Abuelo’s Taqueria is not just an average Mexican restaurant — it offers a modern twist on the typical tacos.
With chicken club and shrimp dynamite as options for tacos, you can already expect a change. I visited this restaurant twice last weekend: once with a group of friends and the second to go.
The first visit was during lunch hours on Friday with my roommates. I ordered a two-taco entrée plate, and a large order of chips and queso for the table. I selected a chicken club and classic carnitas tacos, which included a bowl of rice and beans.
One of the images Abuelo’s Taqueria Facebook page. Yum!
The restaurant is fairly self-serve. You get a buzzer to let you know when to pick up your food – little to no wait service. However for a restaurant like this, it’s not a problem.
After placing my order, I picked up the chips and queso at the window. The queso itself was good; it was creamy and flavorful. The chips, on the other hand, were bland. They had a good crunch to them, but they could’ve used a tad more salt. Also, I wish they had unlimited chip bowls.
Less than 12 minutes after sitting at our table, my buzzer went off. The two tacos were placed in taco stands next to a bowl of white rice and pinto beans together. Visually, the plating felt very modern. Especially the taco stands – the tacos were the focal point of the plate.
The tacos were delicious. The tortillas were heated enough, the vegetables tasted and looked fresh, and the meat toppings were thoroughly cooked. The classic carnitas taco – which is slow roasted pork, roasted corn, onion, cilantro and topped with at sweet tomatillo salsa – was tasty. Not greasy and very flavorful. Good adaptation of the classic recipe.
The chicken club is a creative idea. Not a type of taco one would think about, but it is a good taco. The chicken was seasoned, the bacon crisp, and the ranch salsa that tops it all is a great fit. I would recommend it.The rice and beans side dish is mediocre. The rice and beans both could’ve used more seasoning, but it wasn’t disgusting.
Since I visited during lunch hours, the restaurant was busy but not enough for it to be loud. The people dining varied in ages, which I think says wonders for the restaurant.
The next time I went was on a Sunday night to get an order to go. It was visibly slow, but a couple of families and pairs were in the dining room. The restaurant offers a separate to-go counter at the front for quick ordering. The cashier answered any menu questions and efficiently took my order.
I ordered a steak Californian wrap, and in what seemed less than 10 minutes my order was ready.
One of the taco images Abuelo’s Taqueria Facebook page. Yum!
Upon arrival to my destination, I opened the wrap and to my pleasant surprise – the wrap was wrapped well and still warm. The wrap had a good veggies, rice and beans, and meat ratio. There was no bad place to bite the wrap.
As a person who likes spicy, I added habanero salsa. I picked it up at the salsa bar before my wrap was ready. The salsa is spicy, and after a couple of spoonfuls on the wrap the heat became more apparent in my mouth. The wrap was not too big to finish in one sitting, and held up in the tortilla until the last couple of bites. Overall, it was very filling.
Abuelo’s Taqueria offers a different angle on the classic taco. The restaurant does offer classic taco dishes, but the modern takes are worthy of a taste.
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday thru Sunday, and can be found on 19th street and Quaker avenue.
About Chantal Espinoza
