First of all, we had huge hopes for Taqueria La Soledad. We researched Yelp mercilessly for the absolute best Mexican food in Concord, where we recently stayed while on vacation. We are huge fans of hole in the wall restaurants and intentionally seek them out, especially while traveling. Taqueria La Soledad really is a hole in the wall spot, on the back side of the Park 'n Shop complex, near the intersection of Broadway and Salvio. It was difficult for us to find, especially since we're not from the area.
When we got there, it was about 6:30PM on a Monday and the place was empty, but we were immediately greeted by a sweet woman and another man who was wiping down some tables. She asked if we knew what we wanted, and we said yes -- three veggie burritos, wet (as some of the reviews here recommended -- "the best wet burrito in Concord..."). "Okay," she said. "So, frijoles, arroz, queso, crema, avocado, tomato, lettuce?" Yes, we said... and wet! We also ordered three horchatas, before we were told to sit anywhere and that we pay after we eat.
The woman again came out and double checked, "you said three veggie burritos? With avocado? My husband (who was at the stovetop as we were ordering) says you wanted wet?" I did not hear you say that, but he says yes, they asked for wet!" "Yes, please," we said.
It didn't take long before she brought us three large, beautiful, smothered burritos. With the first bite, I immediately noticed the spiciness of the sauce that was on the burrito and told my husband that it was going to be too hot for our 9 year old to eat (and typically he does alright with spicy food!). Sure enough, he took a bite, and said "my mouth is burning!" After a couple more bites and an increasing complaint of his burrito being way too spicy, we asked if we could order him a quesadilla instead. "Okay," the woman said, then asked, "is it too spicy for him?"
She proceeded to come over and explain that the batch of salsa they had made that morning was spicier than they ever make it. They had run out of one of the chiles they typically blend with the chile de árbol and habanero that usually goes into the sauce, so it was just those two spicy peppers that made up the sauce on the burritos. "I told my husband this salsa is too hot to serve!" She said. "I'm sorry!" Of course she had not mentioned this before, when we ordered our food, especially when she knew one of the burritos was for a child.
We expected them to waive the cost of one burrito, as the reason it couldn't be eaten was the admitted over-spiciness (nearly inedible) of the sauce that they knew was being served. Instead, we were charged for three burritos and the quesadilla, too. That was disappointing, as the folks at La Soledad were fully aware that they were serving something they even claimed was "too spicy to serve" and when it couldn't be eaten just because of that, we still had to cover the cost of their mistake. That was a huge turnoff.
Whenever we find ourselves in Concord again, we will definitely be looking into other taquerias to try rather than returning. read more