Los Tacos Ricos

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talk about lack luster. was excited since the reviews were so good, but what a disappointment.
went during lunch on a tuesday. they have 1.50 taco tuesdays. we ordered carne asada, pollo, carnitas and al pastor. asada was probably the best, everything else just sucked.
they have chips and salsa (self serve). horchata was grainy. service was interesting. would not return.

How far this place has slid. Carne asada so over cooked it’s bits of burnt charcoal in my taco. Gamey tasting carnitas tastes old like a foot. Really sad. Now I have to goto aliso viejo for my tacos. Oh well sorry but you did this to me and yourselves

First visit because of the reviews, sounded good.
New owners as of 8−17−15. Very unorganized, dirty, no one seems to know what anything is. Overcharged. Won’t come back.

These dicks deserve 0 stars!!!
So I was visiting a friend and I was STAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRVING after hanging out. So I Unilocaled «Mexican» food in the area. My expectations were kind of low since Lake forest is terribly unknown for good Mexican spots LOL. I was torn between Mexican and Persian food but I told myself, I’ll get Persian the next day (I ended up stocking up at Whole foods hot buffet the next day LOL.) So I decided on this place, they had decent reviews at the time and I needed to make a decision fast before I was forced to get the Golden arches.
I came in on a somewhat rainy Thursday evening. The little centers in this city are soooooo dated. Lake forest makes me feel like I’m in the 90s. Anyway I walk in and I didn’t notice any diners. That didn’t scare me off given the crappy location I was in LOL. A younger dude comes from behind the kitchen and doesn’t really greet me. Pretty much just stands there to take my order, press some buttons, put in the order, take the cash and give change. I’m so nice I still tipped these bastards. I’m assuming the owner was pops making the food and he was just as icy as the kid. I get teens being nonchalant D-​bags but I see he got from his father. Which is funny to me because latin men LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE me and I always get good treatment if not better treatment for this chocolatey aura I give off ;) ;) So I order the three taco combo which was increased in price probably for the 3^rd time since the different pictures I saw all had different prices o_​O .
So within the taco combo, I ordered two carne asada, carnitas and an additional al pastor taco. I love Lengua tacos but I didn’t trust them from here. The combo also comes with rice and beans. I also ordered a cheese quesadilla just in case these tacos were a fail. So I waited about 10 minutes for my food, stocked up on some salsas and by that time, my food was ready. Mr. Personality handed me the bag and that was it. I was so happy to be out of there BLAH!
So I get back and started to taste each taco. The carne asada was dry as fuck. My dog wouldn’t even want a taste. The carnitas were bland AF. I started thanking myself for getting that damn quesadilla, at least you can’t fuck that up LOL. The Al pastor was actually good. I should have ordered more of those instead!!! That meat was actually moist. The quesadilla was delicious, but come on it’s a quesadilla, I make a 5 star one too LOL. The beans and rice were basic, the tortilla chips were actually fresh and even the salsa was good.
Absolutely no question that I will NOT be coming back to eat these assholes gringo Mexican food, COMPRENDE!

We got a breakfast burrito with chicken (out of Ham) and a carnitas torta. The tortilla on the burrito was amazing. It had beans, egg, cheese, and chicken. It was quite good, my husband said it was okay. The torta was good except for the carnitas which was quite dry — I don’t recommend the carnitas. Overall, it was okay, I definitely won’t come back.
The service was poor. I asked if the iced tea was unsweetened, she didn’t know what it was… The indoor seating is covered in plastic and old.

After my husband put off a certain dinner off numerous times, I finally gave up and asked him what the heck he wanted for dinner. We narrowed it down to two places, and seeing that he had just gone to the other one days before, we went with this one.
I already had my heart said on a taco trio plate. They were street tacos, came in three, and came with rice and beans as well as a drink for $ 8.50. We both ordered this. I went with a pollo taco, a carnitas taco, and an asada taco. My husband went with two asada tacos and a pollo taco.
Oh and also, you get free chips for coming in. They were pretty good, and they had a mini salsa section near the front where we scooped up a few cups of those. The one I went with was not spicy and had a small kick, with some random small hidden piece of avocado in it. Pretty good.
Our tacos came out pretty quick. I first tried the pollo and wish that I had it last because I enjoyed it the most. It had a good flavor. The carnitas were «meh» in my opinion. Actually one of the Unilocal photos mentioned this and I tried it anyways. I was disappointed in those. The asada was also so so. It was a bit dry and for some reason this one was spicy. I don’t know if it had a different salsa on top or what. It looked the same to me. My husband did not think that his were spicy but we have different levels of tolerance so who knows. It was definitely different than my other two.
The place inside is pretty basic. Basic tables and chairs and tablecloths, with a television inside. A few downfalls were that a lot of toppings or additions were taped off on the menu now. That helped with my husband’s worry of getting guacamole along with cilantro and onions. The man there said that he could add guacamole if he wanted. Even though I always want it, I passed in order of a less possibility of error and left them all that way. It did not mention salsa on top however, and it arrived with it. Not a bad thing at all, but it could be for some when they think it is only cilantro and onion.
Also half the sodas were out. As much as I hate drinking soda now, I ended up with sprite as I saw nothing but about two or three flavors of the six. I think there may have been tea lurking around somewhere but I did not ask.
Not a bad place to stop by for a quick bite to eat and the trio was a good sized combo for me. Please note that these are really small tacos so be prepared to get what you need to fill up. I will come back but will probably just stick to the pollo in the future,

Came here for the first time during taco Tuesday with a few friends before class. At $ 1.50 per taco, it’s not the cheapest but it’s Irvine. And moreover, the tacos were delicious! Their al pastor is very tender with a perfectly complementing red salsa on top. The carne asada and mixto tacos are good too.
I would love to come back for their lengua tacos as they are one of my favorites!
And according to my friend, the horchata here is hard to beat! Plus free refills~
Some of the best customer service I’ve had at a taco joint so they will be seeing me again very soon~

Great service and awesome horchata. They were out of horchata tonight thought :((((I tried the cucumber drink and thought that it was really good.
If you come on Tuesday, try every taco for $ 1.50! That way you can try everything. Carnitas are the best though.

Came here for lunch a little past 1pm on a Thurs. afternoon and the restaurant was fairly busy, with most of the seats, both inside & outside, being occupied. They are located in a business industrial area near Round Table Pizza. There is plenty of parking in the lot. Their outside sign says, «Tacos» in big red letters. On the left of that it says, «Los Tacos Ricos» in smaller print, and on the right it says, «TJ Style Tacos».
The first thing I noticed about this place is how friendly the customer service was. Basically you order at the cash register and then take a seat. Today they had a special of 5 carnitas or pollo tacos for $ 5. What a deal! I only wanted 2 carne asada tacos though, and they were $ 1.50 each (still a good deal). Their menu says they are $ 1.99 each, so perhaps they knock the price down on Thursday’s to $ 1.50. I’m not complaining. :)
The tacos themselves are smaller than how they appear in my photo. I actually should’ve ordered 3 tacos instead of 2. They are street style tacos and comes with 2 mini tortillas with the meat inside. They have a salsa bar, so you can select your own salsa. The meal also comes with free chips.
The tacos were good, but not out of this world. The meat was a little dry. The chips were very good, along with the salsa. The customer service was outstanding!
It’s a good overall value and I would definitely come again if I were craving tacos, or to try something else on their menu.

This place was great! We happened to come in on a Sunday morning and the owner was there. Him and the woman I assume to be his wife were so friendly. The owner let us try their mama’s beans, their new taco (I can’t remember the name but it was shredded beef), their cucumber water and their rice drink.
Mama’s beans — this is not on the menu but it really should be. Chorizo and spices make this a clear favorite over refried beans. We ordered the pollo nachos (I know… who orders nachos? I’m a sucker for chips smothered in yumminess) and if and when I get these again, I can apparently ask them to change the refried beans to the mama’s beans
The shredded beef taco he let us try was really good! well seasoned, and soooo tender. Before we got our food, I saw that the owner had the shredded beef with fried eggs and tortillas and it looked awesome. My heart almost broke because I wasn’t eating the same thing… until he brought me a taco for myself!
The wet burrito was incredibly tasty and their red sauce is great. Their meat to tortilla ratio is spot on… and their tortillas… agh, can’t forget about the tortillas. They’re hand made and super fresh… not stale, tough tortillas like at jalapenos.
Tip: They said that they can special make anything on the menu… so if I want shredded beef and eggs… I can have it!
Can’t wait to try their taco tuesday deal

Tacos tacos tacos, I love tacos!
— Cartman Hand J. Lo, South Park (one of my fave ep.)
We sure do love tacos… so we were happy to check this place out. It wasn’t busy when we came on a Wednesday night around 6:30pm. The guy working the place was diligently cleaning when we stopped in. We were welcomed to just take a seat because we were dining in.
Soon enough, our orders were taken and some chips and salsa were set before us. Great salsa! I don’t know how he chose but he gave us the spiciest salsa they had. Burned so good after a while!
Both hubby and I ordered the taco platter — three tacos of your choice plus beans and rice. I also got an extra potato taco on the side (I’m a sucker for those bad boys.)
I went adventurous with the cuerito (skin), buche (pork belly) and lengua (beef tongue). The meats were all super tender but looked to be boiled rather than roasted/​grilled. They tasted good but I was slightly disappointed the cuerito didn’t have any bite or chewiness. Hubby thought his al pastor had too much sauce but when I tasted a bite, I thought it was pretty darn delicious. His carnitas looked boiled too but with their salsa, it was all good in the ‘hood.
We also got a side of their gauc — it was the type with tomatoes in it and went perfectly with their salsa.
Service was great — could be because for a while, we were the only people there… but he did a great job checking in on us and fulfilling our needs.
This will be a repeat for sure!

Great authentic mexican here! Love their freshly made salsa. It has a unique smoky flavor to it.
Tacos are good as well as their quesadillas. Really everything is pretty delicious here without the grease usually associated with mexican food.
Packed for lunch but not so for dinner. Eat in peace here at night. Thats what my family did tonight.

La comida vieja, pedi un combo de tres tacos y el arroz estaba duro, los tacos pequeños y la salsa salada. No vuelvo a este lugar.

Average. I heard so many good things about this place, maybe I was expecting to much.
I came here at 11:30 for lunch. It was pretty dead inside so there was plenty of seating inside and outside.
I was going to order the torta but the Wednesday special was burritos for 5.99. I ordered the Carne Asada burrito and was expecting this big wet burrito, but it was a lot smaller than a Chipotle burrito and it was more rice and beans then meat. It was flavorful but that could have been all the cilantro they put in it. The salsa was hot but not unbearable.
I’ll comeback and try the Torta, but not anytime soon.

You goto a no name taco place coz you heard your friend go crazy for that place or it’s on Unilocal.In million years I wouldn’t have heard of Los tacos ricos even tho I live like 4 miles from this place if it’s not for my friend. He has been going to this place for a long being next door to This place. So I decided to go check it out myself.
A warm moistened tortilla always makes my heart sing in a taco. And this is perfection here. i have only tried chicken and steak and both of them are good. They are so perfect. Just enough meat but still satisfying.
This place looks like in-​n-​out of taquerias. The menu is super simple. I didn’t see any California burrito or carne asada fries but that’s a good thing. Taco Tuesday after 4am and tacos are like dollar fifty. Must try!!!

Los Tacos Ricos was picked as 2014 best taco Tuesday from OC Weekly. On Tuesday after 4pm, tacos are served with handmade tortilla, and they are only $ 1.50 each. We know it’s not Tuesday, but we are happy to pay the regular price for good tacos.
There was one guy working behind the counter. He was very patient and helpful. A few people came in to get takeout. But overall it was a pretty quiet Saturday night here.
We wanted to order guacamole. But the nice young man said he would just give us some for free. The guacamole tastes like a great homemade guacamole. It’s not the fancy restaurant style, but more like homey style. The tortilla chips are thick and crispy. Tastes great.
Their drinks are house-​made also. Husband had the agua fresca. It’s made with cucumber and lime. I had the horchata. The nice guy also offered us free refills.
Husband and I each ordered 3 tacos. I had lengua (tongue), carnita (roasted pork) and pastor (spicy pork). Each taco came with 2 tortillas, meat, onion, cilantro, and homemade salsa. The price is $ 1.99 each. All the meats are very tasty. The salsa was spicy and addicting. It truly reminded me the tacos I had when I visited Mexico.
We were pretty full. But when we saw this girl from the other table eating the carne asada nachos, it looked so good that we had to order one to-​go. Their carne asada is super good.
We will come back on a Tuesday to try their other tacos with homemade tortilla.

A large banner with a bold statement hangs inside Los Tacos Ricos, stating «Most Authentic Mexican Food in Lake Forest, CA». It’s true, this is the most authentic taqueria in town.
Tijuana-​style street tacos are the specialty here. In each taco, a mound of meat is loaded on top of two warm moistened tortillas, just the right amount such that the meat does not overflow when the tortillas are folded. It’s then garnished with the standard cilantro and onion, and finished with a dollop of spicy homemade salsa.
The meat variety is bare-​bones (carne asada, carnitas, pollo, lengua, al pastor) which is somewhat limited compared to options at taquerias and even taco trucks in East LA or Santa Ana, but all the meats are marinated with generous amounts of complementary chiles and spices.
This is the first Mexican restaurant I’ve been to in Lake Forest where the carne asada was actually grilled with char and had a pronounced smoky taste. The carne asada was cooked a bit dry and was not really tender, a different variation from other taquerias, but it was packed with the most explosive flavors in town. Similarly, the al pastor was not as juicy as those cooked on a vertical spit and was not served in thin sliced (more like chunks), but the meat appeared to be soaked in a sharp chili marinade for many hours. The al pastor marinade was definitely not dumbed down for people who cannot handle fiery spices. It also had just a little bit of subtle sweet tangy flavors.
What puts Los Tacos Ricos over the top are their salsas. During my visit, there was one thick green chili salsa and a green creamy salsa. Both types cannot be found elsewhere in Lake Forest. In particular, I was a fan of the creamy salsa since it was uniquely sweet, creamy, and refreshing as if cucumbers and avocados were pureed and mixed. This salsa complements any meats which are tough and dry.
I’m looking forward to my next meal at Los Tacos Ricos, most likely a plate of carne asada street tacos with seasoned rice and refried beans. Perfect harmony of soft and chewy, sweet and spicy, crispy and creamy.

Nothing special about this place.
Came here because it’s close to my new job and they charged me $ 6 for this small meal… it’s a kid’s meal and for $ 6 I certainly expected more…
The beans and rice I finished in 2 spoon fills. The taco… 2 bites. Yes, it’s a kids meal, but for $ 6. daayum… I’ll go to McDonalds and get a kids meal for $ 3.33. and a toy :)
For $ 6. not at all worth it! for $ 3. ok
Would I come back: not likely

This family owned small restaurant is in the former Rocq Café location in Lake Forest. I heard about the great tacos here and wanted to check out their menu. I drove up and down Lake Forest Drive day after day and did not realize this was here. Tacos, tortas, burritos, ceviche, menudo and posole on the weekends, and many breakfast items available here. Any place that has ceviche, chilaquiles and posole sounds awesome to me, especially when it is in South Orange County! Here is a link to their website where you can check out their menu.
I ordered a carnitas taco.
It did not disappoint. The meat was rich and very flavorful. I also love ceviche, so I ordered the fish ceviche that they had available that day. The fish was very fresh and the ceviche was delcious!
After we ordered and sat down, we were presented with free chips and salsa which was nice.
There was also a nice salsa bar at the side of restaurant.
I enjoyed that they had bottled Mexican soda available such as Mexican Coke, Sprite and Pineapple Fanta, my favorite! (This is not easy to find, so I was t hrilled to see this).
The only thing that was disappointing here to me was their soda fountain. The cup size they offered was very small and they charged 50 cents for refills. No bueno.
The girl who helped us made sure we were happy and was very helpful and attentive. She was very nice. Make sure to check out Taco Tuesday when tacos are $ 1.50. Los Tacos Ricos is a great new casual place to get some delicious Mexican food in South County.

We were craving some Mexican food and found this place on Unilocal.Decided to check it out on a Sunday night. We walked in and the two ladies at the register were super nice. They asked if it was our first time in and had us sit down since we were eating there.
They brought us out each a little guacamole to sample and it was great. Decided to get 3 carrinitas tacos. My bf got a pastor burrito and we shared a side of beans.
All the salsa they had was great. The carrinitas were cooked perfectly moist and flavorful and they put a lot in the tacos. The beans had some unique spices and were tasty.
Overall a great experience and we will be back!

My boyfriend and I were craving some good ol’ tacos, simple and cheap. But we realized that we don’t have a local taco place… How absurd is that?! All my past taco places either shut down or weren’t consistent and their quality went down.
So in a fit of hunger and panic, I searched for local taco places and without luck, the typical taco joints came up. Luckily, we remembered that this place just opened up right down the street from our house so we decided to give them a try.
We are sooo happy we did! We asked the guy that worked the front questions on the menu and his recommendations — he was very helpful and friendly and even let us try some of their al pastor which was very deep and flavorful — maybe on the dry end but we would give it a chance again.
We ordered:
Shredded beef crispy tacos — This is comfort food! Crispy fried tacos are just so simple and really hard to mess up, but I’ve had my share of over fried and dried out or super greasy tacos, no thanks! They make them tasty here. They are small, but 2 is just right. Or 1 is perfect if you want to try a few other things on the menu.
Fish Tacos — the fish tacos are packed with flavor and not dried out like other taco places. We started with 2 and when we were done, we went back and ordered 2 more.
Pineapple tamale — my favorite thing ever! It was my first time trying this version of tamale but the cashier recommended it to me since I love the sweet corn tamales. It had pineapple chunks mixed into the tamale it was lightly sweet, moist and super yummy!
Guacamole — small portion, but it was very flavorful, my boyfriend is a guac expect and he loved it.
Complimentary — house made chips were beautifully crispy and tasted amazing. I would just come back to order their chips a la cart.
Salsa Bar — I tried all of them and they were all good! I personally prefer the spiciest salsa and they do not disappoint in the spice department here, which makes me extremely happy! Many taco places lose my business because they tone down their spice in all of their salsas (even the spiciest one) they get that one customer that can’t eat spicy, eat their spicy salsa, and then complain it’s too spicy… really? LOL so annoying. They also had grilled green onions, serranos, and habaneros — this is such a treat! They were spicy and sweet and paired perfectly with the food. When I say spicy, I mean spicy! They do not play and I LOVE that!
Everything we ordered was about $ 13. This is a neighborhood hot spot! I will definitely be coming back often and whenever the taco craving strikes. Amazing food and great staff. Keep it up, I don’t want to lose another good local taco place!