Taqueria El Sabor

I’ve been here a handful of times and every time it’s been nothing less than 5 stars. The food is 5 stars… The prices are five stars… The wait time is 5 stars… Even the freaking salsa bar is five stars!
Yeah, it’s not the coziest joint ever, but they aren’t necessarily in the ‘restaurant business’ but more so the ‘tasty ass inexpensive food business’. The focus here is on authentic, high quality Mexican cuisine at a fair price. The lighting, seating, and general ambiance is just fluff!
I can go down the list, one by one, of all the meals I’ve ordered here, but what’s the point? It would be redundant. «Big servings and good as hell!» pretty much covers every visit.
If you decide to sit down and dine inside, there are free chips and salsa, as well as a delightful salsa bar. It has a variety of salsas (duh) as well as pickled vegetables, pico de gallo, etc.
If you don’t feel like dragging yourself outta the car, however, don’t fret — they have a drive thru!!! Yes. Now you can do your gut a favor and skip Taco Bell and head over to Taqueria El Sabor. No more processed, fast food! Real, flavorful comida! I am sure your bowels will thank me.
All in all, this place is great. If you haven’t been, make a trip. ⁴⁄₅ times I’ve ordered to go, but I always walk in rather than drive thru. I think it’s because it gives me more time to browse the menu, as well as the ability to take advantage of the salsa bar (do you see how obsessed I am with their salsa bar?)
Oh, lastly– they have a happy hour. Sadly it doesn’t include alcohol, but it does include super cheap street tacos! Even cheaper and tastier than those you can buy off a seedy truck in East Tacoma. Definitely something to look into if you are a college student/​trying to budget/​pretty broke.

I’m a big fan of their burritos. Trying the Torta today with carnitas, jalapeño & avocado. Sounds delicious!
My co-​worker has been dreaming about a tortas. Gotta love the lengua & carnitas. You guys do it well! Meats are not bland or dry. Well seasoned & delicious is all I can say.
Thank you again for a great lunch!

I stumbled into this gem today, and have to admit I felt like I was back in Mexico. A few things had me really craving over Taqueria El Sabor. The food was rich in flavor that had me ordering a take home meal just for dinner while I devoured my fajitas for lunch. The staff was extremely friendly and had exquisite service. And lastly the margaritas were on point. You could definitely tell it was a authentic Mexican home made margarita and not some made by some over the weekend mixologist who used the generic grocery store sweet and sour mix.
It takes a lot for me to become a regular at a establishment, but I think this place has done it! If you live in the Tacoma area or are just passing by don’t miss out on some great Mexican food!

I ordered food for takeout at night. The woman working behind the counter was really nice and helpful. And the order was ready quickly. We ordered the carnitas plate, chicken enchiladas plate w/​2 different sauces and a pork tamal. The beans and rice were a tad salty, but still delicious. The carnitas had nice flavor, not too fatty. The enchilada sauces were mild and light but the shredded chicken was DRY. I was super disappointed with the tamal, which was warmed up in the microwave and the masa became rubbery and dry.
The restaurant was clean and had a salsa bar and didn’t charge extra for chips. Salsas were tasty but not very spicy. The overall flavors were mild but still tasty. Had to drop stars because of the super dry tamal and shredded chicken. I’ll still go back for the carnitas and to try something else like tacos or burritos.

I didn’t realize until my second time coming here that I’ve already eaten here! I got the three taco combo (spicy pork, steak, and chicken) on my first time and it’s delicious. Super authentic, pretty on par with popular Mexican places in LA. A little pricey when you compare it with other Mexican places from LA, but you can definitely taste the love in their food! On my second time, I got the bacon breakfast burrito and it’s one of the best breakfast burritos I’ve ever had — I’ve gotten disappointed with breakfast burritos many times and I’m glad I’ve found a place that makes it right. It’s dense and packed with flavor. I was only able to finish half of it and I came in hungry! I love using the avocado, Verde, and red sauce they offer. The habenero sauce is SPICY!!! Even a drop packs a kick.
They have very fast service and bring the food to you after you order. Its never been too busy when I’ve come here, but being next to the community college I’m sure they have a bunch of customers. I highly recommend this place and will go back!

This was our first time here and the waitress was very friendly and inviting. My boyfriend and I ordered the Mexicana and the Burrito Chipotle and it was delicious. Portion sizes are good and prices are fair.
The flan was cold but overall delicious. I wouldn’t mind coming back here soon for lunch!

Due to changing job locations, it had been awhile since I’d been to my FAVORITE Mexican joint and I’m happy to say, nothing has changed. Everything still tasted fresh, FLAVORFUL, and everything is always made-​to-​order. I ordered the combo meal that came with an enchilada, chimichanga, beans, and rice. I got the shredded beef chimichanga, and carnitas enchilada. The meat was very tasty and seasoned to perfection. I always like to add extra heat, so I use the habanero sauce for that extra kick. Keep doing what you’re doing El Sabor! #Yum

I’ve tried food from this place couple of times, and can’t say it’s the best. In fact, the food was very bland and tasteless. My order was messed up once. The only good thing about this place is the prices. They are reasonable for the amount of food you get.

Awesome! Great Mexican food and very fast and courteous service. Don’t miss out on this best kept secret in Tacoma. Also very affordable!

Pretty good, I’d definitely go back, I want to try the breakfast. It was clean and busy inside, the wait was minimal. The salsa bar was good with good options.

A little slice of your traditional California style taqueria in Washington. Dirt cheap, surprisingly clean and amazingly hot sauces to pair with your endless chips. THIS SH*T IS FIRE!

How long has it taken to find you? Why did I wander alone in the darkness so long?
¡Salsas muy magnifico!
This place is a real Mexican food place. Big brother of taco truck. Exhaustive menu, check. Regional favorites, check. Salsa bar, check check check. Any place with optional corn chips wins in my book. Cheap plates, big eats. Need I say more?

The flavors were awesome and such friendly staff! We will for sure go back when in Tacoma!

Totally unexpected to find an awesome authentic hole in the wall Mexican restaurant.
Found on Unilocal and read the reviews. Decided to try it. So glad we did.
I had the Gorditas. Made from scratch. So good.
Loved the fresh salsa bar. Yum!
My girlfriend had the taco salad. It was great.
We’ll be back! !

YUM, YUM, AND YUM. I am mexican and I have to say this food is delicious! I’d been looking for a little taco shop place up here in the northwest, have tried a few but they either don’t have a full menu of mexican foods (i.e. just Tortas like Zocal’s) or they’re not very good. But oh man, this place hit the spot. Anytime I have a craving for real good mexican food, I will definitely be driving out of my way to go to this place. Love the self serve chips and salsa bar too — reminds me of the taco shops I would frequent to where I used to live in the southwest. Delicious, delicious food!

Best cheap eats around! 89 cent street tacos from 3 – 5 plus chips and a great salsa bar. Two of us ate a late lunch for under $ 6. What an awesome surprise find. We tried the chicken, spicy pork, and fried pork and all of them were good.

We are «true authentic» Mexican food FANS and after hearing and reading great reviews, we finally stopped in for dinner.
Unfortunately, we did not care for our food at all.
Our group of 3 ordered steak street tacos, spicy pork street tacos and the carnitas combo plate.
Both orders of the street tacos were EXTREMELY greasy and bland! The steak tacos had an off, sour taste too. Needless to say, they did not get eaten.
The carnitas combo plate was just ok. It too was bland and greasy. I did like the homemade corn tortillas and the Spanish rice was nice and flavorful.
The self serve salsa and chip bar had a nice assortment of taco truck favorites BUT our family doesn’t like self serve chip bars for a very good reason. People can be filthy, disgusting slobs and I prefer they not handle the food I’m about to eat!!! So that ruined it for us!
As my husband and I sit here burping not so nice flavors, we’ve unanimously decided we won’t be back.

Ok, so after a few more trips in I can say I like the place, just do yourself a favor, if you get guacamole, have them give it to you on the side, this way you ensure you get it! I’m a huge fan of the fish taco! I can fill up on 2, and they are under $ 2 each! Pay for a side of guacamole and use it with the free chips.. BAM yummy meal for $ 8 after tip!

While searching for more Mexican food in the PNW, I found this place on Unilocal.If I could give it 4.5 stars, I would.
The beans were authentic and delicious. Rice was flavorful and cooked nicely. The horchata was good too. DIY chips & salsa bar was a hit too!
My partner-​in-​crime got the Enchiladas Rancheras, and it was a little different that we had expected. Tortillas wrapped in onions and peppers all sitting underneath a blanket of grilled and sliced chicken breast. Flavors were good, construction was a little though.
Some of the best mexican I’ve had in the PNW, will definitely be back.

I’ve passed this place a few times and today was the day I wanted to go in and check things out.
Bright and cheery-​You feel welcome here.
Pretty busy-​Many of the tables had people sitting at them and the drive through had a continuous stream which is generally a good sign.
Good service-​After I ordered my meal at the counter, I sat down at a table. When the meal was ready it was brought out to me. I was also checked on later which is really good for a fast food style place. Most times people don’t ask you how things are in a fast food joint.
The furnishings didn’t seem to be a current style, but they were in good repair serving their purpose.
Free-​Self serve chips if you want some nosh before your food is ready AND there is a self service salsa bar as well. The salsas are actually pretty darn good.
My order– Nachos with Asada which was surprisingly big. It comes with sour cream and fresh made guacamole that didn’t cost extra which is a bonus, because many places act as if asking for it will put them out of business if you ask for some to be added or for just a little extra.
Chip concern-​Some of the chips were crispy and some weren’t, so I had hoped they weren’t stale which sometimes chewiness is indicative of being old or having sat out in the open air too long. I don’t think they were stale though. I do know if you make your own chips, sometimes not all will evenly be fried leaving them somewhat chewy, but I also didn’t ask if they made their own chips. That could have cleared up my concern. I prefer a super crispy chip.
Maybe in the future I will try something different that doesn’t include chips.
Looked clean-Didn’t notice any bugs or spiders or anything. The also clear your table for you as there are no trash bins in the eating area. So when you are done, just get up and go.
I didn’t think it was worth of a full 5 stars though, but it was pretty close for a fast food Mexican restaurant.
:)