Review of Tacos El Guero

Tacos El Guero isn't your typical small, mom and pop taqueria, as its housed in a large, modern building, and the restaurant is light, breezy, uncluttered, very clean, and very popular among the local residents of Tecate. It’s located along Bvd. Benito Juarez, just east of Calle Eufracio Santana, and Bvd. Juarez does double-duty, as it’s the main street in town, and also designated as Mexico Federal Highway 2. El Guero is a be factor of the street’s highway status, as no doubt many travelers stop to enjoy one of their tacos, on their way to points east or west. The restaurant is so prosperous that they even have their own parking lot.

As with all restaurant reviews I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.

Photo: Tacos El Guero is a large operation, and has even "branded," as their free-standing sign testifies. It's late Saturday afternoon, October 7, 2007, and I'm in the mood for delicious tacos, so I've arrived at the right restaurant.

El Guero is open to the parking lot, and Bvd. Juarez, to give customers easy access to their spacious, covered dining room, but when the business is closed, they roll down metal doors from the ceiling to secure the building. No matter which way you enter the establishment, you’ll notice that the large dining room is furnished with a dozen or so red plastic tables and chairs, the back of each chair sporting a Coca Cola label, and several aluminum picnic tables and benches. There appears to be seating for about 60 people in the dining room, plus another dozen or so at the kitchen counter, and I can imagine at times, they need the seating, as busy as the restaurant is.

Photo: Inside the dining room of the restaurant, looking toward the spacious kitchen, with the commercial griddle to the right the photo, the cash register to the left of the griddle, and the patio bench seating in the foreground of the photo.

The most striking feature of the restaurant is their kitchen, as its located near the rear of the building, and its surrounded by an attractive, tile counter, complete with comfortable stools, so you can sit at the counter and watch the staff at work, while you enjoy a delicious taco or two. Tacos El Guero actually has a professionally-printed menu posted on the wall behind the kitchen, and the menu advertises the varieties of tacos they sell, which includes carne asada, adobada, cabeza, tripas and birria. The menu also advertises that they sell quesadillas, tortas and sodas. Towards the rear of the kitchen is a large, commercial restaurant range, set up as a griddle, with a gigantic hood over it that funnels the smoke and fumes through a chimney. In the center of the counter, there is a round-shaped griddle where one of the girls was cooking carne asada; next to the griddle is a large, heated pan, covered with a couple of towels, evidently used to keep meat fresh and warm. At the end of the kitchen, adjacent to Bvd. Juarez, there is a vertical grill, with a huge slab of pork, complete with a white onion on top, roasting for tacos al pastor. There are a couple of work tables placed in the middle of the kitchen as islands, and get this, a digital cash register on the counter! This isn't a taco cart, as it's a clean, modern restaurant, and an efficient operation.

Photo: The posted menu of Tacos El Guero, with the girl grabbing a icy-cold Coke from the vertical soft drink cooler, to the right of the photo. Note that the posted menu specializes in tacos, hence the name of the restaurant.

Photo: The menu is posted on the wall, next to the kitchen, which is a rarity, as few Mexican restaurants actually post their menu. The menu features all of your favorites, and is definitely Mexican "comfort food." My first choice on this Saturday afternoon was "Tacos de Tripitas," but they were out of tripitas - a frequent occurrence - so I had to settle for "Tacos de Carne Asada."

During the time of my visit, on Saturday afternoon, October 7, 2007, the staff consisted of three young women, and one guy, all of whom seemed to be doing the same thing, cooking, taking orders from customers, and operating the cash register. I didn't see any of the staff members bussing tables, but since the tables and the dining room are very clean, I assume that at least one of them engages in that task, in keeping with the very professional profile of the restaurant.

I walked up to the cash register, where one of the girls was taking orders, and ordered two "Tacos de Tripitas," which is among my favorites, but she said that they were out of tripe, so I settled for seconds and ordered "Tacos de Carne Asada," with everything on them, and then placed myself on a stool at the bar to watch the staff at work. One girl grabbed a couple of corn tortillas from a stack, housed in a plastic bag, and placed them on the large commercial griddle to heat. Tacos El Guero doesn't make their tortillas in-house; few restaurants in Tecate seem to follow that practice, as their tortillas are purchased from a third-party. When the tortillas were slightly blistered, she removed them from the griddle and placed them on a pre-sized piece of butcher paper, then placed the tortillas on a plate and handed them to the girl operating the round griddle near the center of the kitchen counter. She removed some meat from the warming pan, placed it on the tortillas, and asked me what I wanted for condiments. I told her I wanted "all," so she placed diced white onions, shredded green cabbage and chopped cilantro on my tacos. She handed me the plate of tacos, along with a couple of napkins, and wished me a pleasant meal.

Photo: Corn tortillas are heated until they bubble, on the huge griddle, and are cooked to perfection by a talented staff member.

I have to admit that I was a little skeptical, as this place isn't your Joe-average taco stand, but after just one bite into a delicious carne asada taco, I was convinced that Tacos El Guero is a major league player when it comes to tacos, as the carne asada was marinated, juicy, spiced just right, and perfectly cooked. The tortillas were soft, and didn't break when eaten, and that the wonderful, earthy aroma that only comes from corn tortillas. The condiments were crisp and fresh, and really complimented the tacos. The restaurant may be efficient, modern and very commercial, but they deliver a quality product that will put a smile on the face of anybody who appreciates a delicious taco.

Photo: Carne asada is removed from the grill and placed on the cutting board, where it is chopped into small pieces, and then placed into the warming tray. Note that the towel has been partially removed from the warming tray, and steam vapor seeps from the warm meat inside the warming tray. This photo captures the essence of the kitchen operation; check out the tromp, with the onion on the top of it, just behind the girl's right shoulder.

Photo: Two delicious "Tacos de Carne Asada," with all of the trimmings. What a delicious dinner! I ordered my tacos "con todo," and I was rewarded with condiments of crema, diced cabbage, diced onion, along with cilantro.

The carne asada tacos began with two corn tortillas, toasted on the griddle. On top of the tortillas, the chef placed a layer of pinto beans, that were simmering on a larg pot, on a back burner. On top of the pinto beans came the "star" of each taco... a layer of tender, spiced "just right" carne asada. Perfect. The veggies were placed on top, and then each taco was drizzled with crema.

The tacos were simply mouth-watering delicious!

The bill for two delicious tacos? MEX $22.00, which is a little on the high side in Tecate, but it seems to be the going rate for taquerias located along Bvd. Juarez, but I didn't have any complaints, after enjoying such delicious food. I handed the gal at the register a MEX $20.00 bill, plus a MEX $5.00 coin, and told her to keep the change, and I was rewarded with a smile and a polite word of thanks.

Tacos El Guero isn't your father's taco shop, but they produce wonderful tacos at reasonable prices, and since the restaurant is crowded with locals, you know that their tacos are good... no... their tacos are... excellent!

Tacos El Guero
Blvd. Juarez #255
Tecate, BC
Mexico