Better than Taco Bell…read more
That pretty much sums up my review, and says a whole lot in just a few words. I'm not sure how this has a three-star average. I'm being generous with two.
It felt weird to come a chain when there are three or four local, authentic Latin American restaurants within easy walking distance. But I'd heard great things about Del Taco, and never been, and it was kind of on my side of town. So, I stopped in, hungry and excited to try a few of the things I'd heard were great.
Clean inside and out, smallish like a Taco Bell or other fast food place. Fairly basic menu. Not as many interesting things as I remembered hearing about. But: carne asada burrito! Actually, Cali bacon burrito, with steak or chicken. I got the steak, in a meal. $14 for a decent amount of food.
Comes with fries, which doesn't make sense at a place like this. Irrelevant and extraneous. They're fine, crinkle cut which isn't my favorite, but crispy and hot. Wish they had other side choices. The ketchup packets say "del ketchup," which is very mildly amusing.
Speaking of mild, I tried their medium and hot sauces. Medium is "Del Scorcho," but it most certainly is not scorching. A whisper of heat, not much flavor otherwise. Meh. Hot is "Del Inferno," and is slightly hotter, but still not really spicy, and again with no other defining flavor.
I tried the burrito without any sauce at first to see what it had on its own. Not much, turns out. Okay tortilla, tough steak, and: more fries? Didn't notice that on the menu, and they were soft and starchy and filled up half the burrito. I pulled them out. Oh, and the whole thing was barely lukewarm, just enough to slightly melt the cheese inside. And: not much flavor, in the meat or sauce or anything. I added lots of sauce, which didn't add much flavor. I ate most of what was left after the fries departed, but wow. Really unimpressive.
The ice machine was broken; they did gladly and quickly get me some from behind the counter. Service was friendly and fast the whole time, the one high point. Another customer made a point to tell the manager that her staff had helped him out on a previous visit, and that they were good people.
Takes a few more minutes than Taco Bell since they are doing a little more from scratch. It's a little more expensive than the Bell, but better. Relatively speaking. Another place that is overhyped by people who apparently grew up with it and have fond memories.
I won't be back.