Taco Rosas

SoCal, I highly recommend "Baja Fish Tacos" for fish tacos, they have 3 types of fish tacos: Grilled, Blackened (Cajun) and Ensenada style (beer batter), they also have Shrimp quesadillas (with green or red sauce, not spicy), you'll think twice before going back to Rubio's.



If you want to have a very healthy fast food option, you can order a salad with your choice of meat on top: fish (any of the 3 types already mentioned) or Carne asada, no carbs at all!
 
[quote author="Rocker" date=1231940297]SoCal, I highly recommend "Baja Fish Tacos" for fish tacos, they have 3 types of fish tacos: Grilled, Blackened (Cajun) and Ensenada style (beer batter), they also have Shrimp quesadillas (with green or red sauce, not spicy), you'll think twice before going back to Rubio's.



If you want to have a very healthy fast food option, you can order a salad with your choice of meat on top: fish (any of the 3 types already mentioned) or Carne asada, no carbs at all!</blockquote>


Thanks. I may have been there or else I'm getting it confused with "Baja Fresh". There are so many of these places now. Have you tried Wahoo's? I wasn't too impressed with them at all.
 
My wife and I also had a bad service experience at Taco Rosa and decided not to return. We tried Gabbi's in Orange last weekend and found it to be pretty good, but a bit pricey. The al pastor there was top notch though.
 
For another pricey option, I really like the carnitas and salmon tacos at Taleo Grill near the "Towering Inferno at Marquee". It helps that they are part of rewardsnetwork and I can get frequent flyer miles for eating there.
 
Salmeron's El Tapatio



It's located on an industrial strip accessed from Edinger/ Minnie, in SA



Here are a couple of reviews. Basically we go there for authentic Mexican food. I don't think we've ever been disappointed with the quality,price, quantity or the service. We have also used them to cater several parties when we wanted Mexican. When we have someone visit from out of town/ out of country and they say " I want REAL Mexican food", that's where we bring them. The Aussies, Kiwis and the fly-over guys particularly like it!



http://www.yelp.com/biz/salmerons-el-tapatio-santa-ana



I didn't see it listed on that Mexican food blog referenced earlier. Sorry if I missed it. And if the author has not yet visited, then I would suggest you do!
 
[quote author="ChristianZ" date=1231925398]



"I appreciate knowing about the incident at Taco Rosa and won?t be trying it out."



Would you have gone otherwise? The incident they referred to may have been real but is nothing like the dozens and dozens of times I've been there.</blockquote>


We probably would have tried it eventually. My fiance was more intrigued by the place than I was. It looks/reminds me of El Cholo in Irvine which I think has terrible food. One single incident of credit card fraud to someone on this forum is enough for me to swear them off. There are too many restaurants to try.



Funny I think Avila's in Corona del Mar is great. But I always get the same thing - the chicken tortilla soup which is wonderful.
 
This thread really makes me miss living in San Diego. I gained 35 pounds on all of the fantastic Mexican food there and it was worth every pound. Having 5 different Mexican hole in the wall places to eat within walking distance was like living in heaven.



I went the the newport beach taco rosa the first month it opened and it was awesome. Long wait, but the food and service was great. I remember chatting with the people around us and everyone was happy (and drinking a lot). I used to go there a lot for lunches. Recently though a few bad things made me stop going. Got a completely uncooked chile relleno once. Had their seafood special burrito which was so greasy that I could only eat a few bites of it. Tried their buffet lunch. Tasted like leftovers from the previous day. I have however, never had an issue with service at this location.



I have been to the Tustin Marketplace one 4 times. Poor experience every time. I gave them a pass on the bad service when we went the first week they opened since they were still sorting things out. The other 3 visits shared the same poor experience though. The room is so damn loud. One loud party can easily ruin the experience of everyone there.



The free appetizer plate that they give out is nice, but you always have to negotiate with your dinner party on who gets what. Everyone always wants the rolled taco thingy but there is never enough of that to give everyone a taste. Since I'm a nice guy I always let my friends have it all which leaves me with the tostada thing which is bland. Their chips are a joke. I understand that they are trying to be fancy and different, but they don't taste good. They taste and look like burnt charcoal. You have to slather them with salsa but they give you tiny little salsa dipping bowls.



My current favorite Mex food in OC is Marios in Huntington Beach. The one off of Main in the strip mall with the pet store and the Pier 1 imports. Best service around and very family friendly. They have been there for over 30+ years.
 
If you like the battered fish tacos... the ones at California Fish Grill are awesome.



I like Casa Francos and Flamingos in Laguna Hills. Interestingly enough, I think the previous owner of CF sold it and started Flamingos.
 
[quote author="NewToOC" date=1231983741]

We probably would have tried it eventually. My fiance was more intrigued by the place than I was. It looks/reminds me of El Cholo in Irvine which I think has terrible food.</blockquote>


Don't get Taco Rosa and El Cholo mixed up. They are very different. I actually just had a great meal at El Cholo the other night that seemed better than previous visits. Still, I can tell things I like and things that are not so great about each restaurant but to see somebody write Taco Rosa off because they think it's like El Cholo just . . . well, it tickles my funny bone.
 
[quote author="NoWowway" date=1231957914]Salmeron's El Tapatio

I didn't see it listed on that Mexican food blog referenced earlier. Sorry if I missed it. And if the author has not yet visited, then I would suggest you do!</blockquote>


That's the first place that's been mentioned here that I haven't been to yet but I definitely know about it and am planning on getting there. I tell people, "Yes, I've covered 200 separate Mexican restaurants in the county but there's still 200 more to go."
 
I've been going to Mario's since the early 70's. Have also been to their Beach and Warner location a handful of times but haven't been to their Springdale and Edinger location yet.
 
[quote author="ChristianZ date=1231925398



Would you have gone otherwise? The incident they referred to may have been real but is nothing like the dozens and dozens of times I've been there.</blockquote>






I've been to the Newport location dozens and dozens of times. We went 2 weeks ago and were sat and waited at least 25 minutes for menus. After asking THREE different people if we can get some menus. The night continued in the same fashion. We were fools to wait that long for such terrible service. It's like the saying about one bad apple spoiling the whole bunch--that trip made us quickly forget all the good ones. It wasn't just a mistaken order or waiting an extra few minutes, it was horrible service with no apologies from an incompetant staff.
 
If I ever have a experience like that I might stop going. Until then my own personal experience with a place weighs heavier in my mind than what I read from others. Not that somebody else's experience means nothing to me, just that it doesn't hold the same weight. It might be that I'm just too forgiving by nature. I can't find it in me to completely write off a place based on one experience although I may very well wait a while before going back. Almost every place I've gone to where I've had a bad experience it's been completely different the next time after waiting a while then going back. We are all human (I think) and we all make mistakes. I wouldn't have any contact with family or friends anymore if they all disowned me the first time I made a mistake that they knew about.



There's actually a restaurant someone mentioned here where I went a number of times after I first found out about it and thought the food was great. Then one time I had a hair in my burrito. I didn't go back for quite some time but after the waiting period I've been back five or six times and have not yet had a bad experience there.
 
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