Taco Del Mar

Dude you forgot the guacamole! I didn’t even want it to begin with and got charged an extra dollar and then you didn’t even put it on… The burrito was just a pile of slop in a tortilla anyway. Not going back.

I like this place. The space is kind of cramped but there’s plenty of seating outside in the courtyard. The cashier is funny and super-​friendly.
It’s cheap Mexican food but it’s fresh, delicious, and you can see everything that goes into your order which makes it even better. I am defintely going back there!

The food is decent, nothing to rave about, but good enough. My problem is with the guy at the register, I believe he is the owner. I used to come here often with a punch card, often on Mondays because it’s double punch day. This guy starting acting annoyed when I would ask it to be punched… Don’t even get me started about times when I would actually get 10 punches and get the $ 5 off… Umm, why promote something publicly, but act like you’re being taken when customers actually take advantage of the offer. SO, I got rid of the punch card because the $ 5 off just wasn’t worth the scowls and obvious annoyance by the owner anymore. Continued to go there not quite as often, but still on a semi-​regular basis UNTIL, one day I gave the guy a $ 20 and he only gave me change for a $ 10. I pointed this out and he gave me the fakest «are you sure?» kind of look. When I threw back my «dude, c’mon now, we both know you’re lying through your teeth» look, he quickly gave me an additional $ 10. He totally knew he was busted… I wonder how many times he’s actually gotten away with that. Too bad for him that he did this to a regular customer…

This Taco Del Mar is the best Taco Del Mar I’ve been to. For that, it gets 4 stars.
This tacos aren’t dripping with water (most other locations) and there’s fresh tomato on the rice & beans. There’s even tea as an option instead of soda.
If you aren’t familiar with the chain, go read someone else’s reviews.

Typical downtown location, it’s cramped and loud but the food is decent. I would like to see them add more seats inside but that may not be an option.

We ordered lunch for our office (24 people) through Eat24 and it was delivered on time, well presented and with an easy-​to-​understand list so everyone could find their individual meal easily. They got every order absolutely right and provided good service.

Not quite my favorite quick Mexican food, but great for my burrito fix for lunch. Though the food is always tasty enough I have a few other gripes: veggie burritos cost as much as one with meat. Sour cream and guac are packaged as a single extra. You get both for $ 1.50 more. If you only want guac, $ 1.50. Only sour cream $ 1.50, Extra guac. $ 9million. Things like this irritate me because it shows that what you’re paying for isn’t reflective of the cost of what you’re eating.

Some horrible reviewers here. Yes this is a chain. No, not authentic. But it’s good food and I’ve never had a bad veggie burrito from any Taco Del Mar branch.

I really do like to eat at Taco Del Mar because it’s a quick and easy way to get americanized Mexican food. I almost always get the Taco and Enchilada Platter with a fish taco and random meat enchilada depending on my mood. Of all the mexican places, they have my favorite fish taco. It is only good when it gets all the fixings.
For some reason, this particular location always seems to be missing something. Instead of the usual line where you could decide in ingredients as they make your plate, this place does everything on thier own without your choice. They are ALWAYS missing something. The first time was great. The second time, they pulled out a premade enchilada plate from somewhere and tried to heat it up. It was not even warm when I got back to my office. The third time, they forgot to put white sauce on my fish taco… it made it taste dry and drunchy from the cabbage. I plan to keep going there because I like Taco Del Mar if they do it right, but I think from now on, I will have to be that annoying customer that «back seat» tells you how you need to make my food every step of the way. Sorry but you made me do it…
Other than that, they are really nice people. Always happy looking.

As far as Mexican food Taco Del Mar is not that place to go. It made me sick for a week and I eat almost anything. I will never step into another Taco Del Mar.

Yesterday was Monday, which means double punch Mondays at Taco Del Mar. Ten punches gets you five dollars off a meal.
Anyway, after going to San Diego and eating at El Cuervo’s, Taco Del Mar just seems… bland. The tortillas are rather plain, the rice is flavorless, and the salsa lacks kick. It is a rather uninteresting and inspiring meal.
That being said, they have sweet tea, which I like.

Taco Del Mar de my quick lunch fixin’.
Chicken quesadilla plus a chip & quac side. It’s fairly quick and satisfyingly good. Also the multi-​tea dispenser is neat: 4 buttons, one spout.

i go there on my lunch break whenever i need a burrito fix. it’s not like like the family run mexican restaurants i used to go to in college in NC, but it’s ain’t horrible by any means. i usually get the spinach or tomato tortilla (cuz i think the processed stuff they put in the tortilla to give them the right to call it a spinach or tomato tortilla is better for me than the regular flour tortilla), refried beans, shreaded beef (b/​c it seems like it might be more lean than the ground beef, and overall, it’s more like real beef, and who really knows what is in ground beef, anyway), and HOT sauce (cuz i like the burn!!). it’s a really decent $ 5 burrito.

This Taco del Mar doesn’t match up to the other locations I’ve been to in the U-​District and around Portland. I ended up eating a nondescript and mediocre burrito — it wasn’t bad, but also isn’t going to be a top choice for future meals.

I’m OK with Taco Del Mar (TDM), for the most part. The food is usually pretty good, and it seems to be a bit fresher than other fast food that’s out there. My one complaint about TDM is that if you order a crispy taco, the salsa/​lettuce combo is so watery that by the time you get to eating it, the taco shell is too soggy and wet. If you don’t eat it fast, it’ll get messy really quickly.
As a side note for all the «Mexican food snobs» reviewing Taco Del Mar… if you’re such a Mexican food expert, why did you even bother going to TDM in the first place? Obviously it’s not authentic — it’s a chain fast food restaurant! To go there and expect an authentic dish is like complaining that the surfing really sucks over at the city pool.

For what it is, it’s not horrible. I just wish I could enjoy it as much as everyone else who I know that likes it does. Regardless of location, something about this place always hits my stomach in the wrong way. Last time I went I ended up feeling like crap the entire night and had to cancel my movie plans with friends. Sometimes I go there when I’m feeling optimistic about wether or not it’ll give me the gut-​rot and more often than not my hopes and dreams are shattered.
I think it might be from their sour cream or guacamole. I used to be lactose intolerant when I was much younger. While it doesn’t cause a problem much anymore, I would would suspect there’s something to do with that which is why I can’t enjoy their food that much. I had their nacho plate a while ago and passed on the sour cream and guacamole; turned out pretty good and didn’t have any unexpected surprises later. Just something to take note for those who might have a sensitivity to dairy. I’ve never (read: very rarely) had an issue like this eating at Chipotle, Q’doba, Taco Bell, Taco Time or any other mexican place in the Seattle area.
They’re pretty stingy when it comes to the punch-​cards too. I’m not sure if this is just who I’ve dealt with in the past, but combining cards is a big no-​no apparently. As is trying to use cards that were given to you by another location; apparently you’re supposed to frequent only ONE Taco Del Mar. Needless to say, my experience with their counter staff has been less than amazing.
I think Taco Del Mar used to be a lot more popular before Chipotle and Q’doba rolled into town; once that happened the quality of their food and shoddy customer service became a lot more apparent.

Wow …
You suck.

How do I say, what is WRONG with you people? Taco Del Mar doesn’t claim to be «the authentic taste of Mexico» anywhere, its your typical damn good americanized Mexican food. Most of us America folks are fine with the americanized version of foreign foods cuz we don’t wanna have flaming arses after eating. I love Taco Del Mar, and they haven’t screwed my food up yet. Going there during peak hours is best for freshness, but all the locations I’ve been to (about 12 now) are WONDERFUL! 5 Stars from me, I eat there very often and Taco Bell is far below TDM on the food chain. TDM can at least do better tacos and burritos than Arse-​licker (Azteca). :) Enjoy! Get the Super Burrito or Chicken Tacos, skip the Enchiladas.

Since I didnt bring a lunch to work today, and have been pretty good on my diet, I decided to use today’s lunch as my ‘cheat’ meal of the week.
As a lover of Taco del Mar, and how some TdM’s get it oh so wrong, I believe this one got it right. A nice crispy shell, liberal amount of chicken, and just the right amount of lettuce and pico de gallo. I also got rice and pinto beans. Not a huge fan of pinto beans, but since I am going to retire from refried beans, pinto will do. Haven’t tried black though, which I hear are actually better for you than pinto… oops. I was able to enjoy this meal while reading the current issue of Real Change I bought from a vendor outside.
I also like the assembly line of this place. Usually you have to walk them through what you want while they are putting the food together. Here, they just ask what you want on your tacos, give you a cup and reciept, and you just walk over to the side while they fix it. And a couple of times there was a cute little baby at the counter with big beautiful eyes. One woman even asked the cashier if she could carry the baby.
Rock!

After living in Tucson, AZ for a few years you learn the real meaning of Mexican food. You know what carne asada is meant to taste like and the true meaning of a sonoran hot dog from a stand on the road. This place is an insult to the word Mexican.
If you are craving some sort of cheap Mexicanish food, I would tell you to eat at Taco Bell way before I would ever mention this place as somewhere to consume food.