Tacos Fogoncito Columbus

So… after reading all of the great reviews… they must have been having an off day when I visited Tacos Fogoncito for the first time yesterday.
The young lady that took our order was very pleasant and friendly. There was one person working in the kitchen with a full restaurant. It took a long time to get our small order, at least 25 minutes. I am guessing they were short staffed, as the dining room was… well…filthy. The table we snagged was covered in food and I noticed there was food all over the floor as well. I know this is a small taqueria and not a fine dining establishment, but it was pretty unappealing seeing all of the nastiness. Bathroom… shouldn’t have went in there before I ate. Yucky.
When my bfriend and I finally received our order, we had bellied up to two open spots at the counter. We ordered a chicken taco, pastor taco, steak quesadilla and steak torta. I do not believe they got our order correct. There was nothing that resembled a quesadilla. It was a tortilla with cheese and steak on top. Open faced. I think it was another menu item. I decided not to say anything and just keep that item. The pastor taco that has received so many rave reviews… was terrible. Absolutely DRY meat. It was jerky. I noticed that other Unilocal reviewers posted pics of the pastor on the spit with the pineapples… well that spit had nothing on it. Maybe we got the crappy last bit of meat from the spit? I actually complained about this. We received a replacement pastor taco with 4x more meat on it and it wasn’t bad… but still not this tender, flavorful pastor I was hoping for. No hint of pineapple either. The torta was good,…steak was a bit tough. The chicken taco was very bland. In fact, all of the food lacked flavor. I am willing to give this place another chance… like I said… maybe it was just a fluke and I just went on the wrong day.

It saddens be to only give this place two stars, but I really wasn’t that impressed:/
What I got: I got a chicken taco and a burrito loco
Taste: 3 stars — The chicken taco wasn’t really that great. The chicken was very dry and bland. The burrito loco was a steak burrito filled with the works. This was actually very good, and if I go back, I would just get the burrito next time. The burrito came with chips — half were very stale and the rest were just kind of stale. The green and adobo salsa is good, but the adobo is HOT. I think that’s why they give you so many cucumbers lol.
Location: 2 stars — Sketchy sketchy sketchy. It’s crazy what a difference an intersection makes. I actually missed it the first time, the strip mall is immediately south of the S. Hamilton/​E. Broad intersection. It’s on the far right of the strip with a little sign on top. If you’re going to eat it in your car, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS DELICIOUS PLEASE PARK SOMEWHERE NORTH!
Mobility/​messiness: 2 stars — No drive thru, but they do have carry out. I couldn’t find their menu anywhere online. This made calling ahead difficult (I took pics of the menu if you need it!) It’s served in styrofoam containers and plastic baggies. With the salsa and everything else, there is some assembly required. The burrito I took out of the foil and that was a mistake lol. At one point there must have been a pin-​sized hole in the side because a STREAM of sour cream came gushing out all over myself. Luckily this was after work and I was parked close to home. So if you’re eating this on a lunch break, just be careful!
Atmosphere/​employees: 4 stars — Not bad, it’s just a little place. The lass that took my order was kind.
Will I go back? I might… if I did I’d get the burrito again. Maybe try different tacos on a Thursday when they’re cheaper.

All I can say is WOW! I had some low expectations coming in here, even with the stellar Unilocal reviews. Seriously, don’t judge a book by its cover, people! The guac was sooo good, and the salsa verde on the table sent me googling for recipes! We got the el pastor tacos, pork «shawarma style» with pineapple, onion, and either cilantro or culantro, I couldn’t tell. Small but satisfying — 2 was a decent-​sized meal, with chips and guac. The teens got to burritos locos, which both 12-​yo boys were only able to finish half. $ 23 to feed all four of us, and we left feeling full and happy!

Had the taco totes with al pastor. Extremely good !
Looked a little sketchy when I pulled up but is nice inside and food outstanding.

How did I miss this place for so long?
Yes, located in bad part of town but seeing two police cars parked while they were inside eating helped.
Place was packed and they were out of pork. But no problem and it’s ok.
Had beef tongue taco, steak taco and quesadilla to go.
EVERYTHING was perfect and tasted wonderful. The green sauce is refreshing and the cucumber slices are a great plus to help with spicy contrast.
I am going back with or without police escort. Lol
Staff is very attentive and nice. Can tell they take pride in their work.

Went here for lunch. Fast service. 8 Execellent, fresh tacos. I ordered 5 tacos, 2 chicken, 2 al pastor (seasoned pork), 1 beef tongue. The tacos are smaller than traditional american tacos, and very basic. I think it helps the flavor of the meat stand out. I ordered all without cheese. It was essentially meat, cilantro, onion, on 2 soft corn tortilla for each taco.
I started with the beef tongue. I tried a couple pieces of the meat by itself and it was very good, seasoned well. I wanted some heat so i added some sliced peppers they have sitting out in bowls. The peppers are in what i think is a vinager based marinade. They are fairly hot, i think most of the peppers are habanero. Great flavor with some added heat. I went to the pork and then chicken from there. The al pastor was my favorite, chicken least favorite but still good. They have a green sauce in a squirt bottle that tasted really fresh, I’m guessing it had cilantro and lime in it. Overall great lunch place, I’ll be going back for sure.

I have been here 4 times. It is in a run down strip but don’t let that stop you. The inside isn’t much either but it is clean. Bring a coat holes in ceiling bring in tons of cold air plus I don’t think they have heat. Food is delicious. I get the steak tacos which have incredible flavor. My husband loves the el pastor tacos. Order at the counter and they bring food to you. They bring a red and green sauce. The first visit they bring a silver bowl with habanero relish. Use sparingly. Yum! Last two visits they didn’t bring to us but brought to everyone around us. Which brings me to the reason for my 3 stars — service. It seems that if you don’t speak the language you don’t get the best service. Just saying that’s how it appears. Last visit our guacamole was delish but the chips were stale — no taste not crispy. No one seemed to care. All I got was ok!!! I paid for stale chips that I didn’t enjoy. The attitude and service will be their downfall. Also fixing the ceiling and turning on the heat would be a plus.
Updated as of May 2016. — have gone regularly. Service much friendlier and better. Don’t think it’s air conditioned though. Food is delish !

What a weekend! This is the 3^rd 5 star winner I’ve found over this weekend. This place was just traditional and authentically, crack addicting taco place. They make crack tacos. That’s the only explanation why my fat ass couldn’t stop eating them. They’re so good I can’t help but swear. Apparently, they sell pastor tacos 2 for 1 on Thursdays so prepare for me to die from an over dose of crack tacos.
A little about the food: they’re fresh. They have a pineapple on top that just drizzles down over the pastor pork meat which they slice off of before serving. They make the BEST Horchata I’ve EVER had in the U.S. It’s exactly how it’s suppose to taste. Their steak is delicious as well. I got to try my friends steak Torta and OMG Yaaas!

Took my 89 year old father from Cleveland he wants to go back again. It is simply the best street food

My favorite authentic tacos! They have convenient hours if you find yourself craving tacos after 9. I’ve tried the following tacos: steak, tripas, suadero, lengua, pastor and chorizo. I couldn’t translate tripas or suadero in English — I suggest Google if you like trying new things. If not, stick to what you know. The pastor (pork cooked gyro style with pineapple) is so good and buy one get one free on Thursdays.
They also bring out a mild and a hot sauce with a huge bowl of onions and peppers that make everything even better. The peppers are usually pretty spicy, so use caution. I like this place because it’s consistently fresh and quick. It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing but I highly recommend.

This place is the bomb for tacos!!! Thursday’s are 2 for 1 if you get the Al pastor! Even a slice of roasted/​grilled pineapple in each one! One of my favorite places ever!

Doesn’t disappoint. I’ve been here numerous times. The regular quesadilla is served open faced and identical to a gringa from los guachos. probably better. Every time I get one I’m impressed with the portions. Solid and cheap. Burritos are good as well and include corn and bacon, different than typical spots. On the east side it’s a real tossup between this and tacoriendo. Either way can’t go wrong. If I want some pastor whether in a torta or taco or quesadilla or whatever, this is the place. If u like spice make sure to ask for the habanero and onion as they don’t always include it

As other reviewers have said, this is a hidden gem.
Unless you’re from the area, this location may be a deterrent… don’t let it be.
They have the infamous al pastor, but they have a more expanded menu compared to Los Guachos including an actual vegetarian taco. The vegetarian taco has mushrooms, peppers, cheese, onions, potatoes, avocado, and sour cream sauce — they must have been amazing as my husband didn’t even offer me one bite!
I did try the steak quesadilla which as good, but nothing compared to the al pastor which was moist and so very flavorful. I love the side of onions and of course the cucumbers which are cut diagonally allowing for larger slices.
I am SO happy to have a taqueria so close to my house. and look forward to trying more things on the menu… Especially the crazy burro!

Excellent tacos. Great service. You have to try the Al pastor tacos. Its their specialty and so addicting.
The prices can’t be beat for the quality and service.

We wanted something different tonight and ended up at Tacos Fogoncito and I am so glad we did! The tacos are authentic Mexican tacos with fillings such as pastor, chorizo, chicken, and steak. Tacos are served on corn tortillas and garnished with cilantro and onions. Everything we tried was fresh and delicious. This is definitely a hidden gem — a great place for both lunch and dinner!

I had the chorizo torta and my husband had pastor tacos. Both were amazing. The pork is roasting on a spit with a pineapple above which they add to the tacos. They also served a bowl of marinated peppers and onions which were spicy and delectable. Service was quick and the place was very clean. Very reasonable prices too!

This is a great spot for lunch. I had the Pastor tacos (BOGO Thursday) they very tasty. The place was super busy and my wait was a bit long, but overall a good experience. The wait staff was also very friendly. I highly recommend the pastor tacos.

A hidden gem, tucked away at the end of a short strip mall. Clean, open space. Plenty of seating. Nice bar space, great for when your solo. The lady at the register was polite — personable.
Instead of the Americana ‘ol Sprite, they have Squirt in a glass bottle — Mexican unique. Kinda cool :) For me, I ordered the Pastor Tacototes. Basically, a jumbo taco (yay for leftovers!). However, instead of the Stuffed pack with all the toppings. The meat was hot, super moist and juicy. So many Mexican joints serve dry meat — this one not the case!
My only «negative» is that Tacototes are served «open faced» on a thick homemade corn tortilla. The tortilla was perhaps a bit too thick for my likings. Made the task of cutting a tad annoying. But, hey, I wouldn’t have known, if I didn’t try it. There’s still so many other things on the menu that made my mouth water, so no big deal :)
The green poster board told of their BOGO pastor taco nite — good to know :)) This is the second Tacos Fogoncito in Columbus. I’m super glad this one’s closer to home :)

This place gets a three star for creativity, since it’s basically a clone of Los Guachos, but a five star overall, because do I actually care? It’s delicious. When I say clone, I mean, it’s possible the owners could know each other, and they definitely get a lot of their supplies from the same place. Even the pastor on a giant spit with pineapple on top tastes almost identical, and I love all those things from Los Guachos! This sit down location is brand new close to the corner of Hamilton and Broad, but they have a food truck on Morse Rd. that’s been around for awhile that people may be familiar with. This was the first time I tried it though.
I ended up going with two pastor tacos, a chorizo taco, and one of the large pastor quesadillas. Little did I know Thursdays were BOGO on the pastor tacos. Lucky me. They have two sizes of quesadillas, and if you go for the smaller one, it’s basically the same as a gringas at Los Guachos.
The woman behind the counter brought us out the same pepper and onion concoction as Los Guachos as well as a red hot sauce which was similarly smokey. The green sauce, however, was a bit different with a strong avocado flavor, and I really liked it! Our food was out pretty quick, and it was absolutely delicious. This place really gives Los Guachos a run for its money with the pastor, and I thought the chorizo was MUCH better than what I get there. It wasn’t nearly as salty and had a really nice, almost cinnamon-​y flavor.
Pricing is cheap, and they actually offer a few things that Los Guachos does not, like tacototes and burros, whatever those are. I’ll be in here often, so I’ll definitely check them out. One other thing that’s nice for them, but mostly for me, is that it’s much closer to my work, so I may not be frequenting Los Guachos quite as much!

I was positively bummed when Lieu’s moved from this location, and while it was empty for some time, so I was thrilled when this new Mexican place opened. The place looks very nice, looks like they did quite a bit of remodeling. On to the food… so while there are other Americanized Mexican places in the area, this restaurant is very authentic, lots of folks ordering in Spanish, food truck style food with fantastic hours, open until 11 PM, and they said they might deliver! I had the chicken and avocado torta, sinfully delicious. Came with a side of cucumber which seemed strange at first but it was pretty good, especially dipped in their sauce. While I was waiting for my food, someone was getting Al Pastor, looked delicious, need to try that next time. Will probably be eating here often.