Taqueria El Tacontento

Average, forgettable burrito. Nice people though?

Crappiest Mexican Food I have ever had.
Im from socal, and there is some realy good mexican food as well as some bad joint. But Taqueria is terrible.

Where can a girl get some melted nacho cheese?! Its not that hard to make, and its dirt cheap so why isnt it anywhere to be found near campus?! Sigh.
It was stuffed pretty well… i GUESS. But «melted cheese» aka shredded cheese that they put in the microwave that wasnt really melted ANYWAYS, just doesnt cut it for me. Also came with salsa, olives, sour cream, and I paid for extra guac for a total of 5.70ish.
EH.

OMG, best mexican ever. I ate there for 4 years while at Cal. Love it. The grilled chicken quesadilla is the bomb (potato included)…I suggest on a Wheat Quesadillass. Hummm I miss this place.

I had to eat here quite a bit one summer out of convenience and necessity. The taco salad is pretty good, but not much else. The horchata tastes too powdery. Like most other places, they melt your cheese with the microwave instead of baking it, but it’s worse that they microwave it in a styrofoam box! After I saw them doing that to my enchilada once, I got the taco salad from thereon out.

Someone in my study group brought a burrito and a horchata drink from here yesterday, and I suddenly craved some good Mexican food. So, after group, I walked the ten feet from the SLC to Taqueria El Tacontento and took tried to buy some time to survey their menu by hiding behind the fat pole in front of the counter. I was able to look at it for a good five seconds before the guy at the register finished helping out the customer in front of me and started to smile at me, ready to take my order. I laughed awkwardly and tried to look at the menu a little longer so that I could make an informed decision (first impressions do matter, after all). He just smiled and laughed at me while I stood there awkwardly trying to figure out what I wanted to get. He was pretty cool about it– maybe because there were no other customers there at the time, but cool nonetheless. Fifty years later, I settled on a special plate because I really wanted some of the Mexican rice. I got steak (SO GOOD) and an extra side of rice instead of beans since I’m not a big fan of the latter (he didn’t look at me like I was weird/​picky like other Mexican food places I’ve been to, haha). He added some potatoes, a salad with pico de gallo, and three corn tortillas; I added a medium «orchata» and paid only about $ 8.50. The «orchata» was really good, not too sweet and not too cinnamon-​y. Definitely planning to go here again. I hope the ASUC decides to let them sign the contract after all. :-(

The owner complains about not being able to secure a rent. Well boo hoo what did he expect, free handouts? And especially with Sacramento issuing massive budget cuts, all he cares about is himself. Maybe if he can actually improve the food quality, then maybe people would actually care to spend money there. This place is a prime example of a Mom and Pop store with no oversight; absolutely crap customer service and food that tastes like you just microwaved some 6 month old freezer dinner you found at the back of your fridge. If they actually weren’t so lackadaisical in their attitudes, maybe they would still be in business.

They CLOSED.
But, it was a Great place, friendly service. Big plate of nachos with beans, cheese, and salsa for about $ 4. I’m sure everything else is good, relatively cheaper than other places, very convenient. Too bad they’re going to be gone next semester because the ASUC wants more money.

The calorie/​$ ratio is quite high, and the lunch that I had yesterday was quite tasty. I ordered the chile verde enchiladas after a long consultation with one of the guys behind the counter and was grateful for the advice. The meal that I ate reminded me of the kind of Mexican food that used to be served around town before the foodies got involved and made everything more sophisticated and healthy. Maybe we should bring back Casa de Eva now that Zax and Maritime and come and gone from their Telegraph location!

DELICIOUS! Obviously if you come here, you’re not expecting 5-​star Mexican food; you’re looking for something convenient (on campus) and good… Well you’ve found it!
It saves so much time during M/​T or Finals weeks when you want to study on campus and don’t want to have to pay $ 15 for a bland coffee and sandwich at FreeSpeech
It’s cheap! It’s on campus so super convenient! They take debit card! AND their breakfast burritos are delicious! I’ve never had their meat, so I can’t vouch for it; but their vegetarian burritos and CORN QUESADILLAS are sooo good! Salsa is also great!

I love the taco salad, super nachos, and super burritos! Their steak pieces are huuge! I’m more of a chicken/​turkey type person but here, OH MAN… I indulge in their steak! I’m also a fan of their agua frescas, especially watermelon and mango mixed together or strawberry and watermelon!

Taqueria El Tacontento is cheap, yes, and it’s on the Berkeley campus. That’s about the beginning and the end of it. I don’t know why all of these undergraduates are salivating so hard about it. The ingredients are prison-​and-​high-​school industrial-​grade quality – soggy overcooked veggies, not-​too-​appetizing tortillas and tacos, flavorless beans, etc. I eat there because it’s cheap and I’m happy with that, but let’s not get carried away.

These guys make the best tacos. This is the only place I’ve found where the tacos come «regular» style with rice, beans, meat, salsa, hot sauce, and chips. I get the regular steak taco with guacamole, and sometimes a special aqua fresca that’s a blend of all the best flavors. SO CHEAP, so yummy, so friendly, so don’t let panda express kick these guys out.

best mexican restaurant in the uc berekeley campus area. my favorite dishes are the taco salad and the veggie burrito. plus they are cheap! :)

OH MY. Two of my friends and I would meet here at least once a week for every week the last year I attended school here. It’s pretty much amazing. Well, I only get two things, but they are both AMAZING:
— steak breakfast burrito — best I have found ANYWHERE
— grilled chicken quesadilla — muy delicioso!
I tell everyone about this place because it’s surprising – especially being on campus – and it’s a must-​try.

I regret not trying this earlier! After urgings of a second friend, I finally got my ass to the on campus food court for some potato-​filled Mexican food. I am a big fan of potatoes.
The menu was really difficult to read, but there were Breakfast items, Nachos, Tacos, Burritos, Quesadillas, and Agua Frescas at least. I ordered what was labeled as the «Flour Chesse Quesadilla» (but I said «cheese» instead) as opposed to the «Corn Quesadilla.» They used one tortilla with cheese, scooped on some potatoes and salsa, and then wrapped it up like a burrito.
Never had a quesadilla that way, but it was SO GOOD. Satisfying, juicy, and cheesy… and a great deal at $ 3. I do wish they had the option of meat – I’ll have to investigate next time. My friend told me that afterwards I’d feel like I was going to have a heart attack, but honestly I felt pretty healthy. How bad can a tortilla, some cheese, some potatoes, and a bit of tomatoes be for me?
I also tried an Agua Fresca for the first time. They had six flavors of fresh juice, including strawberry, watermelon, lemon, and cantaloupe. I got the cantaloupe ($ 1.25/small) and it was quite good after some ice melted and it got less sweet. I loved the bits of cantaloupe pulp, although the guy next to me in class looked at me like I was retarded («Are you okay?» he asked) when I almost dropped the cup on myself while stubbornly attempting to suck up the pulp.
Very much recommended for starving students!

I love this place. The food is pretty good for the price you pay, and it’s the closest «Mexican» restaurant/​fast food place around Berkeley where you can get pretty authentic mexican food
I love getting the tortas and the burritos. Although it’s kind of a assembly line format, I love how each bite of my burrito I can taste the sauce of the carne and they overload my burrito. In addition, the service is great. They love speaking spanish to you and the cashier is hilarious. Plus, agua fresca de toda lo que quiera.
Downside: they dont’ sell Gorditas :(

Simply put, yumlicious and cheaplicious. I always have the veggie burrito, either super ($ 5.99, I think) or regular ($ 3.75), and it’s one of the best I’ve had. This place doesn’t bore me with only bean ‘n’ cheese veggie options, like some places – they offer sauteed veggies (usually zucchini, carrots, corn) or potatoes. I’ve been told their meat burritos are good, too. The main difference between a good burrito and a bad one in my book? Distinct flavors. I like that at Tacontento you can taste each individual ingredient, including the salsa… mmm.

This place makes consistently good veggie burritos and vegetarian tacos. I’m actually always surprised how good it tastes for the type of place it is. Yes, it’s fast food – but it’s not a chain, and it’s on campus, which gets a little boost to the rating. The staff are also very friendly, and they manage to chat/​joke with regulars and serve food realllly quickly at the same time. Recommended if you want a little Mexican between classes.

This is like the Panda Express of Mexican food, but it definitely does the trick. I’m a fan of the «Super Nachos» (oh yeah, very authentic sounding) as well as the numerous agua frescas. Do you guys ever get hungry while you are writing your Unilocal reviews? I just got hungry. Anyhow, a bit more info:
When it’s open:
Expect the taqueria to be closed any time the UC Berkeley campus would be closed, such as on weekends and major holidays.
Where to find it:
I should mention that this place is on the UC Berkeley campus, but is open to the public. It is not visible from the street, so look for The Bears Lair (pub) on Bancroft Ave. and behind it are take-​out restaurants including El Tacontento.