school, so we love to come here so she can reminisce. Chicken flautas are so good! They give you a really good scoop of guacamole with it. My mom LOVES the quesadilla with red sauce. They wrap the quesadilla so it looks more like a burrito but it is so cheesy and the red sauce is sooo good! Also you can not leave without getting the cinnamon crispys! It is outdoor seating only and they have a few tables. It is a bit of a struggle to get out of the parking lot, so maybe order through the drive thru. read more

El Taco - Chicken flautas - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

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Horribly tasting burnt chorizo that's barely scrambled with egg with chard cheese. Definitely not recommended. Stick to the green chili burrito. This lazy chorizo burrito was thrown away quickly. read more

El Taco - Burnt Chorizo and egg with chard cheese burrito. - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

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This place is Downey's best kept secret. I have been a patron over 40 years, and my favorite item is the Chunky Pork with cheese burrito. Excellent food and very fair prices. Highly recommended!! read more

The service was fine. A little slow but considering there was only 2 employees, not a problem. The issue was that they used the wrong size bags for to go orders, causing the food to be mis properly handled. Therefore, once food arrives it's a mess. And the biggest problem is that the enchiladas made me sick. Not long before finishing eating, I threw up everything! I'm not one to get sick easily with food. Actually don't remember when the last time was. Of course won't be returning. Not sure if something was wrong with the cheese or sauce...? But don't want to go back and have this happen again. read more

I have been eating here since high school when it was on Firestone and that was in the 80's. I still eat here and will be getting it tonight actually. The food is as good now as it was then. The prices are beyond excellent in today's economy and the portion size is great. Service is great, I wish they had tables inside like the old days, but it is not a deterrent. I say I have eaten at least 3/4 of what they have on the menu and each time I am more impressed than the last. I would give suggestions, but quite frankly I have not found one item that I have not LOVED! TY El Taco for all the years of great food. I would give 10 stars if I could. :) MY new thing is the taco salad add hamburger, Wow! read more

I love their flour tortilla Chicken Flautas! They are so good and they come with guacamole on top. They are homemade and so crispy! I also love to get their crispy ground beef tacos. They also have all the classic drinks Orange bang, Horachata and Pina colada. You can go wrong with the food here. This is my current Downey favorite place. read more

We've been going to El Taco since the 70's (50 years .. yikes!).. often driving out of our way to grab a red quesadilla and a taco, etc. after moving out of Downey. Although it has changed over the years, we've held out hope they'd go back to square one ~ to the quality ingredients and flavors that won over countless, loyal fans. But today will sadly be our last visit. The quesadilla, (at nearly $5.00 ) was simply not good.. just mainly cheese with some bland sauce that had no similarity to that delicious flavor of the past. Taco was just okay .. again, not the same. Freshly grated cheese over dry, bagged stuff really does matter. So it's a sad farewell to El Taco for us. Will cherish the memories though. read more

Ordered some food tonight and was very surprised at the price. They then told me they didn't include my drinks that I ordered. So I paid $30 for 2 quesadillas and 2 tacos with the rice and beans. Drove 30 min home to see they f****** forgot my sons tacos. They clearly don't care and are not paying attention. Waste of money since everything else wasn't good. Not worth the stomach ache. read more

The food is delicious but the service sucks. Every time I go the ladies seem bothered because you're there ordering. The chunky pork burrito is super bueno. read more

With the prices of everything being what they are, you should be able to order your meal without so much complication and making sure that it's correct. I spent four minutes trying to explain my order to the lady who is not listening. I finally just told her whatever give them to me, however That would be fine with old prices, but it's $47 for burritos they should be correct . Also, I had to wait four minutes to get her attention so she could give me the receipt. I get it. They are over the customer but just close. What are they doing this for? read more

Let me start by saying, this is 5 stars because of the food, and the food alone. This was Glen Bell's 1st iteration of taco bell, and frankly it should be this nationwide and not Taco Bell. This is like a better quality version of Del Taco for the most part, but they do some authentic things like chile relleno and some others. The green saunce or pork verde sauce is my reason to go, I get it on burritos, quesadillas or just drink it... not really to the last one. Bang for the buck, and none of the attitudes you get from most fast food workers, since this is more of a restaraunt, than it is fast food. If i was still around downey, I would be there 3 times a day. read more

Love this Downey staple. They have some of the best cheese and chicken quesadillas in the area. Not to mention their salsa is phenomenal. And the service is top notch. 100% recommendations this location for anyone looking for a Mexican spot to eat. read more

I have been going to El Taco since I was 10 years old I and 66 and it is awesome I'm very disappointed that they don't have el taco sauce anymore but the food is still good read more

I absolutely love this place! My favorite is their Red quesadilla, then the taquitos. When I was pregnant with my son, a friend stopped here to get me my favorite red quesadilla and showed up with more than 15. They are sooo good you can't eat just one! Of course, their other menu items include burritos, tacos and so much more which are all good. Enjoy and take the time to stop by. read more

El taco in is very good and the service is so nice. It's a drive thru with some patio seating. We just go to the drive thru and bring the food home. Like a 25 min drive. But the Green Chili Pork burrito is very good we get 3-4 burritos with guacamole, making one enchilada style wet and we get the steak taquitos well done with extra guacamole and the guacamole is good we go often a lot Hi El Taco I also use to go to the El taco on Firestone in Downey when I was a Teenager many years of having El Taco. 10/10 read more

This is my first time at El Taco,I was very curious about this restaurant my wife and I drive thru Florence Ave and noticing El Taco restaurant and just a close distance to Black Bear Diner. I decided to try the food at El Taco I arrive there the parking was small it's one-way to get in the parking but you want to get out of there. There's two ways out of the parking lot you can go reverse or go through the drive thru. I walk couple feet away from to parking lot to the restaurant the menu display right on sight. I was looking at the menu and see what they have but I notice right away chili renello burrito I really enjoy chili renello I decided to order it. I got my chile relleno it was big then I torn the foil and took a bit very good lots of flavors from the chile relleno and little bit spicy from the chile. But cheese was ooze out but notice they lettuce,sour cream, and Pico de Gallo in the burrito. Some of restaurants I order chilie renello never add lettuce,sour cream,etc in the burrito this is the time I experienced overall very good I really enjoy. read more

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The quality is a step above Taco Bell. Which isn't a lot. Service is friendly, but I just got a stomach ache a few minutes after. So I won't be back. Small parking lot. 5-7 spaces. Parking lot is cleaned. Soda tasted weird. Like, had a butter aftertaste. read more

El Taco - Ground beef taco (crispy shell) - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

I love their Chile relleno burritos. However this morning I bought one but it didn't have the delicious sauce it usually has. I tried calling them several time but no one answers. This I don't like. read more

Many of their items are excellent: ground beef, bean and cheese burrito, and their chicken soft tacos with light red sauce come to mind. I don't usually like chicken tacos, certainly not if they are made with flour tortillas, but these are surprisingly good. There are other good items. I certainly haven't tried everything on the menu, but one thing I didn't like were their Sloppy Joes. My mom made Sloppy Joes growing up and THESE are NOT Sloppy Joes. In any case, there is plenty of tasty food on their extensive menu. You'll just have to figure out what appeals to you. Drive thru service is pretty fast. Bring cash if you don't want to pay their 50 cent credit card service fee. There used to be a BUNCH of El Tacos when I first moved to LA in 1978. This one in Downy and one in Long Beach are the only ones remaining that I know of. I was so excited to find this one. For years, I thought they had all disappeared. read more

Been here twice and enjoyed it! I ordered the chicken taquitos which were nice and crunchy topped with guacamole We also tried the Chile Relleno which was very tasty too Chunky red chili burrito was good I recommend El Taco and will be back! read more

Been coming here for years! I get one thing and one thing only! Green sauce quesadillas! Delicious! This is the last Location left I believe. The one on Firestone closed and so has the location in Anaheim. But this location is the OG spot since high school I've been coming. I don't live in the area but about twice a year I come and have me a green sauce quesadilla. The service is fast and good and the ambience is chill. They don't have public bathrooms So make sure you go before you come! read more