First off, who doesn't love Taco Tuesdays? And loaded with a bunch of meat? AND 3 for $5?!!!! My co worker has been talking about this place for a while now and though I normally prefer to bring my lunch, today I finally gave in. Might I add - I was not disappointed at all. They cook their meats fresh in the kitchen and you can see them cooking which is pretty nice. Nelly's Tacos is located inside of a Mexican Market called Mercado El Rey. You can do a little shopping while you're waiting for your tacos too (I got some homemade pork rinds from the market which are pretty good too). My co worker and I got carne asada tacos while the other opted for their al pastor. I tried some of the al pastor and was sad I didn't get any myself. Also, we paid the extra $1 for their hot chili oil which was pretty interesting. It's not too spicy at first - has a nice bite to it. But beware. A little goes a long way. The spice will slowly creep up to you haha. All in all, I would definitely come back here and I'm glad I finally decided to try this place out! read more

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WOW! MUY RICO! Nelly makes an amazing torta de carne asada along with a very clean and flavorful menudo. Added plus is the music playing in store that makes it feel like you're at a party. read more

We were looking to get a dozen rellenos, a dozen tamales, and some tacos on a Saturday afternoon. No rellenos and no tamales available, so went with asada and pastor tacos. These are full sized tacos, not the street taco tiny variety, and all came with a double layer of tortillas. The tacos were tender and tasty overall, and the salsa that came with them was really good, packing plenty of heat. My only small complaint was that the cilantro and onion they provided were good for about a fourth of the tacos. Just not anywhere near enough for 40 tacos. Everyone was happy with them, so will try again on the rellenos and tamales. read more

It's Taco Tuesday, and my newest finding takes place at this little taco shop located inside a Mexican grocery store called, "Mercado El Rey". They're located inside a medium-sized shopping plaza off of El Toro Rd. in Lake Forest. Perhaps the most well-known business in that plaza is El Toro Meat Co., or the ladies may recognize Jeffrey Michaels Salon as a landmark. Plenty of parking is available in the shared lot. Step inside Mercado El Rey, head straight to the back in the right corner, and you'll find a petite woman smiling behind the counter. My guess is that she is "Nelly". The Taco Tuesday special is 3 tacos for $5, which is quite a deal! They don't have a large variety of meats - your choices are carnitas, al pastor, chicken and carne asada. I ordered 1 carnitas, 1 al pastor and 1 chicken. My husband got 2 al pastor and 1 carnitas. It comes with onions, cilantro & lime on top, with 2 small tortillas underneath. You also get your choice of red or green sauce. After you order and pay for your tacos with Nelly, stand back and watch the magic happen. A lady and man come out of nowhere and start grilling the meats. About 10 minutes later, they'll wrap up your tacos in foil, label them and send you on your way. There are no seats inside to eat, so plan to get them to go. Shockingly, my favorite taco was the chicken. I don't typically order chicken tacos at an authentic Mexican place, but boy was it delicious! My 2nd favorite would be the al pastor. It was very flavorful. The carnitas, on the other hand, was rather dry. I would skip that next time. In addition to their tacos, they also have burritos, nachos, tortas, chile rellenos, menudo, quesadillas, tamales, chilaquiles and other authentic items. They also do catering! Pro Tip: If you go there on Taco Tuesday, get there early! There was already a small line forming before I left, and I was there well before the dinner hour. I'd give the tacos 4.5 stars overall. Check them out if you're in the area. You can't go wrong with 3 tacos for $5! read more

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I like this place, especially their carne Asada tacos! Their tacos are amazing, tastes really good. Waiters are really nice, very inviting to people like us. read more

Awesome street tacos. They also serve various Mexican dishes. It's a small take out restaurant inside a Mexican market. I love the market as well. The food is fresh and delicious. Service is friendly. Good quality homemade food and good prices served with a smile. My go to place for meat tacos. read more

I stopped by for the first time late last week and found a well stocked market with quality produce at great prices. But the best part was discovering Nelly and the hot food section that serves a variety of incredibly tasty dishes that are hot and ready to take home along with tacos, torta's and tamales. Nelly is super friendly and a extremely talented cook that gave me a taste of at least 6 different items she had made fresh that day which included soups, stews, 2 different kinds of mole. Her food is very unique and absolutely delicious. I really enjoyed her carne asada tacos and a carne asada burrito, but her chicken tamale (wrapped in a banana leaf) and her chili rellano were clearly way above average. Of the thousands of tamales I've had all over the southland over the last 50 years, Nelly's is clearly a standout and very unique. It was HUGE and only $3.50! You wouldn't want to eat more than one of them. I'm going to be a regular at this place forever more. I tried some of the salsas and guacamole that are in the refrigerator near the checkout. All were excellent. I recently enjoyed 3 tacos on a taco Tuesday ($5.00 for 3 tacos) and all of then were epic. read more

Nelly's Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Do you enjoy freshly made carne asada for your tacos and burritos? This place does it! Instead of precooking the carne and having it in a heating tray, they make it fresh every time you order. This is our go to place for good standard Mexican food. They don't really have a menu list since she changes her pre-cooked food items often. I don't really care since I'm there for the burritos. If you like extra spicy, don't forget to get the chili oil. They charge extra for it but we normally save it in a bowl to use with other stuff. It's damn delicious but be careful because the amount of spice could kill you. A little tiny bit is all you need. While you're there, waiting for the delicious burrito, don't forget to grab some of the guacamole from the store. Or just some avocados if you don't want guacamole. The guac is spicy, I think they use habaneros so we normally water down their guac with some fresh avo. Anyway, can you tell I love this place? read more

Carnitas Taco is good and tasty. You could order all meats by the weight. Salsa sauces are spicy. Good customer services

Taco Tuesday. Street tacos three for $6 now plus tax. Tried chicken and Al pastor as recommended by another post. They were good. Better with red sauce. read more

Full bar, authentic food, real hot sauce .... This place is rad. Like a Mexican regal beagle

Very fresh. Very good. Awesome atmosphere! We're new to the area and have had a hard time finding Mexican food we enjoy. Now I can't wait to make my way through the menu. read more

Little pricey but worth it. Best tacos I've had in Orange County!! I get the three tacos combination with two chicken, one carne asada, rice and beans. If you're craving tacos this is the spot. Enjoy!! read more

I met Nellys son, George the other day and we had a lot of fun. If Nellies as fun as George, it's probably a great place to visit. Lots of good spirit and energy. And from what I understand their signature dish is the Chile Riano, which is fantastic. I strongly urge a visit. It's all true. read more

Place is pretty cool located inside a market which is very hidden . Parking is decent, place is nice and clean and staff is friendly and quick. Why I gave a 3 stars womp womp the nachos I ordered were absolutely terrible! The chips were greasy the meat was greasy the jalapeños where pickled and it had very little sour cream , on the menu it shows you get guacamole on top. But they said they had no guac they would put avocado pieces inside and they didn't I paid $11 for my meal and I got sick right after eating it. Also I never get any heartburn but so much grease gave me heartburn.Also when ever I get asada nachos anywhere else I get lettuce and it's nice and proportioned but nope just meat cheese and cream sorry guys but I wouldn't recommend these nachos. read more

Tucked away in the corner of Mercado El Rey next to the meat section. There's a sign that say 'tacos' above it. The menu didn't seem to have prices for all the items. Got a chile relleno plate and 3 tacos for about 18$ so thats like a 9$ plate and 2-3$ a taco something like that. Chile relleno was good, comes with beans and rice. Got one of each taco, the carne asada and pastor had some flavor, the carnitas, not so much. They have quite a selection, would come back to try the other items. read more

Really good food. Quality was high and the taste was authentic. I will be returning. I tried the mole chicken and the Asada beef burrito. Spicing was right on. I'm not Mexican, but after fifty years of living in LA eating off taco trucks and taquerias I know what I like and what I don't like. I like this. I wish they had some little plastic tables out in front of Mercado Rey like Tula has. It would make it easier to eat my tacos there. This is a good place to stop at if you want takeout to eat at home. I think next time I'll carry my food over to Peet's and eat it with a coffee in their shop. That would work out. read more

Got the best MoleAsada Beef BurritoTorta from the joint...Yes its From the secret Menu.XD read more

Nelly's Tacos - torta comes with milenesa de res hotdog avacado eggs mayo salsa jalapenos queso fresca ham and BACON.YUM - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Mom was impressed, and that's a very difficult thing to accomplish. We ordered the carnitas tacos, which were so deliciously tender and flavorful. read more

Had some gorditas, good stuff. Good menudo too!!! I recommend this little gem for some good food and great service.

Nellie and her family provide the best home made original mexican food. The tamales are AMAZING. THEY R AUTHENTIC.

Nelly's food is delicious and probably the most authentic Mexican food I have had in a while. The salsas, are also excellent. I have tried the Albondiga soup, Pork Short Ribs in pasilla sauce, Steak in tomato sauce, chiles rellenos. Everything is truely amazing. read more

Can't go wrong with anything on the menu! Tasty authentic Mexican food! Barbacoa tacos and tamales hands down can't go wrong!!

All i eat is nellys tacos ! ! best Mexican authentic food in the world. Must check it out if your in the city of lake forest rich fresh flavors you can taste read more

First time at Nelly's taco (inside Mercado El Rey) ran into it by mistake. Tried a burrito (Asada n Pastor) with rice and beans. I must say it was really good, glad I ended up there vs some other place. Will definitely be going back to try other food. read more