Tio Flaco’s Tacos

Co-​worker raved about this place. Took the wife, a taco snob – her claim is that she lived for 30 odd years in Mexico and she’s got the credentials to confirm whether a taco is worth a return trip. Tio Flaco’s failed her test.
We each got a carnitas and a carne asada. In Mexico you order two tacos at a time – you never order 4 or more, they would get cold; and the guy is right there. If you keep going back to order two more, the server knows you’re enjoying your tacos. We didn’t order our second set at Tio Flaco’s – they knew.
We were going to try a mulita, but the price tag and the size shocked us – way too expensive.
The carnitas was too sweet for me… too much pineapple marinade. Ease up on that stuff. I know it tenderizes the meat… but it was too much for me.
The carne asada… the meat was tender and the flavor was sort of there. It had the smoked flavor but there was something else missing – maybe not enough marinade.
My wife complained about the lack of a salsa bar. The lowest of the low taco stand has a salsa and other goodies bar.
To my gabacho friends, please visit a safe part of Mexico (no, it’s not an oxymoron) for an authentic taco and you shall know the truth. Don’t settle for imitations. The border is around a two hour drive and that’s a trip from John Wayne airport to LAX easy. Don’t be afraid, no risk, no reward.
To keep it short, my wife and I will continue our search for the true taco that will win our hearts.

The food here is delicious, came back twice in a week because I loved it so much. The chicken tacos are delicious, carne asada has a lot of flavor

Just ate here and was appalled by the prices for how very little food you get. A «quesadilla» that was $ 1.75 was literally two mini tortillas with a minimum amount of cheese sandwiched between it, think three bites max. The tacos although tasting good are simply tj style mini tacos that they charge $ 2.75 for a piece! All in all it would be a good place to bring your toddler or small child but for people who are above 4 years old with an average appetite you will spend over ten dollars most likely getting a drink as well as going back for seconds and still leave hungry. This is not real Mexican food, more like yuppy Tex mex. if you see it on the road just keep driving and go to a real taco truck or hole in the wall joint for a real meal

Their tacos are delicious! We had the carne asada, great portions for small tacos. We also had a cheese quesadilla, really really good!!! Definitely be back soon! Thanks Caesar for making fountain valley more beautiful

The best carne asada tacos… I come here every week and it’s always good. Love there salsa to. Nice employees.

I’ve been here twice. The first time I got the taco salad. It was good but not authentic at all! It seemed like it was basically a pre packaged salad bag from Von’s with a little salsa and meat added to it. The 2^nd time I ordered the carne asada tacos. They tasted great! They definitely have good carne asada but they are wayyy small and overpriced for what you get at $ 2.25 per taco. Customer service was good, but the menu is pretty limited. The taco salad there needs a little help and pricing needs to be adjusted a bit. Hopefully they expand on the menu more soon!

Ok, yeah it is a little expensive, but if you wanted $ 0.50 tacos then go get $ 0.50 tacos. There are trucks that can accommodate you that are fantastic options.
I like a place that is confident enough to have only three meats and three main food options. It cuts the usual layer of utter terribleness thrown onto bloated menus. And it means that the items that they display, they make a lot of and are really damn good at it.
The ingredients are fresh, the meat is great quality, the place is clean, and the staff is extremely friendly. What more could I ask for? Simple and delicious.

Where is the rice and bean taco combo plate! Meats are very flavorful and love the made to order tortillas… however, it is quite expensive for tacos.

I originally wanted to come here because I saw Templeton on IG. The tacos are awesome, I like the crushed ice and workers are very nice. They sell t-​shirts, I bought one of those too!

Have been there twice — once when they opened, again 3 months later.
Limited menu. No salsa or chili bar. If fact no chili bottles at all in case you want to add to your tacos or burritos.
«Mulitas» on the menu is not a well-​know name for a Mexican food item, but there is no explanation displayed for it on their menu.
All in all, very plain environment and the prices are high in relation to what you get.

After hearing about this place from a coworker and reading the good reviews I decided to check this place out with low expectations since I often get disappointed… Am I’m happy to say Tio Flacos did not disappoint!
The meat was smoky and tender, just perfect. The mulita and tacos reminded me of taco stands in my moms hometown in Jalisco. The menu is short and simple but the food is packed with flavor. I will defiantly be coming here often to get my taco fix.

Love the tacos and mulitas. I go there every chance I get, although the carne asada is a bit too spicy for my wife.

Supporting my local taco shop with Tijuana tacos for a fair price. The tacos are loaded and the chips are fresh! They have a great little patio with heaters. Bathroom is clean too!

Best tacos in this area. I’m a San Diego native AND a Mexican. I have been called a «taco snob» and I cannot disagree.
If you venture away from HB there are more taco choices — but around here, this is as good as it gets.
The menu is simple because they focus on what they do well. Your taco choices are carnitas, carne asada, and chicken. They also do Mulitas, which is kind of like a taco inside of a quesadilla. The carnitas and carne asada are my favorite. The meat is marinated nicely. My boyfriend likes the fact that the chicken is very lean. They have fountain drinks only, no beer. They start every taco with guac on the tortilla (they offer both corn and flour), fill with meat, then top with onions, cilantro, and a yummy salsa. I wish they had a salsa bar or jalapeños but the salsa is flavorful, just not too spicy. Glad to have this place in the neighborhood.

#1 favorite thing about this place definitely has to be the fact that the menu is on a Television, and they use that to their advantage. Pet peeve is the added energy cost of buying and using a tv, when a digital monitor or a large picture/​poster in a frame.
The design of the whole place is overall fantastic. I love that the digital version and real life representation are more or less seamless, and the fella is one cheeky bastard. Just watch the menu, you’ll see what I mean.
If I could let the owners know anything, it would to give the octopus more than a couple frames to transition to his next speech bubble.
The food selection is almost hilariously small, but that isn’t too bad, however it slightly pricy for what it is. Food is definitely solid on flavor.
The place is refreshingly up with the times in all the ways you expect a spot to be in 2016. We live in the future. But at the same time it has enough of an authentic almost taqueria feel to ground you back. But not going to lie while I was there in prime taco tuesday time, most of the customer demographic appeared to be semi-​affluent seniors. This kinda shows that this is the target demographic. With the extreme example of this case was a return of an item due to having salsa, which was replaced with a plain tomato sauce base.

Very delicious and healthy tacos. Great pricepoint despite all the numb-​nuts on here complaining. This isn’t Taco Bell mensas!

I used to drive all the way downtown to the little taco shop near USC for mulitas. I am glad that I don’t have to go there anymore.
The mulitas are fantastic. I have tried all the meats and I have to say carne asada is my favorite. The carnitas and chicken lack flavor for me.
While their menu is small (really, people bitching about a limited menu? Do you have nothing better to do?) they do it well (which is what really matters)
The service is impeccable. Over Christmas, someone gave them $ 100 to pay for lunches. While some businesses would be unscrupulous and keep the money, the restaurant actually paid it forward. That says something about their character.
The reason for 4 and not 5 stars is the guacamole and lack of a salsa bar. I wish the guac had more flavor and the salsa choices were more abundant, but overall, this place is a fave.

You had me at unlimited refills of Orange Bang and Horchata.
Yes the menu is limited. Yes the salsa choices are super limited, BUT the meat…
I’m going to do you all a big favor and tell you what to order.
Just get the Carne Asada Mulita. Well actually get two.
That’s it. It’s perfect. The crispy tortillas, the meat that is still tender, but has been hugged by real wood smoke. I’ve seen the meat brought out before it’s cooked, it’s the good stuff. Honestly, it’s the best Carne Asada meat in Orange County. Maybe not the best Carne Asada taco, but the best meat. Then you surround it with TWO tortillas, cheese, salsa, and some good guacamole, BOOM.
Go there, try it, thank me later.

I got some carne asada tacos from here and it was not freshly made like it should be. The meat was already done sitting in a batch so my tacos were barely warm even though I ate them right away. They tasted decent but it’s a little on the pricier side for what they are. 3 tacos came out to $ 7.something. Maybe I’ll give it another try when I’m in the mood.

Very flavorful food! Stopped on the wY home from work and spent 35 $ for chips and guacamole, four carnitas tacos, four carne asada tacos and four Mulita’s. The family all loved it, and so did I! It fed four of us with leftovers.
I wish they had a drive thru, parking was tough, but they were busy– a good sign that made me stop. It would deter future stops on the way home, though. Done in will be easier.
The staff was very friendly, and FAST! I had barely a wait at all, and my experience was very positive.
Super clean inside with limited seating available, but the patio has ample seating.
When you walk in, it smells FABULOUS! The food is fresh and tasty. Slight pricey for street tacos. Homemade tortillas are terrific!