Taquería Arandas is a family run restaurant named after their hometown in Jalisco west of…read moreGuadalajara where I spent my teen years. So I had high hopes to find some authentic Mexican food. They offer tacos, tortas, vampiros, gringas, burritos, mulitas, quesadillas, and baked potatoes (loaded or stuffed with your choice of meat).
You order a la carte. That means you can mix and match what you want and how many. Eg., Two of one thing, one each of three others, as you wish.
The food is authentic and of excellent quality. The chicken is all white meat. Their family has a meat market in Jalisco so they make their own chorizo which I didn't try this visit, but I hope to next time.
The tacos come with various meats, the typical bistec (not over cooked as in most local taquerias), lengua, tripa, cabeza, chorizo and chicken. The tortillas are small as is common in Jalisco, and though the tacos are well loaded it takes four to six to make a meal. The burrito, however, is pretty big, so one will suffice.
What I loved most were the salsas. They serve chips (totopos) with a mild roasted green chile salsa. However they have several others which they brought out on a nice serving dish with separate bowls. My favorite was the pineapple habanero! It would be especially good on the tacos de pastor (trompo, which is pork). Delicious!!! I also really enjoyed the cebolla oriental with habanero, a great authentic delight, and the red salsa which is also spicy.
Drinks include some bottled sodas from Mexico, some more common soda pop, water or aguas frescas such as chia, jamaica or horchata. There are also drinks like russa, mineral water or coffee. No refills, but you can order a large drink as I did and it was more than enough for me.
I had hoped they might offer some other regional dishes from Jalisco such as the tortas ahogadas, pozole or carne en su jugo. We have a lot of good taquerias, but most offer the same things. A good regional dish could really set them apart. I asked about the tortas ahogadas and they said they had not found the right kind of bolillo here. I hope they keep looking. They seem to really care about authenticity and pay attention to detail. That in itself helps to distinguish them as among the best in town, certainly much better than most. I enjoyed it and believe you will too.
They're open for lunch (starting at 10:30 AM) and dinner.
Ambience: 3
Quality: 5
Food taste: 5
Cleanliness: 4
Prices: 3
Service: 4
Overall: 4