El Chilango Taqueria

Hmmmmmmm let me see.
ok ok, I believe the only reason why we tried this place was because it was just around the corner from our old stomping grounds and there was a groupon special.
Pretty much our hunt for the best asada burrito continues and this place is not it. Sorry to say that this place falls short of both customer service and well what we’re looking for, the best ASADA burrito.
Now I’ve tried the Al Pastor burrito and although the seasoning is how it should be I have to say that I’m not a fan of it. The Asada burrito lacked pretty much what it needs to be great, FLAVOR! but I do have to say that the beans are quite delicious and tender.
As for their chicken burrito I have to say that it kicks some serious ass, no really it does… So if you’re looking for some good chicken burritos I really recommend this place but not for the asada.
The service was terrible, now I don’t know who this person was, it might have been the owner or something like that but he was just sitting at one of the tables like ‘oh god can’t you see i’m stuffing my face with crappy food that is made here and watching my novelas’, with his free soup bowl hair cut and an extra small t shirt that said «look at me I’m buff» attitude.
Well sir, yes the food is crappy except for the kick ass chicken burrito but that is all.
Once again people, customer sevice is not here and don’t know if it will show up any time soon. As for ME I sure won’t come back to find out but please try their chicken burritos or chicken flautas, they’re pretty damn good.
2 stars from me.

Okay so this review is now being written after having eaten both inside and to-​go at least 4 different times over the past 2 months or less.
Also my quest for the holy grail of Carne Asada Super Burritos is what led me here however in a surprising twist of events it is their chicken that rocks the house and is all that I will now eat from this place as its that good and all the other meats I did not like what so ever…
PRO’s: Chicken. Their chicken is the best I’ve had out so far since being in Sac. I did just experience Chando’s Taco’s over the weekend which was damn good as well so it might be a draw but their Chicken here is solid. Which chicken you may be asking well so far they only have one variety to choose from. It’s pre-​marinated, seasoned and then cooked to perfection and shredded and cut into bite sized pieces… I’ve had it in their super burrito and in their taquito’s both were beyond delicious!
LOCATION: Very convenient as they are located in the Grocery Outlet shopping center there off of the corners of Watt and Whitney. There’s also my favorite smoke shop, a Dollar Store & Ming’s Palace amongst other convenient shops within this center and a work out facility although I can’t recall which one it is at the moment. Oh and a donut shop too! And a 7 Eleven smack dab across the street…
Salsa Bar: They have a really good salsa bar when its open and stocked. It is not readily available as it appears that they only leave it open and available during the earlier hours of the day. This is an issue for me as I love salsa and jalapenos with my meal. See «CON’s» below for more narrative on this subject…
Outdoor seating: They have two very cute outside bistro tables with chairs for outside seating and I must admit that I do love this option…
CON’s: They are very very chintzy with their quantities of food as well as their salsa and jalapenos… If your dining in you can hit the salsa bar as often as you like that is until they break it down hours before closing and put it all away and then give you some attitude if you ask for salsa and jalapenos while you sit down to enjoy your meal.
It’s even more scarce if your order is to-​go. We ordered more than once 2 – 3 different plates/​items and even though I asked for a generous amount of salsa and jalapenos to-​go with the order they gave us two half full teeny tiny plastic containers of day old salsa and 4 equally as scarce slices of jalapeño. When I asked for more I was informed that they would have to charge for it as unless we were eating in and not taking it to go that’s how they roll…
Poor Form and cheap! Dislike strongly the customer service or lack there of…
Carne Asada: Did not like at all. It was devoid of flavor tasted previously frozen and they give a very skimpy amount of it within the burrito…
Beans: I love great freshly prepared beans and it’s a hit or miss, sometimes they are fresh other times they have tasted like they have been previously frozen and unless your sensitive to tastes such as myself you might not pick up on that but I have and prefer them fresh…
Al Pastor: This was a first for me as I’d never experienced this before and although I did not like it at all due to the ‘allspice’ flavorings of it my man who’s a Mexican said that is usual and customary for Al Pastor and that although he does not prefer it either in comparison to other restaurants that it was «good» for Pastor…
Although this place was über close to our casa we just moved so I won’t be frequenting here as much as I would have before but their chicken is just that good that I will swing in when in the neighborhood…

The food was authentic, large portions, hot, and most of all delicious. Will be a regular! You must try it.

I’ve had my chilango-​dar set to sensitive for some time, and it was blippin’ pretty furiously last time I drove down north Watt Avenue. El Chilango Taqueria has moved into the spot formerly occupied by Taqueria y Pasteleria San Marcos behind the UPS Store in the Arcade Square Shopping Center (which is anchored by a Grocery Outlet). Tortas Chilangas are their specialty, and pambazos and gorditas en estilo de D.F. are the other chilango delights that stick out on the menu.
On my first visit, my girlfriend and I split a torta called the «guapachoso», and we each had one taco al pastor. «Guapachoso» confounds the Google-​translator, but I’ve learned that it relates to lithe and lively tropical rhythms. I’m not so sure what’s so tropical about this torta, but when you split it in two, it’s the right serving size if you wanna enjoy the full flavor combination of milanesa and pierna (pork leg) plus two types of gooey cheese and still be lithe and lively.
Typically, any torta combining milanesa with another meat makes for muy messy munching and mucho slippage along the x-​axis between the meats, each lubricated in their own grease. But El Chilango’s guapachoso was incredibly drama-​free. It stayed completely composed despite its fulsome ingredients. Yet, its bolillo buns were not billowy pillows of bad carbs. They were really rather svelte, but certainly spongy enough to aid in keeping the torta structurally sound ’til the last bite. The milanesa itself was remarkable for its edibility, too. Often, milanesa can be a little tough and chewy and the main culprit for torta contents to become dislodged as your incisors try to tear through it, but El Chilango’s milanesa was tender from edge to edge.
The tacos al pastor were good, though not truly exceptional. If you might like Chando’s adobada better without the bits of pineapple, maybe these tacos would be a worthy alternative for the same price.
Although El Chilango is only a taqueria and not also a pasteleria, there is one sweet treat on the menu which looks eminently enticing… churros with ice cream. In the picture, it looked like a deluxe banana split with churros instead of bananas, plus a sauce of Mexican chocolate drizzled on top.
I’ve got this dessert plus those gorditas en estilo de D.F. on my list for next time. If that pans out, then certainly El Chilango is not only an excellent taqueria for this area, it might be worth a visit from halfway across the entire Sac Metro area from time to time!