I stopped by this place a few years ago, and to be honest, I'm genuinely surprised it's still in business. Back then, I ordered a few tacos and a burrito--simple enough, right? Unfortunately, what followed was an unforgettable (and very unpleasant) experience with food poisoning that had me regretting every bite. What struck me immediately, even before the meal, was the atmosphere. Walking into a Mexican restaurant where not a single person behind the counter seemed connected to the cuisine's roots felt... off. In my experience, the best mom-and-pop spots have that authentic touch--the kind that comes from people cooking the food they grew up with. Out of curiosity, I recently checked Yelp to see if the place was still open--and to my shock, it is. Reading through the glowing reviews, I started to wonder if we even ate at the same restaurant. Anyone calling this food "good" must have an iron stomach or a very different definition of flavor. To put it simply: I got sick, and I won't be returning. Some restaurants earn a second chance. This isn't one of them. ZERO STARS read more

I know I say this a lot, but it has been a long time since I got food from this place and I wanted to try it again. I got three burritos; the black bean burrito, the mixed vegetable burrito and the spinach burrito. For all the vegans out there, if you want these burritos to be completely plant based, you not only need to ask for no cheese and no sour cream, but you also need to ask them to not cook the vegetables in butter. All three burritos were quite big and the flavor in each was very good. The black bean burrito has a generous amount of beans. The mixed vegetable burrito was the biggest out of all of them and had a lot of fresh veggies, including broccoli. The spinach burrito was also good but they were a little skimpy on the spinach. All in all this is a good local Tex Mex takeout/delivery spot and if you're tired of eating at large chains then this place is a good go to. read more

Taco King - Black Bean Burrito, Mixed Vegetable Burrito, Spinach Burrito, all customized to be vegan. - Mexican Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

I was super excited to eat at this place. We live 2 mins from the location and the Food was pretty awful. The chicken and cheese quesadilla had stale chicken in it. Almost freezer burnt? Couldn't figure out if it was just old or stale but either way it was gross. Plus you shouldn't be able to see light through a quesadilla if you hold it up to light. No joke it was so flat it might have been a piece of paper. It gets more disappointing... the (3) beef tacos were really cold like pre made cold. Plus when you picked them up the hard shell broken into like 50 pieces. No joke it happened on all three tacos. I really hate to give a 1-star review because the guy was really nice who took my order and I like to support local businesses but the food was so bad I couldn't muster another star. read more

Best tex mex I've had. Nice people very accommodating ... great fajita tacos. Best Around for tex mex hands down

Rough interior, but the food and service are amazing! Love and definitely recommend for great street food!

Small place and they always deliver great food. they're quick too. Been coming here for years and ill definitely keep coming

I wouldn't do a road trip to eat here, but if you're walking past, and hungry for a bit of a tasty bite... As others have noted, it is a unique take on Mexican food. They have a 'fajita'. It is much like a flour tortilla taco, but with the grilled onion and pepper in it. It was solid food. Not exciting, not bad. This is basic cooking, with basic foodstuffs, but sometimes that is OK. The black bean soup is also not like other black been soup. It is more like a black bean bouillon, with beans on the bottom, and cilantro floating on top. At first, I thought I would just have a few spoonfuls, but wound up finishing the thing. Solid cooking with solid, basic ingredients. Sometimes that is OK. read more

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I used to order all the time salads was amazing,but today I was literally 2minutes away i was at the light when I had my son order me one of these amazing burritos well I parked my car walked in my food was in the bag3 minutes later my food was done WOW!!!I i understand it's hot and they don't have air conditioning but when you serving shrimp,chicken,steak,lettuce,tomatoes that stuff needs to be served fresh.the shrimp tasted spoiled the lettuce wasn't good the tomatoes,wasn't good neither was the steak it tasted old.listen I understand times are hard but me being a Chef /caterer myself you have to do things decent and in order. Especially when you're serving the public you have to take your business serious. That's what having a safe Serv certificate is about serving people safe and delicious food. If you need to regroup please by all means please ma'am sir,peoples lives are more important than hurting someone because you're tired and hot frustrated it's not worth getting someone sick. read more

Hopped in last week to try, heard about this place from a friend of mine; it's a small place primarily for takeouts, but they got Really good authentic Mexican food, and price is reasonable. read more

Mixed bag from here. The tacos and fajita are good, beef and chicken respectively, nicely seasoned and not overcooked. The quesadilla on the other had was not good, the cheese was a weird consistency and had no flavor, and the shrimp was not much better. As a note all of the tortillas are the same size, probably 7 inch, so the tacos are large and the quesadillas small. A solid option, as long as you stick with the turf and the tacos. read more

The most disgusting excuse for Mexican I have ever seen. The shrimp fajitas are literally BREADED and fried over steamed, unseasoned green peppers and onions. The Chimichangas are actually egg roll wrappers filled with shredded meat The enchiladas are soft tacos drizzled with cheese and no sauce I literally threw away my $65.00 delivery order and called for a pizza bc I refused to feed their slop to my company. read more

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Stopped for a quick bite. Tortillas made fresh, shrimp taco was really good. I also had guacamole and black bean tacos that were good. Service was fast and food quality was very good. Hard to find a good, clean, tasty taco shop. I will be back soon. read more

Went in and walked out. The setup was totally Chinese restaurant with Mexican food on menu. It was Asian run...umm maybe one day I'll try it but I'm not ready for that experience read more

Taco King is great. We order from there regularly (to say we order it 100 times/year would be an understatement) and the food is always delivered quickly, correctly and still hot. I've never had anything bad from them. It's our go-to delivery restaurant and we love it so much so that any place we move to in the future must be within delivery distance- we like it that much. read more

Great Mexican restaurant. Great for lunch and dinner. Great for family and kids. read more

Taco King - Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

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The sign over the door that says "Authentic Mexican Food" has got to be a joke. This place is the furthest thing from authentic Mexican food I've ever experienced. That said, sometimes when you're really hung over and can't decide wether to get Chinese or Mexican, Taco King truly shines. That's because it is a Chinese restaurant that makes Mexican-inspired food. But it still tastes a lot like Chinese food. It's weird. And kinda gross. And sometimes I totally crave it--usually when I'm hung over. read more

Reloj (watch out) Taco Bell!!! This is the place to go for those of us who refuse to eat at chains. Located across the street from the old Town Hall, this place is great! Only 3 tables are inside and they are basically there to use while waiting for your order to go. In the winter, the inside is about 58 degrees and with the front door constantly opening, it drops another 5-10. (OK, that may be an exaggeration, but it makes the myth better.) Cheap eats such as: *** Nachos (only 49 cents!!! kidding, still only $ 3.29--about the same as a gallon of gas and much better I must say) *** Chicken Fajita ($ 1.89) *** Jack Cheese & Chicken Quesadilla ($ 3.19) Yes, it's true that a Chinese family owns the place...so what--you wouldn't order egg foo yung from a guy named Jose? The owner told me his friend used to work at a Tex-Mex place in Brooklyn and would copy the recipes down off the wall. Once he was tired of being at the whims of the owner he quit and opened his own place (with stolen recipes intact...shhhh.). Apparently, there are a number of these types of restaurants in NY and Boston owned by Orientals. Thankfully, we here in Hamden have one of the few in the Nutmeg State. What a great place for late night eats...tell your friends, tell your enemies. As I always say to the owners as I leave: "aquella mierda estaba bien." (Spanish for "That shit was good!") OK, it's not in Chinese, but they get the point... read more

Sub par imho. Everything here is tex-mex fast food. They pre-prepare everything (like taco bell) and it sits waiting for your order. Tortillas taste commercial, are too thick and salty. The salsa is a thin hot sauce. Run/owned by asians. Eat here only if you think Taco Bell is good eats. read more

I order delivery from here on a regular basis and I've had most of the menu by now. The guacamole nachos are excellent. The steak fajitas are amazing. My wife thinks the shrimp is fantastic. Everything else is basic and in no way bad, but just average. Except the wings. Don't ever bother ordering the wings. Just not good. But Chinese restaurateurs running a Mexican take-out probably aren't gonna make great buffalo wings, you know? Hamden is not hurting for choices in the wing department. Oh! The spinach quesadilla is pretty dang tasty as well. So is the veggie burrito, and it's massive. Decent food, decent prices, great portion sizes. Amazingly good guacamole (to me anyway). read more

Place looks like a take out Chinese restaurant. Little asian lady means the best chili tacos in the world. Hard taco shells are perfectly crispy and even though they fall apart easily the insides fall perfect into the foil that wraps the tacos. Grab a spoon and continue to eat. Each hard shell chili taco is $1.99 and you will never be disappointed. read more

It is not good. please do not go here to eat, it is not an AUTHENTIC MEXICAN PLACE. The beans and rice were awful, my enchilada was just melted cheese on top of a taco, no sauce or anything. I couldn't even finish my food, it was awful. Please go to an authentic mexican place! Los orales or los meriachies is close by. This is not worth your time read more

Taco King definately has a weird vibe to it. Picture if you will, you typical greasy wok, take out only chinese restaurant. Same random variety of soda's in cooler and gumball machine with stale gum, but Instead of poorly lit menu boards of General TSO's and Kung Pao chicken, there's pictures of Taco's and Burritos. Everything is made to order, and staff is as courtious as any other take out joint. Pricing was decent compared to a lot places in the area. Taco's looked pretty good, you could see where they fried up the tortilla's fresh. Beware, the Mexican Pizza is Fargin Huge. This isn't like Tacos bell's puny glorified quesadilla. Imagine your typical size tin take out tray, with a freshly fried flour tortilla, topped with cheese and mixed vegtables, refried beans and another fried tortilla, than smothered cheese and dice tomatoes. It must have weighed at least a couple pounds! A bit offputting to a pregnant wife, but I'm sure its a hit with the quinnipiac college crowd. Though not for the fate of heart (Any history of heart issues or gastro-intestial problems please see your doctor before ordering), I quite enjoyed it. See you soon Taco King! read more

Its ok. Good for a quick bite to eat. Ordering take out is on time. Otherwise food is bland.

My husband picked up some tacos from here. I really liked the guacamole taco. The shell tasted fresh and was not stale. There was loads of fresh guacamole packed into the taco. Nice to know a small takeout place can get the guacamole recipe right! I think my husband's review will be better then mine :) That is, if he writes one. read more

This reminds me exactly of a little taco place I ate at near at St. John's university. Hilarious that a Chinese family owns it and has to put a sign out front that says authentic Mexican! And that they have the same Chinese art you would find In a take out Chinese cookery. One can only wonder did this place used to be a Chinese take out or are the owners just terrible at their own cuisine? Oh I should review the food lol well it's nothing short of spectacular. It did what I needed it to. Quick, and subdued my hunger pains. read more

Don't be fooled, Asians making Mexican food. You may not believe it but they do a great job in making a massive burrito. The quesadillas are a tasty treat. This is not authentic Mexican but it is way better than Taco Bell. The place has a few tables to sit and eat, and of course they have take out and offer delivery. Parking is a little hard to get to since you have to park behind the building, but it's worth the drive. read more

Not bad. Stopped in out of curiosity this week after over a year of driving past its "Authentic Mexican" sign. I had my doubts when I walked inside because the place was run by Asians and felt like a Chinese takeout place with no Chinese food at all on the menu, but I heard good things from a friend, and there were two other groups waiting for tacos/waiting to order when we got there - a good sign. Our orders were put together pretty quickly, and I was pleasantly surprised by the steak taco I got. Tortilla was nice and soft, bigger than I expected, good amount of steak and cheese, and it was very filling for just one taco. Prices were good too - around $2 a taco. $10 minimum for credit cards, so my friend and I had to combine our orders so he could use his card. The tacos aren't exactly authentic Mexican - definitely more like Tex-Mex with options like chili filling, hard shells, and flour tortillas, but it's satisfying. Parking can be a little confusing - there's no visible lot from the street, but there is a small driveway to the left of Taco King where you can pull in, and there are a few spaces in back. read more

Not bad, i had it tonight: Guac Taco Cheese Nachos Shrimp Fafita I wanted to try a little of everything, so i got a variety. Everything was good, not like amazing or anything. Lots of flavor, but not as spicy as I like. The Guac taco was cold, not sure if it was already made, and they just gave it to me. But in general, I wish everything was hotter (I went about 8 pm on a weekday). Good ingredients, very fast, and great prices, allow me to give this place 3 stars. But lack of heat, in both senses of the word, is why it loses two. WIll go again for a quick bite to eat! but otherwise, might look for better mexican options, go try it! read more

I ordered shrimp fajitas and was sorely disappointed. The shrimp didn't taste fresh and the food was terribly bland. On a brighter note, I didn't have a problem with the delivery. read more

The chicken and steak are grilled nicely with a delicious flavor. They hand make their flour tortillas. It wasn't what I was expecting but it was good food as far as taste. If you're looking for authentic tacos, this is a NO. But if you like Taco Bell, this is 100 times tastier. Not my type of Mexican food since I don't prefer the TexMex flavor but it sure was delicious. They don't serve authentic or spicy salsas but the salsa and dressings they have make the food taste yummy. Cons: 1. no public restroom so that means no where to wash your hands. But if you wash your hands ahead of time, problem solved. 2. They take quite a bit of time to prep the food but it's probably because it's freshly made- so that actually may be a pro. read more

Yuck , yuck , yuck . The only reason it's getting two stars is because of how fast the food came out and service was great. When walking in I thought it was a Chinese restaurant .. that should have been our first clue . Food - terrible , but reasonably priced . Gross . I am not one to not eat when starving ... but left there hangry because two bites is all I could handle . It did seem to be fresh veggies but the meat tasted awful (canned , if that's even a thing ) . Service - super friendly , very nice Asian kids . (Maybe owners children) doing homework at the table 1 of 3 and working , answering phone and helping bring out food . Looks like it's a small family owned place . But Mexican is not there forte . I feel bad because service was excellent . Food so bad read more

Allow me to save you the disappointment of a bad meal. The sign in the front of the restaurant said "authentic Mexican," but I refuse to believe real Mexicans eat like this! Upon waking through the propped open front door, we felt the uncomfortable heat, only slightly mitigated by the oscillating fan on the floor. We ordered chicken tacos for the big people and chicken nuggets for my two-year-old daughter. They came around the counter to the freezer in the dining area to retrieve the frozen nuggets to fry. While we waited for our food, we choose our drinks, opting to avoid the store brand cola. We then occupied the short wait by watching a small ant labor to haul out a large, unidentified crumb. After only a few minutes our food arrived. The tacos were wrapped in foil, but the chicken was cold and flavorless, and the hard shells bland and unwarmed. They were edible, but not quite as appetising as those at Taco Bell. But I can't blame the restauranteur; it's really my fault. Why did I trust the authenticity of a Mexican eatery that was decorated with Chinese calendars and zodiac signs? read more

Fresh food and the staff is always kind and courteous at all hours! The nachos are always a must with any order!

I have been a loyal customer here for years but recently I got takeout and it seems they've switched to a different and not tasty cheese. Sadly I can't imagine eating that again so I may not go back. read more

I have to say once Taco Bell is up this place is so fucked! Another place in Hamden convenient to Quinnipiac students is Taco King. The best place to get cheap, imitation Taco Bell! This restaurant really caters to vegetarians or people who dislike the traditional taco filler, beef. The only issue I had with it besides the food (which I'll get to) was the fact that there wasn't one Mexican person there. The food doesn't really taste good no matter when you eat it, so if you eat as your driving home or six hours after you pick it up it tastes the same. I myself wouldn't let it sit out and gather flies for six hours, but some people prefer it that way. BEWARE the chili! It's the most god-awful thing you'll ever eat. My favorite items on the menu are the cheese enchilada, the chicken and steak fajita, and the jack cheese, ham, and chicken quesadilla. I greatly recommend the chicken and steak fajita, super yummy! Overall I give it a solid three. read more

Another place I eat when I want a Vegetable Fajita or a Chicken Fajita is Taco King. Its cheap ,clean , and the food is good.If your like me and don't eat red meat try their vegetarian dishes. They use no M.S.G. read more

Had Taco King delivered to a friends house over the weekend. I was really not sure what to expect from Mexican food delivered. I was pleasantly surprised. The food was very tasty. I had a burrito that was quite large and filled with goodness! I would definitely go here rather than Taco Bell ANY DAY! read more

Taco King is authenticity x1,000. Delivery and online ordering added bonus. Food is fresh but still quick and delicious!

Not terrible for Mexican, and the prices are great. I mean if your looking for cheap Mexican this is the place. But it's strictly a take out join, there's two tables which are basically for sitting down while you wait for your food. I also want to point out that this is a Mexican place run by Asians. You wont find any body who speaks Spanish any where near this place. So if your looking for something a little better then Taco Bell, but just as cheap check it out. read more

Very delicious and tasty Tex-Mex food. Our office (located in Hamden) orders regularly from Taco King. The people running Taco King are always friendly and accomodating. Besides food being excellent, it is also reasonably priced. Much better quality than Taco Bell. Taco King's menu has lots of variety -- to please everyone. Some very popular dishes (ordered regularly by our staff) are: Steak Fajitas, steak & chicken nachos, Chicken Tostada Salad, Chicken wing & rice & black beans, Shrimp in Soft Taco, Chili soft taco. We've never had a problem with our order. Food was always great-tasing and fresh. A fantastic take-out place. Highly recommend it as our office has been placing orders from there regularly for many years. Way to go, Taco King!!! read more