El Trigo

Great Mexican food for a good price. The location is not easily spotted and seems like a hidden gem off of University Ave in Riverside. The place seems family-​owned and the cashiers are always kind. The carne asada tacos are amazing and the red salsa pairs well with everything. They give you PLENTY of limes too.
Overall,
Food — 5
Location — 4
Service — 5

This is a great little place in an older part of riverside. Yummy home made corn tortillas are the cherry on top!

We were thinking of going to go to another taco place but found this one on Unilocal.This place was awesome I had the short rib tacos with green sauce with home made corn tortillas.

There tacos de Chicharon are the bomb! However I have not been impressed with any of the other items on there menu carne asada was not good dis not like the flavor. I have tried sipes burritos Pozole and wasn’t a big fan however if you like chicharon then this is the place to go they make it just like you would get it in Mexico it’s delicious!

Absolutely love this place! First time I came here I had shrimp tacos and they were beyond perfection. The amount of flavor put into those tacos were beyond me.
The second time I came here I have asada and chicken tacos. Once again, they were freaking delicious. The asada was not too chewy or hard and chicken was chopped which I prefer when it comes to chicken tacos because you can actually taste the flavor in it.
Today I had an asada burrito with beans, rice, asada, and salsa and it was delicious! I’d give them 5-​stars based on what I ordered, but my mom got a torta and the meat wasn’t great, could barely taste the mayonnaise, and for some odd reason they used wheat bread; it was really disappointing, but now we know for next time.
Key points:
*Chicken, asada, and shrimp tacos A++
*Customer service A++
*Very small space
*Cash tip only
*Speedy service

Delicious authentic mexican food. I always get 2 Green enchiladas with beans. the beans taste just like my moms which keeps me going back.
I love that its so close to UCR which makes it easy for me to stop by for lunch. I’d definitely recommend that people go there.

I have been coming here for years and I will be eating here for many more. THIS. IS. AUTHENTIC. No joke I’m pretty sure they could make any Mexican dish given the proper preparation. Let me break it down for you:
1) Fresh! Tortillas made from scratch. Meats purchased from local markets. Meals cooked to order. Nearly everything on the menu is made from scratch like your grandmother would make it for Easter Sunday.
2) Carnes! The selection and understanding of traditional meats, methods of preparing them and overall flavor is next level. This kind of flavor comes from GENERATIONS of outstanding food traditions. It’s all in the family.
3) Sauces/​Salsas. Go look in your refrigerator. You see that green or red stuff that has a label on it that says «salsa». Go throw that sh*t out right now because it does not deserve to exist in the same world as these salsas. And that rue that they put on the chile relleno… GTFO
Do not believe the hype. Experience a little piece of heaven for yourself. Today.

super fan of cuertos and chicharron tacos.
(+)
you find the spot and you’ll know its family owned
Letty is the best host to see when you walk in the door
service is quick and attentive. very hard working.
open at early hours, serving menudo all days of the week! (hangover cure)
affordable, but its adds up quickly
house salsa is thee best
actually…all the salsas are pretty damn delicious
(-)
limited seating, watch out taco tuesday goers
single bathrooms
horchata is not the best here.
(=)
honestly, its my go-​to taco place in riverside. in general, its #1 just because its dine-​in and i love the owners’ hospitality. and I will never leave without at least 1 order of cuertos!
devoured & conquered
tacos — chicharron, carne asada, cuertos, rancheros /​/​chicken flautas /​/​carne asada nachos /​/​menudo

El Trigo is great. I usually get a torta ahogada with carnitas. Always had great service too.

Ive lived not even a block from El Trigo for about a year and a half and visited for the first time ever yesterday afternoon. And I wanted to cry. Because I have been MISSING OUT.
This is a small place that you’d never hear about if not for a recommendation from a friend, or spotting it while walking past. Theres actually a good amount of space inside, it doesn’t feel cramped when you sit down to eat. There are a ton of choices– standard mexican fare but one of my favorite parts was that they have many choices of meat that other mexican places near by don’t offer. I has a torta with Birria and a carne asada taco, boyfriend had the same– but with Carnitas on his torta. The meat was tender and delicious and the torta itself was nicely put together although a little soggy from the beans. I still devoured it. The tacos were DELISHHHH perfectly seasoned and nice tortillas. The chips and salsa were A1 and I’m thinking of going by later just to take some home to snack on.
Service was great! Very very sweet server and cashier. I wish we had known it was Cash tips only so that we could have left more than a $ 1 tip (so rude but we didn’t have any other cash– we’ll have to tip extra next time) Oh and the prices were right where they should be– not very pricy but not so cheap that you get suspicious of the quality (which was great, BTW) We loved it and we’ll be back super soon!

This place is Mexican approved! If you’ve read my prior reviews, you know I’m a taco connoisseur and I grew up eating my Mexican abuelita’s dishes. If you want home cooked Mexican meal, then this is your place. They have delicious home made tortillas. I’ve only been a couple of times and have had the birria con consome during every visit. My husband has had the enchiladas and the lengua en salsa — both were very tasty. Micheladas were spicy but hit the spot. Definitely a place we will visit again and again and again :)

Lovely food; good beer; extra chips worth paying for at 1.89! Salsa is Lovely and fresh w lots of herbs and homemade flour and corn tortillas some off best we have had; I had stuffed chilies and other person had carnitas. Lovely service; right off the 91.

Love this place
And am the chef at this restaurante so come on over were very friendly and helpful at El Trigo vertical delicious food. 5 stars cause are food is bomb

Best Mexican restaurant in Riverside for the food. For ambiance I say Tio’s, but El Trigo is cheap, fast, and incredible.

Best tacos I’ve had! The homemade tortillas and salsa is fantastic! The employees are very nice and helpful. I wished we lived in the area!

Excellent tacos. Homemade corn tortilas. I highly recommend this establishment. You won’t be disappointed in the food.

We have had a great experience every time we have come here. The beans & rice are excellent, real home cooked flavor in every dish.

Depends on who you talk to. I would have given it a 2 star rating because I am still looking for something I could love here. But Mr. B felt it was 5 star all the way. So I have to compromise for now.
You will find El Trigo nestled in a modest neighborhood away from major streets. It is definitely a hole in the wall, easy to pass by and never know it exists. It must survive on reputation of the locals, the hard working classes with modest budgets.
First came the super thin chips and salsa. The chips were magnificent. The salsa, very gringo (like I should be the one to complain. Actually, I was looking for something a bit more spicy.)
Lengua Ranchero and Lengua Verde — This is the dish that Mr. B swears by. He has had lengua twice… and it was great each time. He is adamant that having it simmered in the sauce makes the difference.
The Puerco de Chile Verde burrito was ok, but I am so spoiled by outstanding, savory chile verde now, I would look past this in the future. Eduardo’s in Corona, Casa Diaz in Mira Loma, Rodeo Café in Norco, now *that’s* what we’re talking about.
My Al Pastor hand taco was quite disappointing. Again, I’m spoiled by far grander recipes, both in Mexico and in my home town. Sanchez Taco in Corona, Casa Diaz in Mira Loma are far better around this neighborhood.
The Chile Relleno was also a major let down. It should have an abundance of good, melty cheese inside. Frankly, this one was put on a diet. Nothing to return for. And the beans, meh.
Good prices, but for me, lackluster flavors.

You can tell a lot about a Mexican place by the salsa. There are very few places with good salsa and bad food, and there are no places with bad salsa and good food. So when I tried the salsa, I knew I had a really good chance of getting really good food.
I ordered 4 a’la carte tacos, cabeza, lengua, pollo and asada ranchero style. All were really good. I was a little concerned about the asada being dry (I have an issue), but it wasn’t. They brought house made chips and salsa when I sat down, I had a bottle of Coke with the meal, and the whole things was a bit over $ 8. Cheap!
It isn’t like I am in the area often, but if I find myself in need of a little authentic Mexican food when I am in around, then I will be back.

Don’t let the area fool you. Its not in the best neighborhood but you won’t be disappointed.
From the inside its clean and actually bigger than It looks from the outside. It has an older feel to it but never the less, clean.
My dish was really good. I was pretty impressed since I had my doubts when we drove up.
I ordered 1 sope with rice and beans. No need to order 2 because it is HUGE! And best of all, it’s homemade! A lot of restaurants buy the sopes and fry it on a per order basis. Not here! It was very good. The beans are super good as well. Along with the salsa and chips.