El Taquito

1434 Robert St. S
St. Paul, MN
651-455-4526

Category: Mexican

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 6
Service: 6
Ambience: 7

Recommendation: Good. This place was built up to be more than it actually was – decent authentic Mexican food, but nothing spectacular…and definitely greasy.

The Twin Cities may not be the hotbed of authentic Mexican cuisine, but we think we have our fair share of great eateries. Restaurants like La Mixteca and markets such as El Burrito Mercado and Mercado Central bring legitimacy to the Mexican dining scene. I (Nick) was really looking forward to El Taquito. One of my coworkers (who really knows Mexican cuisine) had built this place up as the best Taco experience and I was pumped to try it. This place has character – the brightly colored murals depicting the Aztecs and the pyramids evoke fond memories of our trip to Central Mexico late last year. El Taquito is casual but we like the effort they’ve made to spruce up the interiors. The seating is clean and comfortable.

The menu is pretty standard for what you would expect from a authentic Mexican eatery; tacos, burritos and guisados (plates) where you get to choose from one of a dozen meats. Your choice of meat includes the standard fare of beef, chicken, and carnitas but also more adventurous cuts such as the lengua (tongue) and tripas (intestine). I ordered a mélange of tacos. When they arrived, the first thing that jumped at me was the greasy look of the tortillas. The single yellow corn tortillas had been warmed on a griddle with an obscene amount of oil and it was a turn-off. I topped the tacos with the accompanying cilantro and onions and dove right in. Instantaneously I knew something was missing, but I couldn’t figure out what. Even after adding the salsa (which had good flavor but lacked heat) I was unsatisfied…and then it hit me. It was the lime…we didn’t have any lime with our Tacos. How could they; we were missing a key component of the trifecta. Once I got past the greasiness the meat was pretty good. The soft and tender Lengua was my favorite followed closely by the Tinga and Carnitas. I could have skipped the Asada because the meat was too dry. By the end, I was full and my hands were greasy (I’d hate to think how my arteries were doing). Not my favorite meal, but it wasn’t a total loss either.

$. At $2 a taco this place exemplifies cheap eats.