Under my nose. Doggone it. Right under my nose. And I refused to see it.
Sanchez Tacos has been in the same location for a long, long time. It is a tiny spot in a non-descript neighborhood strip mall close to home. But if it weren't for a yelp friend, Pancho V. by name, who lives in another county altogether, I most likely would have ignored this place until I died.
Thank you, Pancho for giving me a slap in the face, well, figuratively speaking.
Bright and colorful south of the border décor, complete with boisterous Mariachi music piped in, clean and neat, with an excellent salsa bar, a juice bar surrounded by mouth wateringly fresh fruit, and pictures decorating the wall of all their rich home style entrees, soups and sandwiches, it was hard not to be impressed.
We went for the gusto so we could understand why this little place had so many admirers. Camarones al Mojo de Ajo (shrimp in garlic butter), street tacos, chile relleno, and one crispy shelled taco were our choices. Laden with our choices of salsas from the self serve bar, we decorated then dove it. And never looked back.
The shrimp, tender from intuitive cooking and just the right amount of garlic.
The chile relleno. Loved the batter, not too thick, covering a big fat Pasilla chile. And a lovely, mild Mexican cheese filling. The tomato sauce, thicker than I am familiar with, was simple but so good.
Tacos - So many choices, but we ended up with al pastor (superb), carnitas (yum), carne asada (ahhh!), buche, lengua, shredded beef. All amazing and full of meat. I would not hesitate to try the remainder of the meats offered. On the menu at 99 cents each, you can be even more thrifty on Tuesdays and steal them for 60 cents each.
Rice - rich, orangey red color, well seasoned.
Beans - flavorful and most likely fried in lard (for those who need to know).
And found on a follow up visit, their breakfast burrito (filled with ham, bacon, and sausage, perfect potatoes, cheese (ask for cheddar!), and delicious eggs) are magnificent.
BTW - Happy Hour is between 8 and 11 pm on Tues thru Sat. This means tacos are 60 cents, besides some other great deals on appetizer platters, and imported beers for $3.
Loved, loved, loved everything we tasted. Loved the prices. Loved the serving sizes too.
One word of warning! Most of their salsas are bordering on hot to hubba bubba hot for this super wimp. They have good roasted flavors, but I would ask before imbibing, unless you already know that hot is your thing.
They open at 9 am. And nice thing, if you find yourself hungry after most places are already closed, Tuesday through Saturday they stay open until 11 pm. Consider yourself real lucky.