Few taquerias have impressed me, but Taquiero Taco has left a special place in my heart. Now the typical OC resident will tell you that in order to get good tacos you’ve gotta go to Santa Ana or another city like SD or LA, but Taquiero Taco holds its own as a top contender for best tacos in OC. * SEATING & WAIT TIMES * It’s a fast casual restaurant where you order at the front and receive a buzzer until your food is ready. It’s self seating and there are larger tables on the patio. On a busy night, expect to share the tables with other guests. The wait time for me was less than 10 minutes and the food was made to order. * FOOD * TACOS - $3.50ea. - there’s actually quite a small selection of taco meat but I highly recommend the al pastor because of how much time is taken into the cutting, marinating, and cooking process that renders such an amazing blast of flavor with each bite. Yes, the prices are higher than most but you have to remember that you’re in Irvine AND they stuff the taco to the brim. A good two to three tacos will fill anyone up quickly and unlike other taquerias, they only wrap it with one (slightly thicker) corn tortilla that is actually house-made. MULITAS - $6.75ea. - if you’ve never had a mulita before, it’s kind of like taco sandwiched between two corn tortillas with fried cheese. This is definitely worth trying out but beware, one mulita alone will fill you up! One thing I love about the mulita is that though it has pineapple bits in it, it doesn’t overpower the rest of the dish and all the ingredients complement each other. Per the owner’s recommendation, the salsa macha goes so well with everything, but I recommend it with the mulita for that extra kick of flavor and slight spice. CARNE ASADA FRIES - $10ea. - you don’t know what great fries taste like until you try it here. Aside from the meat being extremely juicy and thick, they have a generous serving of toppings abed the most toasted, crispy fries. What makes an absolutely phenomenal order of fries is, well, the fries themselves. No one likes a soggy batch and Taquiero has it toasted in such a way that you’ll find yourself actually eating the fries instead of primarily focusing on the toppings. * DRINKS * There is a wide array of Mexican craft beers at Taquiero so anyone that’s serious about their beers will certainly enjoy it here. My boyfriend is a huge IPA fan and loved Perversa for the taste and the 7% ABV. There’s also a delicious IPA-Pale ale fusion beer whose name escapes me but is definitely worth trying out. The great thing about this place is that if you’re unsure of a specific beer, they’ll allow you to try a sample of it so you make the right decision. I personally loved their alcoholic kombucha and iced margarita with the salt rims. Their micheladas are also rimmed with tamarind as compared to just tajin like other bars and restaurants will do. On my next visit, though, I definitely plan on trying out their bottled sangria! * SOME EXTRA THINGS I WANT TO POINT OUT* - Complimentary Mexican candy station at the front features so many types of tamarind candy, mazapan, and chicle. - $2 off beer on Taco Tuesday - Live mariachi every Tuesday - Self serve station includes more than just like and salsas but also AVOCADO!!!!!!! - Shuffleboard game on the patio — Overall, Taquiero greatly exceeded my expectations and I plan to come back here over and over again due to the amazing menu, alcohol selection, and service. One can argue that if they wanted slightly more upscale Mexican food they could just go to Javier’s, but I would argue that Taquiero packs just as much quality at a fraction of the cost. There is seriously some thought and passion that is evident in their menu, beer selection, and offerings that I would consider them to be the equivalent to Din Tai Fung when it comes to fulfilling their standards. Plus, it’s definitely got an A+ in the aesthetics department!

Very cool place. The interior is nice as is the food. The al pastor is great and is done very well. They have a huge assortment of different salsas. The guacamole is great. They do give you a candy at the end and they are interesting Mexican candies. The corn tortillas are great and are hand pressed and hand grilled right there.