After a semester-long hiatus from food reviews, we are back and better than ever. Tacos El Amigo #2 (yes, there is a Taco El Amigo #1) finds us on a Sunday night, exhausted and weary from the weekend’s activities and most notably, starving. (Excerpt from our notes, live from the restaurant: “We are starved! Does this make us biased?”) Anyways, back to it.
Reader, you should know, we intended to get Thai food. In fact, in our starved, exhausted haze, we drove to two separate Thai restaurants that are both closed on Sunday nights. Could we have checked online? Yes. Did we? Of course not.
Along the route between the two Thai places, Michaela, in charge of the mapping-of-it-all while Sydney drove, said three words that soon became a magical lifesaver: “Tacos El Amigo?” The heavens opened up and descended upon us. The pivot was a blessing in disguise. We’d heard the name a few times, but never bothered to stop in, as our friends (much to our dismay) are obsessed with an alternative Mexican restaurant, one we will not name, but we find aggressively mediocre. At best.
Tacos El Amigo #2 was everything we needed and more. The restaurant, clad in a purple exterior, was tucked in between a laundromat and a smoke shop, just a seven minute drive from campus.
The vibe upon entry was a little overwhelming for two newbies — the tables were packed with families, the line for to-go food was crowding the ordering counter and we had no idea where to sit or where to find a menu. Not to mention the tables were quite close together and Sydney kept almost knocking strangers’ food on the floor with her purse.
We settled into the hustle and bustle pretty quickly and soon the cramped nature of the place became charming rather than overwhelming. There’s a strong family feel to be found at Tacos El Amigo #2: The kid next to us lost a tooth mid-meal and the whole restaurant celebrated. (Congratulations, Leo!) The walls were covered in charming decor, from a framed painting of a donkey to colorful Mexican banners. Homey in a way we enjoyed.
Now, let’s talk food. After finally locating the menu, there was pressure to order fast, so we had to lock in. Birria tacos with queso were Mocko’s choice. Syd opted for the smothered burrito, though without the beef, as she’s remained committed to the vegetarian bit, unlike Michaela. (It’s because she needs the protein, okay.) About 10 minutes later, our food was ready. The massive plates were filled with steaming goodness.
Mocko’s meal was a mouth-watering plate of delectable goodness. Three great-sized, lightly toasted, birria-filled tacos stood off to stage left, next to them a pile of fresh onions and radishes. The onions were not the best part of the meal, let’s just say that. But the radishes were a hit. The inside of the taco was filled with juicy, warm birria along with red onions, cheese, cabbage and cilantro. Now, there was a dipping sauce on the side to complete the meal, which to be honest, we think was broth? There was cilantro and chiles suspended on the surface and Mocko used the liquid to dip her delicious tacos in.
The first bite was just a wow. After returning to eating meat only months ago, this was Mocko’s first interaction with beef in over a year. And it was a great one. She enjoyed two of her tacos, saving the third one for later, which was accidentally left in a friend’s fridge and unfortunately consumed. But honestly, good for them. We hope they savored the tacos just as much as Mocko did.
Sydney’s meal was beautiful at first sight. A perfectly gigantic burrito, plopped down into a puddle of tomatillo salsa that turned out to be the perfect level of spicy. On top of the salsa in various small piles: pico, lettuce and (plot twist) one singular slice of radish? Echoing Michaela’s statement on the radish situation, it actually worked perfectly, adding a bit of freshness to an otherwise hot and heavy meal. Bear with us, we’re clearly not professionals here.
Onto the inside of the burrito. Can’t lie, at first it felt a little bit like a whole lot of nothing in there. A common issue with vegetarian burritos. However, referring back to our notes as we write, Sydney has actually written, “Wish there were more beans. (just kidding, they were just buried in the middle).” This is peak journalistic process, people.
By the time she reached the middle, things were sorted out. A perfect ratio of beans, corn, pico and tomatoes. All bundled in a perfectly warm tortilla, smothered, as the title implies, with salsa and sour cream. Usually a sour cream hater, Syd was actually converted here, as it added a little bit of tangy freshness to the mix. The salsa was just the key — tying it all together into a warm and hearty meal that left us feeling full and satisfied.
We usually love to go crazy with critiques in a food review. But we’ve got to hand it to them — Tacos El Amigo has not left much at all to criticize. It met us in a moment of panicked Sunday scaries, a little bit of a post-Saturday night hangover for Sydney and some rising tension over her driving skills on the way over (Mocko should have been behind the wheel, not because Sydney was intoxicated but because of her inability to park a car in a normal parking spot).
Immediately, the food solved everything. It is safe to say those comforting and rather large meals made our day. We will attempt to drag our friends, ever so loyal to another Mexican restaurant, to Tacos El Amigo #2, for a warm, flavorful and delicious meal that is sure to make their day too.