Best and Worst Tacos you've had?

Best: La Iguana No 5 on East King St. in Kingsville Tx - by far and away the best tacos this Texan has eaten anywhere anytime. I am still searching San Antonio for one to compare in quality. The refried beans are outstanding, bacon is crisp but not overcooked, the cheese excellent. And they are made with the large flour tortillas, not the puny ones. The grease seeps through the paper, foil, and bag, so make sure you have an extra plastic bag in your vehicle if you don't want to stain the upholstery!

Worst: Without a doubt it was the hole-in-the-wall place on 87 in Adkins, Tx (now out of business) I stopped for a bean & cheese breakfast taco on my way to work one morning - I got a cold grocery store tortilla, undercooked BARBECUE beans, and shredded Velveeta.

Best. Call me insane. Or a cheap college student. I LOVE Jack in the Box tacos with ranch sauce. 2/99 cents. *swoon* I do wish that they still had the chicken monster tacos..

Worst: There are truly bad tacos?? Really?? I feel like you just implied that Christmas is never coming. Ok Undesirable tacos.. Tortilla Flats in Kansas City. You cannot get good american-mexican from tall willowy buxom blondes who have trouble with distinguishing "sweetened" and "unsweetened" tea.


anyways, has anyone had In A Tub tacos???

Jack-in the Box tacos are in a category all their own. I can not call them the best----I can think of many places that make much better "real" tacos-----but there are times when there is nothing better than a couple of JITB tacos. They are definitely not real tacos-----but there is something about them (maybe it's because I grew up on them, walking over to JITB after school for a few) that makes me need to have some once every few months. I am getting the craving now, as a matter of fact......
The best? Hard to say....al pastor at the little place off the main drag in downtown Tijuana with the hand-lettered "TACOS 2x$1". Taqueria al Tapatio in Oxnard, CA----the real thing. That truck parked in East L.A. that makes killer tacos-----but ones that you have to eat ion the car. Need I go on?

Best: either tacos adobado at Tacos El Gordo in Tijuana or Chula Vista or chicken tacos at Las Cuatro Milpas in Barrio Logan outside downtown San Diego.

Worst: Taco Bell soft chicken tacos.

Yeah, I don't think it is fair to lump the Jack in the Box Tacos with many of the 'higher quality and priced' entries. Just like putting White Castles in against Peter Lugar Burgers.

As I have said in many posts I love the Jack in the Box Tacos. I will drive out of my way to buy them...just like White Castles..."By the Sackful". We love to add our own 'treats' usually avrocados to the JinB greasie little devils and really chow down. I have done 10 to a dozen in moments of late night hunger.

Most of the taco's I would consider to be "GREAT" came from home-made sources. They contain shredded meat not ground and hold the green veggie decoration on mine please.Our own or friends and relatives can do some great examples when they take the time to prep the materials and get the fresh tortillas ready!

Forget the Taco Bell they are at the 'way-bottom' of the list.

quote:

Originally posted by littleanomaly

Best. Call me insane. Or a cheap college student. I LOVE Jack in the Box tacos with ranch sauce. 2/99 cents. *swoon* I do wish that they still had the chicken monster tacos..

Worst: There are truly bad tacos?? Really?? I feel like you just implied that Christmas is never coming. Ok Undesirable tacos.. Tortilla Flats in Kansas City. You cannot get good american-mexican from tall willowy buxom blondes who have trouble with distinguishing "sweetened" and "unsweetened" tea.


anyways, has anyone had In A Tub tacos???

You'll like this thread.
http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=502&whichpage=1

Best: Don Antonios on Pico, West LA

Worst: too easy, but Taco Bell (used to be at least mediocre...but they've ruined them...never again)

Honorable mention: The Talpa (right next door to Don Antonios)

And yes, my wonderful Jack in the Box...I love you too.....

The Tamale House, the old one on 1st and Congress, in Austin. It was a soft flour taco w/ beans and meat. Sounds simple enough but they were great! I am still trying to recreate their recipe for that taco meat. I could use some help if anyone here ever had one of those tacos.
Joe

Worst is any place that thinks a soft taco is made with a flour tortilla....

Oh, there is a real good Mexican place in Terrell Tx. called Dos Aces. They make the tacos w/ shreaded beef, pork, chicken, cow tounge,.... and Cosmos, you can order them made w/ corn or flour tortillas. Those toung tacos are pretty tasty!
Joe

The Best - I remember when I was a kid living in Harlingen, TX, and going to the A&W and getting root beer and probably the best tacos I've ever eaten. I make pretty good ones at home too. We also have a place here in Huntsville, AL, called Bandito Buretto which makes very good tacos. Remember it ain't a good taco unless the grease is running down your arms when your are eating it.

The Worst - My all means, Taco Bell. Dry,chincy on the ingredients.

Best. No doubt at all - my favorite Mexican spot in the world is Taco House in San Antonio, on San Pedro, just north of Basse. Breakfast tacos to die for - bacon/egg/cheese, chilaquiles, chorizo/eggs, everything. Other tacos - carne guisada, chicharron, papas rancheras, chicken fajita, etc. - just as outstanding. They make the flour tortillas right there, as all self-respected San Anto taco joints do, *and* they make their corn tortillas fresh too, and they're amazing - as fluffy as the flour tortillas. Great caldo (res and pollo) too. Nopalitos and eggs on a seasonal basis, etc. An extensive menu, with nothing bad on it.

Here's a good link for the taco hard core: http://www.tacohunt.blogspot.com/

SWOG

The best tacos ever are TITOS TACOS in Culver City, CA. Cheap, simple and delicious.

quote:

Originally posted by Cosmos

Worst is any place that thinks a soft taco is made with a flour tortilla....

LOL Don't come to my house tonight as we are having cumin glazed pork tacos served with choice of flour or corn tortilla

Because of all the Jack-in-the-Box talk, I had to try the tacos for myself. I had the beer munchies, so i was ready. Ordered 4. The first one was ok, but tasted mealy. The second one tasted like paper. The third one was quite a chore. I didn't bother with the fourth. Given the hoopla, it was quite disappointing. I had looked forward to them all day. I'm thinking of trying them sober. Maybe I really did eat the paper wrapping. What do you guys order at Del Taco? Is it that much better than Taco Hell?

For me, the worst is any taco that is soggy and tastes like it's been microwaved. Texture is important to me with tacos. I like them crunchy and filled with spiced ground beef, mexican rice, refried beans or black beans, cold chopped lettuce and onion, mexican cheese, garlic salsa, and sometimes sour cream and avocado.

Andrea

The best taco I ever had was made by me. A large freshly fried corn taco, about 3 oz. of coarsly ground & well seasoned taco meat (no pollo, por favor), a lot of diced fresh tomatoes & sweet onions, fresh pulled lettuce, shredded sharp NY cheddar, and at least 3-4 T of some really good hot, chunky salsa or pico de gallo (SP?) Repeat at least four times.

Also, when Wendy's had taco meat on their Super Bar(and thus you could make your own taco), I did this often. Unlimited tacos (at that time) for $3.69.
Their mexican rice & refried pintos were not really that bad, either.

Best: Amaya's Taco Village in Bastrop. Unfortunately, they are no longer in Bastrop. There is one in Austin, and I plan to check it out soon to see if they are as good as the ones I had here.

Worst: Jack-In-The-Box with their mystery "meat" filler. Of course, that doesn't stop me from having them a couple of times a week. Hey, at 2/$1, they ain't that bad, I guess.

best= fish taco at taco del mar in seattle
worst= a tie..taco bell and pancho's buffet

I made it to Amaya's in Austin last week and had the taco plate. They were even better than I remembered!

I will also add, after reading other replies, that Taco Bell is the worst taco around. They were so bad that I forgot how much I hated them!

My first taco was at the Big Donut in Inglewood, CA - long since gone - I fell in love with them!

Felipe's in Santa Fe, NM, two nested soft corn torts, chopped beef, great white cheese - add homemade salsa from the salsa bar - Now that's a lunch!

in nyc try the taco truck on the southwest corner of broadway and 96th st. usually starts doing business at about 6pm and stays open til late into morning (3am 4am).

Hey that hole in the wall place on US HWy 87 in Adkins was it called Aurora;'s Cafe?Aurora's is on I think 1604 or old 1518 in a pink building on your left hand side as you go to 87.At the time I ate there the food was pretty good,but it has been several years since i had been there.I know people form Randolph AFBase would go there.This place was in Adkins.It must have changed cooks or owners from when I was there.

Worst taco,Taco Bell in Universal City.Gave me bad gas.
Best tacos.A little drive in Anchorage,Alaska in the area known as Government Hill.used to get them all the time.

Holly,

Nope, Auroras is still around, it is on 1518 and still delicious. Auroras is family owned and run, so they tend to be pretty consistent in their food and service. We used to go there for lunch on the weekends after we were done working the horses. My favorite was the chicken fajita taco. Nope the place I was talking about was on Hwy 87 about 2 miles east of Loop 1604. Its been through multiple incarnations since I had that taco.

Best:
Fiesta Mexico in beautiful downtown Nicholasville, KY Tacos with shredded beef, monterey jack, and hommemade guacamole. Awesome. No one is worse than Taco Bell. Although the smaller Psuedo-Mexican chains are all right, think Taco Tico and Taco John's, somewhere between The Bell and real tacos. And yes, you gotta love Jack in the Box tacos. I've never had Del Taco, as whenever I am on the west coast, it's In-N-Out at every meal!

Well I live in Kingsville and know the type of food that restruant serves. I think this person below must work there or has family that works there. Trust me, their food is not that good and whatever you do don't order the yucky chicken fried steak which is a generic kind that is from a frozen box not the real restraunt quality chicken fried steak. They don't even offer the chicken fried steak with your choice of Mash Potatoes and cream or brown gravy, They only serve it with yucky tasting fries and a salad that is very plain. My advice is to avoid this restruant at all cost.

quote:

Originally posted by HankNBugsy

Best: La Iguana No 5 on East King St. in Kingsville Tx - by far and away the best tacos this Texan has eaten anywhere anytime. I am still searching San Antonio for one to compare in quality. The refried beans are outstanding, bacon is crisp but not overcooked, the cheese excellent. And they are made with the large flour tortillas, not the puny ones. The grease seeps through the paper, foil, and bag, so make sure you have an extra plastic bag in your vehicle if you don't want to stain the upholstery!

Worst: Without a doubt it was the hole-in-the-wall place on 87 in Adkins, Tx (now out of business) I stopped for a bean & cheese breakfast taco on my way to work one morning - I got a cold grocery store tortilla, undercooked BARBECUE beans, and shredded Velveeta.

Hey dgdecal,thanks for the tip.The date of hankNBugsy's post was )7/)3/2006.So it is possible that the time Hank was there the food might have been good,but gone downhill since then.I have had that happen at places here in San Antonio.the food is really good some place,so you go back.Well,after say six months or so ou go back,the food has changes,not so good either because of the owner or the cooks.happens all the time.

I'm with whoever said Jack in the Box tacos.

best : tacos al pasture(spelling) at mis amigos in dunellen n.j.

worst: any thing from taco bell or chi-chi's

Worst = Taco Bell

Best = ???

OK, I have said it before, and I will say it again. Taco Town in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. AWESOME! Sterns should have gone there instead of Scottis's

LL

Best: Street tacos in Mexico. You stand in front of the cart and they keep coming and you settle up at the end. The ones I have had were made with cabbage instead of lettuce.

Worst: I don't remember the name of the place but the shells were the store bought and were not heated so they were tough and hard to chew, and when you bit into it, it would just squeaze everything out of the other end.

joe

Okay, taco talk. First off, I want to say that I have zero interest in hearing from Anglos who believe they have somehow become enlightened by virtue of discovering all by themselves the "best" taco in town, served up from a roach coach. I despise machaca, shredded beef, pork, fish, tofu, ad nauseum, in anything. Here is the one and only taco I want: Ojeda's in Dallas, TX. The crunchy shell is the lightest, most fragile I've ever seen. It breaks up on the first bite, which is why you place lighter than air chips below to catch the fallout. The beef? Again, a thing of wonder. Really, really wet, without a trace of grease. I do not know how they do this. A chef friend suspects they put really finely chopped potato in the mix. Could be. I can put away several of these without effect. I think there's some black pepper in there, too. Also, there's no tomato, no cheese, just some VERY slightly wilted lettuce. Here's what I order: #5, Beef Taco (I ask for 2), Beef Enchilada (with a fantastic chili gravy, brown, not red), and Soft Cheese Taco (an item only Texans will recognize). NO BEANS. NO RICE.

It's interesting to me that (finally), someone referenced a couple of West Coast establishments, Don Antonio's and The Talpa. I asked Dabney Coleman (the actor) where he goes for Mexican, and he replied with no hesitation "The Talpa." I think there should maybe be a Roadfood split between East Coast and West. What do I care about a hash house in Sheboygan? But, I like reading the new recipe page, I don't care if the item came from upstate New York. Pictures are a definite plus.

Now, I must confess that I like J in the B tacos as much as anyone else. Worst Taco ever? Anything with shredded beef.

-Scott Lindgren, Los Angeles the Damned

Does anyone remember an urban legend that Jack In Box tacos were filled with cat food? It doesn't make much sense at this point,
(it was going aorund in the 70's when I was in elementary school) but it based on Jack In The Box being owned by the Ralston Purina company at the time, (which may not be true) As urban legends go it's kind of lame, but not as bad as the one about the kid who broke his neck breakdancing, (it was the 80's.)

"THE WORST TACOS"
a taco truck in the parking lot of evergreen liquors on buckeystown pike frederick md , there is a mexican store there also. i bought a taco press and some mesa there and some evans at the liquer store then figured instead of papa johns or checkers up the street we do tacos....to save time....wife and shared the the tiolet for 2 days after that authinic mexican taco....
turns out i went back down to frederick 5 days later seems they made like 50 people sick,noone could file suit on them they didn't have green cards...i guess they got deported.
LESSON LEARNED.....AND A HINT TO ALL......
always look for thier license make sure its up to date & legal ....
nuff said
ron

Best, Taco Al Pastor, Mexico City, street vendor. Worst, Taco Torch, Waco, Texas.

Best: Ruiz's in Florissant, MO a northern suburb of St. Louis.The tortilla was thin and ever so crisp and delicate. The beef was moist and spiced mildly, the toppings were piled on in an orderly fashion not like a garden gone wild and the picante sauce had a nice garlic bite to it. Dip the thing in their slasa verde and you are one step away from heaven.

Worst: At the South Florida Fair, a wagon vendor had the abolute worst. Couldn't bite throught the thick, mealy tortilla. But I did buy 1/2 gal of his sauce. Was the best i had had since leaving texas 8 yeras prior. Broke da mouth.

Best: My favorite is actually Burger king's tacos. They are crispy at the edges and really soft in the center without being to greasy and have great hot sauce that is hot with a hint of sweetness.

Worst:taco Bell's soft tacos, I had only one in my life and it was the worst peice of garbage I've ever had

don't get me wrong about my choices, I love autentic mexican food but when it comes to tacos I just like Burger king over all else.

i also forgot the ones at pappasito & the ninfa chain in houston.

Guedo's tacos in Tempe, AZ. the pork ones are great, you can go to a condiment bar and get different sauces and cabbage and radishes. they used to have a great hole in the wall location in Mesa, but then they moved to Tempe.

B - Taco Bell W - Taco Bell

Tacos are easy enough to make and improve that I don't order them out.

best all time- fish tacos at Berryhill Tamales in Houston.

best in this part of the country- Carlito's here in Columbia MO. He does something called "rico tacos" where he marinates the meat in fruit juice, quick-cooks it on a really hot griddle, then serves it with absolutely fresh, finely chopped pico de gallo.

Worst-- Jack in the Box. Do they still do tacos? If so, there is no justice in the universe.

The best was from a corner stand in Tijuana on Avenida Benito Juarez. I went there over and over again for a few years. Absolutely delicious with the best tasting salsa.

The worst is that same stand and the same tacos.

I was having furniture made in Tijuana and I drove with the furniture designer to his factory when we past my favoirte place.

I raved about those tacos.

His response was...

I'm surprised you like head tacos. They're made from cow's heads.

I've never been back.

I know how to spell passed!

The thought of those tacos got the best of me.

Best: El Patio Mexican Restaurant in Capistrano Beach, CA. They taste just as good today as they did back in the early sixties when they were 25 cents apiece.

Worst: The tacos at some forgettable, long forgotten Mexican restaurant in Boise, ID. The meat had the consistency of pâté, not quite the mouth feel one welcomes when one's not expecting pâté.

Followed closely by the cafeteria tacos at my elementary school. They served them with a side of diced beets, an always popular vegetable selection to serve to little kids. The person who came up with that pairing should have been shot at dawn.

THE BEST: The ones my mother taught me how to make in Midland, Texas over 50 years ago. We call them Nasty Tacos. One lb of coarsly ground sirloin sauteed with cumin, salt, pepper, garlic powder and a can of red Herdez salsa. (Mom didn't use the Herdez, but I recommend it.)While the meat is cooking, saute' white corn tortillas for about ten seconds on each side (turn them when they begin to balloon) in, preferrably, lard. Vegatable oil will do for the more health conscience. Do not fry them until they're hard, just a few seconds. Serve with cheddar cheese and a little more Herdez, if you like. No lettuce or tomatoes, please. Warning!!! These are addictive!

THE WORST: The Canasta Mixta tacos at Donneraki in Houston. The waiter warned me, "Senor, these are made with tripas." I said, "No problemo, Compadre. Bring 'em on." The entire wait staff watched to see if I could eat them from across the reataurant. They were right. I tried to hide the remains in a bowl of beans, but fooled no one. I had a mustache then and couldn't get the smell out of it for two weeks. Makes me shiver just thinking about it now twenty years later.

What I thought was the best no longer exists... Found something better a couple weeks ago.. Met this old Mexican gentalmen that pretty well laid out everything I wanted to know. Had a stand set up at the Metro Cruise, and personally, I could not get enough of these tacos. This food may be nothing to rest of the country, but to see something this tasty in West Michigan was beyond beleif!


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quote:

Originally posted by Legran22


THE WORST: The Canasta Mixta tacos at Donneraki in Houston. The waiter warned me, "Senor, these are made with tripas." I said, "No problemo, Compadre. Bring 'em on." The entire wait staff watched to see if I could eat them from across the reataurant. They were right. I tried to hide the remains in a bowl of beans, but fooled no one. I had a mustache then and couldn't get the smell out of it for two weeks. Makes me shiver just thinking about it now twenty years later.

If the tripas smelled there was something wrong with them. In Mexican cuisine tripas are very neutral tasting, somewhat sweet, and consist of pieces of grilled small intestine. If they served you the stronger smelling and tasting tripe it was either mislabeled or they were Portuguese.

Barbacoa tacos can be good.I like the ones at Culebra's on Pat Booker Road in Universal City, and believe it or not at Chipolte Grill in the Forum Shopping Center in Live Oak,just up the road aways.
Some places use the whole cows head,including the eyeballs in their barbacoa,and some just use the beef cheek meat.
I naturally prefer the cheek meat.Also,In Mexico barbacoa can also be roasted goat.
My dad once ordered menudo from Taco Cabana,just a small bowl.
He didn't care for it.So gave to me and I ate just the broth.
I told my dad it had tripe in it. As a kid,even though his father was a butcher,they didn't eat tripe.Grandma would make brains sometimes if grandpa wanted them,and they would eat what they call sweetbreads(forgot what they are right know,some kind of thymus gland or something) but not tripe. Don't know of any german dishes for tripe.She also made tongue.You can get tongue or as they call it lengua tacos at various places.
Worst tacos to me are any place where they give me gas or I have to go to the bathroom after just eating.

WORST: TACO BELL, BURGER KING, JACK IN THE BOX...and any other tacos associated with a major chain...you have to seek out the "local places", or make your own.

Terry