El Poblano Movil

Fair food but you can’t beat the price.
I stopped here today for lunch and had two small burritos — one of tongue and the other chicken. Or at least that’s what I ordered — the second one was beef not chicken. Still, at $ 1.25 each you can’t complain too much. I was the only one there so the service was lightning fast. The burritos themselves were actually more like soft tacos but tasted pretty good. My only complain would be lack of anything on them that had any heat or stand-​out flavor. I ended up searching around the bus for hot sauce (since most of the bottles were empty) and used them for seasoning instead.
Overall, an okay place to stop if you’re hungry and on a budget but nothing worth going out of your way for.

My first impression was, «What did you say… a food BUS?!»
The food truck/​stand trend is growing, and Unilocal users have already went ballistic reviewing the popular Kogi truck in LA and the 53^rd and 6^th Halal cart in NY — each with over 1000 Unilocal reviews! So what makes EL POBLANO MOVIL different? It’s a food bus, and you can actually eat inside. Yea that’s right, you go up the stairs of the bus entrance and there awaits bar stools and tables on both sides inside the bus!
LA and NY might be beating the race with these food trucks and food stands, but it’s definitely a first sighting for a place like Colorado Springs. Being a spoiled Unilocaler with the extensive list of bookmarks to choose from in CA, it was hard to find any places with more than 5 reviews while visiting my family in Colorado Springs (Denver is a whole different story)!
After hearing about my Unilocal disappointment, my sister was stoked to tell me about this taco bus. It’s the only one around the area, and only the locals know that this is THE BEST (and most unique) PLACE TO GET MEXICAN FOOD IN THE SPRINGS. And now I am here, to tell all Unilocalers out there, especially the ones in Colorado about El Poblano Movil.
The bus derives from the original restaurant «El Poblano,» and this bus is run by a couple and their young son. The lady does all the cooking and we saw her husband and son coming in and out bringing her supplies. It’s parked on the edge of a plaza in an area that’s not so glamorous… as in I recommend not going there at night, but we all know that for GOOD EATS such as this you need to venture out and for the food here, the plunge is necessary.
OK, let’s talk about what’s most important: the FOOD. I will list the menu items but if you remember anything out of this review, remember the «TORTAS!» A bulk of what was on the menu, with detailed descriptions on my favorite choices:
Tortas ($ 5.00 ea) The best tortas (Mexican sandwich for those unfamiliar) I have ever had. Chopped pieces of carne asada smothered with melted white American cheese, topped with slices of tomato, avacado, raw onions, and mayo. All between the best TELERA bread I have ever tasted. It was thick and crunchy, toasted just enough on the outside, and chewy as you take a bite.
Tacos and Gorditas ($ 1.25 ea) The tacos were not too original from the many tacos I’ve had in the past, but definitely satisfied with the gorditas. The only ingredients were pinto beans and your choice of meat, but it tasted like a empanada turned gordita. Similar texture, simple ingredients, but big taste with a little bit of hot sauce. All served with a side of cabbage and sliced radish.
Pupusas ($ 2.00 ea)
Burritos and Quesadillas ($ 5.00 ea)
Sopes ($ 2.00 ea)
Tamales ($ 9.95 /​dozen)
The drinks: your options are from a lot of different types of Mexican soda pops, to old fashioned coke in a bottle, sodas, coconut milk, and of course my favorite, HORCHATA (served in huge sizes).
The location is a bit shady, but it just adds to the entire experience (I suppose), and I had to debate whether or not this place deserves 5 stars because it does NOT meet the typical standards of a luxurious restaurant. But c’mon, we’re talking about REAL AND AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD here, and from my experience, the rating standards are on a completely different scale for this one. It makes me feel a little better that beyond the lack of reviews in Colorado Springs (Denver I didn’t forget you, I’ve already bookmarked all the places to visit soon), there is someplace I can go to for some good food with its own unique style. It’s a pretty rare experience to get to eat like this on a school-​bus type of a platform, but the service, the food, the setting… it does the job right.
The lasting impression? «I want another Torta!»