Manny’s Taco Cart

Manny runs strictly catering now!
Last I spoke with him, he’s busy until July! But definitely give him a call for all your catering needs!

I loved Manny’s Taco Cart because it was so convenient; you just stumbled out of the bars and found great food made to order at really affordable prices. Sadly, brick & mortar restaurants didn’t like the competition from the plucky upstart taco cart so they got the city to shut them down due to a BS zoning law. Luckily, Manny is still in business but he has been forced to buy a food truck instead of his old taco cart. Unluckily the cops harass him so he has to move the truck every couple of hours so he can sometimes be hard to find but he’s still there and is a part of San Diego’s wonderful and growing food truck scene.
Check out this article from the San Diego Reader about Manny and his struggle against the city:

After an evening of boozing it up in Normal Heights, it’s nice to have a place to stumble to right outside the bar because the restaurant kitchens nearby are closed and you don’t exactly want to drive anywhere (yet) or spend much more because you gave out most of your cash on the bar tab [
.
Manny’s «TJ» Tacos answers the call with their food truck parked in the lot between The Ould Sod and Corner Liquor, with a folding sign on the sidewalk [
. They’ve got a decent menu variety to keep even the most experienced Fourth Mealer interested in trying something new, but that may be prove more difficult since there could be a couple of reliable food items that you can’t get away from [
[
.
I went with a triple threat of TJ tacos: Al Pastor, Bucha, and Tinga [
. All were piled high with savory fillings and I added some fresh cut cilanto, onions, and salsas from their condiment table. My particular faves were the Al Pastor & Tinga tacos. At a total cost under $ 5.00, this is a great deal for a lot of tasty food. Even a designated driver could enjoy these yummy, filling tacos.

I just ate 2 carnitas tacos and…
Enough said but for the one’s who don’t get it they rock!!!

I used to live around the corner from Manny’s Taco Cart and it was utilized greatly on many weekend nights when friends would come over. Great prices and delicious food and they clearly have a lot of fun.

Meh.
Considering I was buzzed and really hungry when I tried their tacos… I was not impressed at all.
However, when factoring in that they are located north of the 94 fwy… then it’s pretty alright.
Just in terms of comparison to other taco places I have been to in San Diego, it’s about average. Not worthy of 5 stars in my opinion.
The guy behind the window was really friendly and was surprised that I knew Spanish… let alone that I was Mexican. He kind of bragged that customers told him that there wasn’t other taco places like his in San Diego. I gave him a look of whatchutalkin’ bout willis and told him, «Uh, yeah there is! Just go south»
Note: I get kind of sassy when I am drunk.
I tried the hotdog, carne asada taco, al pastor and cabeza.
(I was really hungry, ok)
None really stood out. The meat lacked a little flavor.
They had a good selection of toppings such as lime, green onion and salsas… that was nice. However, (this is a big however) they were sitting in open containers along the side walk. I question the cleanliness of this place.
Plus, it kind of sucked to just stand there on the side walk (in heels) to eat my food.

Tongue & Head. Don’t even start with the dirty jokes… I’ve heard them all. Lol.
Seriously — lengua and cabeza… so tasty — definitely the best of the bunch, and I sampled all of them but the tripe. Carne Asada was pretty good too. Carnitas and Buche weren’t bad. I wasn’t really a fan of the Al Pastor.
Also tried the bacon wrapped hot dog — good, but I think I’ll be sticking to the tacos.
They are inside the liquor store on on the corner. And at $ 1.25/taco — you can’t beat that deal! Can’t wait to go back!

Epic drunk grub.

So I just got back from Manny’s Taco Cart (or as people have mentioned… window) and had to rush to the computer to review how awesome this place was.
First off, Manny was friendly and helpful. He recommended the normal carne asada and then asked if I was a little adventurous (Psh. of course I am, this is me we’re talking about). So he recommended the cabeza (head) and lengua (tongue). Yup, definitely adventurous Taylor out tonight!
I got 6 tacos in total (2 carne asada, 1 chorizo, 1 cabeza, 1 lengua, and 1 carnitas) and guess the price?
Okay, have you guessed yet?
It was $ 7.50. Seriously, 6 good sized tacos for $ 7.50. So now onto the food. We added some of the spicy salsa and a little lime and were good to go! The tongue was my first tasty treat. The first bite literally melted in my mouth. The second wasn’t as perfect (a little chewy), but was still amazing. The head was next (and yes, I made plenty of jokes about how I wish I could get head every night; and yes, I make these jokes everytime we go to BJ’s as well). This one had a little more of a beef flavor to it and was less chewy, melting again in my mouth. I wanted to save a few for lunch tomorrow, but my curiosity got the best of me, and now I’ll have a lunch filled with 4 tacos with bites out of each of them. My first bite of the chorizo was good, but the carne asada and carnitas were just a bit better. So in the end, I pretty much recommend trying everything.
Four stars for the food, an extra half for being open at this hour, and a final extra half for allowing me to make «this is the best head I’ve ever had» jokes for the whole car ride home!

One of my friends was hungry, so our group went over to find Manny’s Taco Cart. We looked and could not find a cart, but a nice banner let us know where they now called home. They are located inside the Corner Liquor store, and right when we walked in we saw the taco counter on the left. There were many wonderful meats and cheeses for tacos, but we were on a quest that night. We were looking for the coveted bacon wrapped hot dog. I’ve always wanted to try one of these, but for some reason, whenever I get out of a bar, there are never any to be found. Note to any bar owners, think about making these food treats, okay?
We ordered from Manny who was a really nice guy who greeted us with a huge smile. He was friendly, informative and really quick with our food. I couldn’t ask for more. Since it’s in a liquor store, you can go get your beverage of choice while your meal is being prepared. There is a counter containing any condiment I could want. The dogs are available with peppers and onions, but we decided to go plain as we wanted to really taste the flavors of our first bacon wrapped dog.
We paid and left to go a friend’s house, and I couldn’t help but think I like bacon and hot dogs when they aren’t combined, so why not put them together and make their wonder twin powers activate.
The hot dog lasted until we got to the car. I think I heard some sort of harp music and possibly a small tear formed in my right eye as I bit into this wonderful creation.
Since the hot dog was so good, I really can’t wait to try one of the taco’s. If they are even half as good, I’ll be very happy. I recommend this place if you feel like trying something a little different to fulfill your carnivorous craving.

This really should be called Manny’s Taco Window but whatever, why split hairs. I actually love the fact I now order from a guy who then pops his head into a window to get my order going.
That said, these are awesome street tacos! No shysties getting pulled here. Tacos are loaded up with great carne asada, tongue, and al pastor. I have had their hot dogs before but I trip out on the green peppers they put on top. I grew up going down to TJ and eating hot dogs and I don’t remember them having bell peppers. I personally don’t care for it. But whatever. If you like peppers, you will like them.
I also love that you get to dress up your own taco. They have an awesome little salsa table with guac and onions and other goodies. Put as much as you want or put as little. Yummy.
My favorite part about going to Manny’s Taco Window is watching all the people walk by trying to figure out where we got our food. There is no such thing as street food in America and that’s sad and unfortunate. Street food doesn’t mean bad food. It’s quite the opposite. So don’t be afraid. The food is awesome.

mmmm-​mmm-​good. melt in your mouth al pastor and powerfully flavorful carne asada, i can never resist a taco from manny. the price is right, the food is great, and manny is just a really friendly guy! who could ask for more?

So I asked Manny, when they’re there.
He told me something very important.
THEY ARE NOT THERE THE LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH.
That is all. and back to the review.
Right, so now that I’ve been here…
food should not encourage one to drink to then have the munchies .
MMM. Never been to TJ, not sure what a TJ taco especially is. but damn these were good. 5 $ for 4 tacos. got 2 al pastor, one lengua, and one chorizo.
All the meat is cooked super tender. SUPER tender. :].
Very glad to be walking distance. gonna have to figure out what days they are around and maybe plan some more trips over: D.

Hands down best TJ tacos in San Diego! They don’t do fish, but you won’t find a better carne asade, el pastor, or cabeza taco. They also offer other options as well like BACON WRAPPED HOT DOGS and soon they will also have burritos as well.
Their cart has been moving around a bit lately, but now you can find them at the window of the liquor store. They have moved their operation inside. Just talk to Manny outside and he’ll pass your order on to the guys inside.
This place is clean, the food is high quality, and the people are very friendly. This is the lost art of wonderful street food. Get some!

Best tacos this side of the border!
It’s the perfect place to go after having a couple of brews on Adams Avenue. Heck, it’s the perfect place to go when you’re hungry late at night. The tacos are cheap and delicious and the guys prepare them in no time.
P. S.– They seem to have changed their hours slightly– their new hours are Wed-​Sat. 10pm-​3am.

I was very surprised! These tacos were very good kind of reminded me of the ones from Tijuana. I love the Bacon wrapped Hotdogs those are my favorite. It really hits the spot especially after a night out at the Lounge.

Holy crap. When you’re getting hammered at The Ould Sod, this is what you need at the end of your night.
Manny and Armando provided me with a bacon-​wrapped hot dog and two sufficiently stuffed al pastor tacos, all of which were altogether less expensive than a pint of Smithwicks at The Ould Sod, and were more deliciouser than I actually needed them to be at that late hour. And yes: at that late hour, deliciouser is a word.
I’m still drunk, but I’m happy that my mouth is coated with the memory of the deliciousness that is Manny’s Taco Cart.
I predict big things for this little taco cart in the future. Once they become more mobile, which Manny himself said is in his business plan, I will hunt them down and destroy their pastor tacos and hot dogs.