-Do yourself a favor and just go to Oscar's Tacos!-…read more
Due to the convenience, I've been here WAY too many times, so this review is absolutely not based on one bad experience. I've given this place chance after chance, and the biggest problem is consistency. It's always hit or miss. When it's "good," it's honestly just okay. But when it's bad, it's disgusting.
I've tried a large portion of the menu because I come here so often, and eventually you get tired of ordering the same tacos, burritos, and tortas. Their carne asada and burritos are probably some of the more consistent things I've ordered. I've noticed that the items that seem to sell more frequently tend to taste okay, probably because they're being turned over more often. But almost every time I try something different, I regret it.
Even the tacos are inconsistent. Sometimes the tortillas taste like they were literally warmed up in a microwave instead of heated properly on a comal. There's no slight browning, toasted flavor, or those little doraditas you expect from a good taco tortilla. They're just soft, almost steamed-tasting tortillas. The meat is the same way sometimes it tastes "fresh," and other times it absolutely does not.
The caldo de res was another NO. Anyone who makes caldo knows that when you first boil the meat, that foamy, fatty residue rises to the top and you skim it off. Their broth tasted like that wasn't properly removed. It had that chuquío, dirty-meat taste heavy, greasy, foamy, and almost like you're tasting the impurities from boiling the meat rather than a clean, flavorful caldo. That particular taste completely ruins a soup for me.
The ceviche was also bad. The lime flavor wasn't fresh, tart, and acidic like ceviche should taste. It was bitter and stale. The best way I can describe it is when you cut a lime in half, leave it sitting exposed for a couple of days, and then taste it. It develops that old, bitter citrus flavor. THAT is what their ceviche tasted like.
I've also ordered their fries and received fries completely saturated in oil. They weren't crispy, golden, or even slightly browned. They were limp and soggy and tasted like they had absorbed a bunch of old fryer oil. It was basically like eating potatoes soaked in grease.
But TODAY was finally enough for me.
I've had their fish soup once before, and it was just okay. Nothing memorable, but edible. I decided to give it another chance today, and I couldn't eat it. The fish smelled BAD. I'm not talking about the normal strong smell of seafood. Fish smelling "fishy" and fish smelling like it's turning bad are two completely different smells. This smelled OFF. The broth itself also had this almost slimy texture that made the whole thing even more nauseating. It completely turned my stomach.
Then I got to the cabeza. I've ordered their cabeza before, and normally it has those browned, flavorful pieces that actually taste good. Today, I was literally getting big WHITE chunks of fat. Not nicely browned, flavorful cabeza chunks of white fat. Between that and the fish soup, I was DONE.
And this is NOT the first time I've received food here that I couldn't eat. I've actually had to return food on previous occasions. Today I didn't even bother. I was so disgusted that I finally accepted that I need to stop coming here, regardless of how convenient the location is. I genuinely felt sick to my stomach afterward and like I wanted to throw up.
I'll also mention that, to my understanding, the same owner has the ice cream place next door. I've tried food there as well and ordered nachos. The chips were stale. So unfortunately, my experiences with food quality haven't been limited to just one item or even one visit.
The one thing I WILL give credit for is the cashiers. They are always very sweet and friendly. They know me by now because of how often I've been there, and I've always appreciated how they treat me. My complaint has nothing to do with them or their customer service.
I know losing one customer isn't going to make or break a business, but I've spent enough money here and given this place more than enough chances. Food should not be this inconsistent. I shouldn't have to wonder whether I'm going to get a decent meal or tortillas that taste microwaved, meat that doesn't taste fresh, greasy caldo with that dirty-meat flavor, bitter old-lime ceviche, fries saturated in old oil, stale chips, fish that smells like it's gone bad, slimy broth, or chunks of white fat instead of cabeza.
At some point, convenience isn't worth it anymore. Too many chances, too many fails. I'm done.