Nice little taqueria. I ordered the chicken quesadilla and had a side of chips and salsa. The…read morequesadilla was fantastic! Salsa was different than any I'd ever had. Thin with a light orange color. Flavorful, but I like my salsa thicker with a bit of kick. This had no kick whatsoever. The chips were thick and crunchy. I'm in town for 15 more nights. I may try again if the mood strikes me. Service was good. It was a bit loud as the whole crew and some customers were watching World Cup Soccer.

Food: I ordered the carne asada tacos -- grilled Angus steak topped with onion, cilantro, and a…read morecreamy avocado sauce, all wrapped in a handmade corn tortilla pressed fresh to order. Simple, fresh, and full of flavor. On the side, I went with their esquites which was a yellow corn, slathered with a tangy crema, sprinkled with cotija cheese, chili powder, and a squeeze of lime. Sweet with just the right amount of spice -- the perfect complement to the tacos. Service: This spot runs on a fast-casual setup: you place your order at the counter and pick it up at the other end when it's ready. There's no traditional table service here -- they don't bus tables or check in during your meal -- but the process is quick, easy, and keeps things moving. Ambiance: The space has a casual, modern taqueria feel with a mix of rustic wood walls, warm lighting, and simple seating. Long bench seating lines one side with small tables, giving it a cozy but no-frills vibe. Since you order at the counter, you can watch the kitchen crew preparing fresh food as you wait -- which adds to the energy and authenticity of the place. It's more of a quick-bite atmosphere than a sit-and-linger spot, but it's clean, bright, and comfortable enough whether you're grabbing lunch solo or stopping in with a friend. Value: For $20.98, I got three tacos and a side of street corn. It's not the cheapest taco spot in town, but the handmade tortillas, quality steak, and generous portions help justify the price. Recommend: If you're craving authentic, no-frills tacos with bold flavors and fresh tortillas, this is the spot. Perfect for a quick lunch, a casual dinner, or even a takeout taco fix. This is my go-to place for tacos in the Lehigh Valley.

Who doesn't love a good taco!? Am I right? Road tripping through Allentown we didn't want the…read moresame old bar fare, nor in the mood for fast food. I was scrolling TikTok for places to eat and we drove past Plaza Azteca. We have one near us so we figured we would give it a shot. Warm chips and salsa to nibble on while reviewing the menu. Fully filled tacos, juicy plump enchiladas and burritos and a smiling happy server. We couldn't ask for anymore. Bathrooms are kept clean but the ladies looks like it needs some maintenance with clumsy doors and half done repairs. Other than that the place was the perfect pit stop to refuel before we headed back to the city.

Generally decent Mexican food with many of the unique features that make it enjoyable: guacamole…read morecart that comes to the table, mixed sports bar + sit down vibe, and friendly staff. The vegan options make the menu especially great- the veggie fajitas come with soy meat and plenty of toppings. The dishes came out quick and the prices were reasonable. There were occasional fruit flies in the restaurant that didn't make it quite as clean as I'd like but overall a solid restaurant.

Carne Assda Tacos & El Pastor Sopes. Tijuana Tacos - Emmaus is a truly uplifting choice for an…read moreauthentic experience! The food is always hot and fresh, and the portions are incredibly generous. The service is attentive, friendly and warm. The menu is thoughtfully provided in English and Spanish. This has quietly become one of my favorite BYOB spots. Glassware and generous ice service is deeply appreciated by me! #rushieeats #rushiecocktails

The food here is absolutely amazing. This place deserves much more recognition. I got the salt beef…read moretacos they were some of the best tacos I've ever had. Our waiter was very nice and welcoming. Great service, great place.

So this is a review, 13 years in the making…read more I used to work in the Allentown area and one of my coworkers suggested stopping for lunch. I had passed Cali Burrito several times but didn't know much about it. My life was forever changed. My tried and true order is the 'Humbolt". It's perfect in every way and it appeases to vegetarians and meat eaters alike. I have turned several of my friends, family and coworkers on to Cali Burrito over the years. Id like to mention I lived in San Diego and the burritos in Allentown, Pa far exceeded any burrito found in the Golden State. I now live in Virginia Beach area and my love for Cali Burritos knows no distance. Yesterday, I had to take a drive into the area and you better believe I stopped in for a burrito. 720 miles, round trip and worth every mile.

I finally managed to get my car in Cali's parking lot. But, I had to wait for another patron (which…read moredidn't take long) to arrive and I followed them into the restaurant. It's not easy to figure out where the enrtance is. Okay, so I ordered the the ground beef tacos for $12 bucks. You get 2 tacos in a basket with tortilla chips. The chips are a bit weird and different, still not sure how much I liked them. Like Moe's, they have a salsa bar with 4 salsa choices along with various condiments. The salsa's are tasty and I like the flavor in all 3 I tried. I ordered tacos and what they brought to my table resembled a tacos, but the taco expectation ended there. These so called tacos, to me, aren't realy tacos at all. Their assembelled usinf both a hard shell and a soft shell (Taco Bell offers something similar). Whatever you call it, taco is not the thought that comed to mind when eating it. I was hungry and did manage to eat both of the tacos, but considered throwing out the 2nd taco. I was confused and unsure what I was eating. The ground beef wasn't bad, but my main complaint at a Mexican Eatery nearby (Plaza Azteca} is the same. The ground beef is unseasoned. This is fundamentally wrong to me. All the Taco Kits at the grocery store come with a seasoning packet to add to the ground beef when preparing the tacos. I left unhappy, that's not to say I wouldn't try their burrito's. They looked good as seen on other patrons tables. I'm 70 years old and the theme of Cali reminds me of the 60's/70's. The decor, interior, and interior are psychedelic. Retro throwback to the hippie days. The staff reflects that theme - they came across in a kind weird way to me; but not in a bad way! Their is no shortage of happy campers enjoying their lunch (I went at 1PM). It seems like a cult following which speaks to the freshness and quality of the food served. I'm still unsure what was in the alleged tacos I ate. Lol!

Probably won't be returning. I make better nachos at home…read more It all tasted like it came out of can. We ordered meatless meat nachos and a beef burrito. The prices were reasonable and the food was ready on time. The person was friendly. The nachos had fresh lettuce and that's about it. Had canned cheese sauce, not queso sauce. The red salsa, pico de gallo and guacamole all tasted like the stuff that comes in a jar or sealed plastic container at the grocery store. The meatless meat might have been gardein. It wasn't Impossible Meat or Beyond Meat. The portion on the "meat" was generous but the toppings were sparse. There was a 3oz black to go container of each. There was supposed to be shredded cheese but I only found a couple pieces. I had to add my own toppings when I got home. Wife says there didn't seem to be shredded cheese in her burrito either. Said it was bland.

We ordered $16 steak tacos and $13 chicken tacos and they were tasteless, similar to grocery store…read morebought microwaved tacos. Yuck! The rice and beans were vomitos. We fed it to our dog and she refused. Smart. There are so many better places to eat than this train wreck. You pay a premium here for awful quality. I will say that the woman who took my order was great. Too bad the food is terrible.

The waitress was nice BUT:…read more 1-extremely slow in the kitchen. Waited over 40 minutes for food. 2-once we got the food: It was extremely salty!!! I could not even eat my albondiga soup. So much salt made my stomach sick. Tortillas were greasy. They charged me for limes to put on my soup!!!! WTH And the rice was pretty bad. My friend ordered chicken tacos and also were super salty! Cucumber lemonade was weird. Not sure why it had a neon lime green color Too sweet and didn't taste homemade. Just overall a bad experience.

Got an email from Yelp asking if I visited here and meant to write a review. I was visiting my…read moreparents over Mother's Day weekend. My mom wanted to include me on some trip with an overnight stay somewhere. I suggested Poconos, which we went to Jim Thorpe for a couple of hours to look around, but ultimately my mom wanted to go to Allentown for several reasons, mostly shopping considerations. One of the other considerations for Allentown was that my mom was really looking forward to another Mexican restaurant, a national chain, but when we got there, there was a sign on the door saying permanently closed and thanking customers for patronage. If they wanted to visit me, well the Columbia, MD location near where I live closed too. I felt bad for my mom (& my dad to a lesser extent). I desperately searched on Yelp, etc. Initially, we picked another local Mexican restaurant a few minutes from the large shopping center, but I said that's pretty bad the sign said the Restroom is out of order; I think we should look elsewhere, which my parents agreed. I suggested La Cocina del Abuelo in downtown Allentown. I said parking is probably street but should be free on a Sunday evening, which it is. We walked in and were the only customers. There were a few to go orders/deliveries. God bless this woman, who was our server, but was also running the kitchen, & getting pick-up/deliveries ready. I asked about enchiladas as I didn't see on the menu. She said it's part of their "secret menu", which is always an interesting concept. I was looking forward to enchiladas, getting 2 chicken & 1 steak, which comes with rice & black beans. My mom got tacos, and my dad got steak fajitas. Considering this woman was doing everything, the service was pretty quick. We all enjoyed our food. It was a large mound of rice, which was delicious eating all. Black beans & enchiladas were pretty solid too. The server gave a business card with a discount for next time. My dad happened to see I think 25% off on a discount app he has, which the server had no issue accepting. But this is where the business & server really earns the 5-stars. She gave flowers to my madre (mom) wishing her a happy Mother's Day, which was very nice, and above & beyond any usual restaurant experience. The only negatives were the tables were a little small for up to 4 people, but we managed fine. Also, while the restroom was clean, they were out of paper towels. My dad had mentioned it earlier, but she was very busy; so I'll give a pass on that. Overall, I highly recommend La Cocina del Abuelo for the excellent customer service & great food.

Worst shrimp tacos I've ever had!!! I paid $16 for four tortillas, a bunch of cilantro and a…read moreglimpse of tasteless miniature shrimps! Nothing else in the tacos, they were so empty that I had to combine two tacos to make one, size wise, but still completely tasteless. When I let the server know how bad they were, she didn't apologize, said she would forward the complaint to the cook and said that the shrimps shrink when cooked!! Don't waste your time and money, there's a reason why the place is always empty. My husband had the steak with onion that comes with rice, beans and salad. Beef wasn't tender and rice and beans were ok, not great. Definitely, not coming back.

So I figured I'd give this place a try while in the Palmer park mall (while I was waiting for my…read morecar to be serviced). First off, the restaurant is VERY clean and empty. I ordered my food with no issues and figured I'd try the chicken enchiladas. Service was prompt. The enchilada verde sauce was tasty, however I was a bit disappointed that the chicken used in my enchiladas had bones through out which made it not as enjoyable to eat and more work than it was worth. The plating was cute and simple and rice and beans was combined. The side salad was more of a garnish but still not bad. I paid $16 for the enchiladas and a bottle of water which is a bit steep for the portion IMO. I will say though that the place has a mom and pop feel and the woman who took my order was very nice.

This place is a hidden gem! From the outside it looks like it's just a take out spot. However, it…read morehas a cozy dining area as well. My family all had something different and all were flavorful and cooked to perfection. The owner and young lady working were so kind and accommodating as well. My husband had the steak tacos and they were delicious. I had the chicken enchiladas, the chicken was tender and well seasoned. My son had a chicken burrito which was huge and he said was also very good. My mom only wanted the sweet plantains, which was made into a dessert with tortilla chips with a sweet condensed milk on top. The pictures speak for themselves!

While most places seem closed on Mondays, we have Aqui Es open :)…read more This is your authentic place for "street" tacos....and I'm all about it! Went with the Chicken Fajitas Tacos special which comes with rice and beans.....loved it! My bride ordered the Chicken Quesadilla and she commented on the great taste of the tortilla... however, it didn't have much Chicken - especially compared to my tacos at the same price. Very clean and fairly large dining Area. Very friendly service!