On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Mon-Wed. 7:00 a.m. - 2:30 a.m.
Thu-Sat. 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.
Sun. 7:00 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Don't Just Wish Someone A Good Holiday, Give Them One With Chili's.
Loading...
It's not the greatest neighborhood at midnight, but it must be safe enough since there were a lot of people walking around. So, this place gets an extra star for being open late!
The veggie taco doused with orange sauce was great. Now, I've tried other things ... and have converted a lot of people into LaVic lovers ... and we all agree the veggie tacos are the best thing on the menu. So, even if you're a die-hard carnivore, do yourself a favor and get one extra veggie taco (to be eaten first!).
Thank you LaVic (and especially the orange sauce) for making my tastebuds dance. I will continue to visit you whenever I get that special craving (or at least on a weekly basis) until my dying day.
Why don't I just buy a bottle of the orange sauce? Because I'd put it on EVERYTHING!
I swear the orange sauce has crack in it.
Everytime I'm in SJ, I have to go here. The burritos itself are average but the sauce makes it orgasmic. Mmmm!
Sometimes I take a bite of the burrito then squirt the sauce in my mouth. Then the lady comes to our table and takes the other 3 bottles away and says, "only one bottle per table."
Buy a bottle and put it in everything you eat. If you're like me, the bottle of sauce will last you about 2 days.
Maybe this place should get four stars based on nostalgia. It has definitely fed quite a few SJSU students as they bumbled their way through college.
As other reviews have stated, its the orange sauce stupid. just liberally apply to whatever crap you are stuffing in your face and you'll forget you are eating an average burrito/taco.
I have always had the super burrito here and it gets the job done. gf had the chicken quesadilla and did not like it all. It didnt look good to me either.
Finally! A Taqueria for people that don't know better! Line up all you drunk people stumbling out of the club at 2 am, those fresh from out of state SJSU students that want to experience and "authentic" taquerias since we are after all in Cali and that's right near Mexico!
All Sarcasm aside, these are the types this place owes its business too. Mind you there are some out there that are convinced that they know good taquerias and this fits the bill. The food is pretty substandard, gristly chicken, fatty steak and it seems like they add a ladle full of oil to it once its done.
"but you have to love the orange sauce right?"
Wrong.
Hate to burst your bubble but this same sauce exists in other taquerias (albeit not many) and I'll just say this, one of the secret ingredients is a legume which many of you may be allergic to.
Still in the end I will be fair and give La Vic 3 stars. it would be a 2 but sometimes its me stumbling out of the club at 2am needing some greasy food. Definitely a solid 2 if I didn't like drinking though...
Not sure what happened with La Vics. Just isn't as good as it use to be.
Meats don't have much flavor. Lot of fatty pieces.
Corn tortilla for their tacos aren't soft enough.
Burritos have nothing special going for them.
Orange sauce even dropped in taste/flavor.
* I would only order the carne asada super nachos. But even then I'd rather go to Iguanas and get their nacho fries.
I'm not sure why it's still swarmed with people. I've moved on to bigger and better Taquerias. Good bye LaVics.
I have been putting off writing reviews for a while for many reasons but the horrible nature of La Vic's just makes me need to put my foot down. The food is terrible. You could go to any other mexican place and get a better burrito. The crowds are huge and the lines painful when you go in after being drunk and rejected by San Jose's "great nightlife." Everyone says that the food is good because of the orange sauce. If that is really the case, in which I don't fully agreee with, then a better solution would be for this awful "taqueria" to close down and just sell the sauce. Then good restaurants could stay open late and use the sauce and San Jose would oh so much better to live in.
I have tried to eat here on several occasions - Drunk, buzzed and not at all drunk. On all occasions the end result has been severe gastonomical pain. I have vomited their burrito in all stages of aforementioned intoxication and the best was when I was drunk because I didn't have to remember the pain caused me by this food. I don't recommend anything here. Maybe San Jose born people can stand it but I recommend to all outsiders run to the hills and eat Taco Bell. Its safer and won't keep you praying to the porcelain god as nearly as much as this establishment.
I have more awful things to say but I am trying to keep this review short and as friendly as I can stomach much like their burritos.
La Vics is pretty much considered to be the go-to spot for San Jose's late-night clubbers and SJSU students. It is within walking distance of almost everything downtown, and most people do just that due to the lack of available parking spots.
La Vics used to be really good, and was priced fairly. However, now that the word has been out and they have more customers, the quality and taste of their food has definitely diminished. The regular nachos (cheese, only) are close to $6, the Super Burrito retains its size but lacks any flavor at all, and the quesadillas are wrapped up like burritos (Wdfxup?!). Not to mention, when ordering to go, they're shady with their orange sauce and make you pay a quarter for each extra one (McDonald's status). At this point, though, not even the famous Orange Sauce can save La Vics, IMHO.
F.Y.I. On busy nights, your wait can last up to half an hour from the beginning of the line until you get your food. The wait's annoying and not worth it, but it will give your wasted friends an opportunity to nap. :)
Also, please be careful walking down the steps. They are narrow and incredibly steep. I have watched so many people fall and seriously hurt themselves. :(
It's 2am in San Jose. The bars are closing, and zombified Halloweeners wander the streets post bar-hopping, searching for delicious brains/burritos.
Thank goodness for La Vic's! Some friends forced me to walk for what seemed like miles to get here... but it was WELL worth the trip. In fact, I would say the carne asada super burrito was the highlight of my night! That orange sauce was amazing, and everything definitely hit the spot. My one recommendation: find a friend to share with, because even though that burrito is insanely huge, you will probably end up eating the whole thing in 1 sitting because it's just that good.
I love love love the orange sauce!! It makes up for everything else. If it wasn't for the orange sauce, then I would not love La Vics as much. Without the sauce, my quesadilla/burrito is like any other I've had. Its not special but the sauce definitely makes it delicious.
Service is ok, the workers there are not extremely friendly. It gets pretty annoying when you hear them constantly screaming out each order number if you are eating in. The place gets crowded fast and the line would extend out the door. Hard to find a table when it's after club hours or during lunch.
Parking is pretty annoying, hard to find parking. I used to park at Mcdonalds but you might get your car towed away so I stopped.
On some days it does get a bit crazy with all the drunk people around, so if you want to avoid that, don't go too late.
Other than that, I LOVE THE SAUCE!
I love the orange sauce (like everybody else)... I hate the fact that you have to walk towards a homeless guy trying to start crap with you all of the time.. It never surprises me.
It's close to impossible to find parking..
The food itself isn't anything spectacular.. I do like the Tacos though..
This place wouldn't be what it is without the orange sauce... That's the only reason I come to this late night bucket
What makes this place so good is the orange sauce. If I ever go to eat here it would only be for their orange sauce. So it's more like ordering orange sauce with a side of a burrito. There are so many times I eat at other Mexican food restaurants and wish I had La Vic's sauce to eat it with. I'm not gonna lie though, the sauce gives you the runs. And when I say runs I mean 20 mile marathon runs. Also, it makes your breath smell for days. If you have had a heavy night of drinking, blacked out, and forgot everything that happened the night before, you most definitely would know you ate here from the taste in your mouth. Nonetheless, sauce is delicious. Just don't expect to leave the house the next day or kiss anyone (unless they're into kinky smelly stuff, just sayin').
Burritos, meh. They're dry too. Quesadillas, better. Chips, stale. Nachos, good and I only say this because the meat, cheese, and orange sauce make the chips soggy and covers up the staleness. But you never can forgive stale chips, ever.
I've been going here for years.. their burritos and quesadillas are good, but are pretty much nothing without their orange sauce.
The price is reasonable and the service is fairly quick. The only real complaint I have is about is the parking. They "share" a parking lot with jack in the box. It's actually jack in the box's parking lot so there's a $2 fee to park there at night, but they're not as strict during the day.
Nonetheless, I'll keep going back there as long as they have their orange sauce (:
You know what? I've had a ton of burritos throughout the Bay Area and Southern California. I've given plenty of other taquerias a chance to supplant La Victoria as the title-holder for The Best Burrito Horace Has Ever Had (TM).
But nobody has stepped up. Not by a long shot.
It's almost ridiculous how good La Vic's burritos are when they've got their A-game going. Rich, juicy lengua, paired with rice that's absolutely the perfect amount of wetness, imbued with heaps of flavor. Top all that off with a generous dollop of orange sauce, and you've got yourself perfection in food form.
I've made peace with the fact that you're going to get rowdy ghetto-booty crowds here. The best way to skirt this is to come during odd hours, either right before dinner (at 5ish) or late in the evening (at 8 or 9). The place is much less crowded then, which is perfect if you're just looking for a quick "to go" burrito.
The one thing about La Victoria that I can harp on is their inconsistency. Sometimes, the meat is a little dry, and the rice not as flavorful as you remember it being. But then you visit a while later, and it just blows your mind all over again.
Pretty friggin' good, I'd say. I had a lengua (beef tongue) burrito a few weeks ago and I'm *still*… Read more »
Mmmmmmmmh....orange sauce. :)
(This review is compiled from the last few times I've eaten at La Vics)
La Vics what happened to you!
I remember driving down here with friends to sample your burritos with loads of orange sauce pouring on top of them. But lately especially the last year or so, your quality has gone down SEVERELY.
The last few burritos I've gotten from La Vics were not very flavorful, in fact the meat has been dry on several occasions. And the service from the employees have been getting pretty bad.
I admit I like the orange sauce, I think we're all in agreement thats the number one reason we all go to La Vics, but La Vics has started taking measures to prevent people from stealing their sauce or from receiving too much sauce (that's right, too much sauce!).
The last time we ate there I was with my GF and one of my other close friends. We initially got our food to go but decided last min to eat there. So I asked for a squeeze bottle of sauce. Got back to my table and maybe 2 minutes later, one of the employees takes away our to-go sauces! I mean come on it's not even that much and plus it's complimentary! I mean you wouldn't take away salt packets from someone if they had a salt shaker at the table. To make it worse, the taco I got was once again dry, and actually didn't even taste like Carne Asada, it kinda tasted like fish....yeah fish...
I'm sorry La Vics I won't be coming back. We had some good times before I went to SJSU but I'll be going to Iguanas from now on. But I'll give you guys an extra star for the pleasant memories I have of you guys.
I started my college journey at SJSU in 2002. I believe it was around 2001 that the great "Orange Sauce Hype" started because when I first went to La Victoria as a freshman in college, it was just starting to gain ground.
La Vic, you used to be my daily lunch or dinner. I used the orange sauce liberally like gravy... like smothered and covered biscuits and gravy. I was literally drinking the stuff (which at the age of 18, who really cared back then).
Fast forward to present, the flaws of La Victoria are readily more visible to me.
The orange sauce definitely has changed. I don't think it tasted as good as it did 7 years ago.
The burritos have always had rather dry meat and a little stale rice, but the orange sauce made up for the flaws. I used to go to Igauna's and smuggle in a bottle of orange sauce to use it there.
I'm torn between 2 and 3 stars. I guess +1 for nostalgia's sake =(
Late night food that is good... what more can one ask for?
+definitely affordable... most of the items are $4 ~ $6
+not quite quality... its ALRIGHT
+not so healthy.... but its DELICIOUS...
considerably guilty pleasure haha
+Open LATE.... MAJOR PLUS
2 complaints:
- Why is the bathroom always dirty... or apparently, now closed?
- It's always crowded, great for business, not so great for starving customers =]
OK so I moved to the southbay a couple of years ago and I have been on the hunt for a good burrito which for some reason I just cannot find. Everyone always ends up with La Vics at the best place to get a burrito, because the orange sauce is awesome. So I finally took the time and went there on sunday. Maybe I was expecting a lot because it was so overhyped and I really thought it was just ok. I got the super burrito with chicken and it really was just your average run of the mill burrito. And yes I did put plenty of orange sauce which was also just ok but nothing spectacular. Maybe I just got picky taste? The search for a great burrito continues.........
Greasy burritos with not so fresh ingredients. The only good thing about this place is the orange sauce. Do yourself a favor and get a bottle of orange sauce and walk around the corner to iguanas, the combination is quite bomb.
Don't ask, don't tell. That's the orange sauce philosophy :) I have yet to find a way to ship bottles to my friends and family in SoCal, or a way to replicate it at home. But I've made it my life's mission to at least try. And gosh dang it, I'm gonna put my college education to use somehow!
Favorites? Carne Asada Quesadilla and ANY breakfast burrito
Not drunk? Buy (don't steal) a bottle of orange sauce and put it on Little Ceaser's $5 pizza (a perfect companion to any football game), make your own carne asada fries, top ramen, scrambled eggs.. ANYTHING.
Don't die before trying it.
I remember eating my first carne asada super burrito / horchata drink from this place back in September 1999. Ten years later, I am still a fan.
I don't remember the orange sauce being such a big deal until 2001, 2002. Why? You didn't need it. But after its popularity, it's really impossible to have La Vic's without the orange sauce. I knew a guy that took three to four sauces so that he could pour some on each bite of his burrito. That's hardcore, son.
But I've heard, ever since they opened their chains, the quality has really gone down. I hope not...cuz then, I'm just gonna buy your orange sauce.
It's alright. Place is kind of over-rated
But that is one mean orange sauce.
Mix their orange sauce with the burritos at La Costa on Monterey Rd... Heaven.
yummy, delicious, heaven.
Must i say, moving to the bay from hawaii, I never really got to eat real mexican food but only until my friends showed me this place while i was visiting and man was it GOOD. I got the super steak quesadilla.
Price is pretty cheap IMO
With any order you must have that special sauce.
The friends joked around calling it orange crack sauce cause u keep wanting more lol.
I definitely don't think the food here is that great, but i LOOOVVEEE the orange sauce. It'll make anything taste good, well maybe not anything. The three-star burrito I get here turns into five stars with the sauce.
It's kind of funny, but I actually didn't like the sauce at first. After trying it the second time, I fell in love with it, weirddd.
Case in point: if you don't like the sauce, don't come here. But if you're like me and love the sauce, this is a great place after class-get weekly cravings of this stuff.
TWO WORDS: Orange Sauce!!!!!!
My first experience with La Vic's was in downtown San Jose after a hardcore night of clubbing (as most usual customers of La Vic's). I ordered the carne asada burrito and was about to take a bite, when my friend freaked out and shoved a bottle of the signature La Vic's spicy orange sauce. The sauce MADE the burrito. Unfortunately I have to say the food at this place is really nothing special without the orange sauce.
I have to say that this LA VIC's location is perfect for SJSU college students, their friends, and clubbers coming from across the street from either Club Wet or Brix.
I am so in love with this sauce that EVERY time I go to La Vic's whether it be the restaurant or smaller location in downtown San Jose I ALWAYS buy a bottle for $6. The sauce goes with everything from baby carrot sticks to hard boiled eggs!
Make sure you try the orange sauce, the delicious horchata, and the carne asada burrito. You can never go wrong with that combination!
The Orange Sauce can't be beat, I come to San Jose once a year on business and make sure to stop at La Vic at least twice, once for breakfast burritos and once for a super burrito.
I have noticed the quality go down a bit, but the sauce keeps bringing me back, the price is right and, did I mention the orange sauce?
I've been going here for years...so you know this place is good! This is one of the popular joints for drunk people to go to after a night from the club...which is their most busiest time.
But honestly, I guess the only thing that makes this place special is THEE ORANGE SAUCE. If they didn't have the orange sauce....it would just probably be good burrito place..but not the best. They are well known for their carne asada super burrito. Probably THEE BEST BURRITO I ever had....aside from the california burrito in San Diego that is. But seriously, their burritos and quesadillas are pretty damn good. I haven't tried anything else, but I think next time I'll try the tacos.
The thing that sucks is that they're stingy with sour cream and lime. It's like, "WTF man? I'm eating in your restaurant...you should provide me more than just a dinky ass amount of lime and sour cream?!". The La Vics on Almaden isn't as stingy...and less busy. If it wasn't so far away, I'd go there.
Decent burritos made better by their "orange sauce". does it justify a visit to the place absolutely! it makes the burrito totally worthwhile and worth a spot in my top 5 burritos
Burritos here is very dry, if its not for the orange sauce, I don't think anyone would want to purchase such a dry burrito. However, after the remodeling, I think the orange sauce flavor has changed.
I do however like the other foods on the menu. If you order the tacos and dine in, then the tacos are great. If you order them to go, then it gets smush and tortilla is soaked with sauce, makes it difficult to eat. Also, the vegetarian quesdilla is delicious. I'm not a vegetarian or anything close to it, but if you don't have a big appetite, check out the vege quesdilla.
This place was so hyped up for me that I walked into here having extremely high expectations about the sauce. I admit it was good but it wasn't orgasmic for me like everyone else made it seem like it was for them. The burrito we ordered was decent but nothing special to me. Weird because EVERYTHING tastes good to me after a night of drinking but the food here just didn't hit it with me.
I came here once after my friends and I went drinking in downtown and it was probably the worst time I could have gone. The place was packed full of people and there was hardly any room to turn. And I absolutely hate the yellow dirty lighting.. something about the lighting just made me queasy. The place was dirty and the staff was quite standoffish to us.
I might have actually liked this place if there wasn't so many people all pushing each other. Just felt like a fight was about to break out at any second.
I should've forced my friends to go to Iguana's instead, but I was drunk, hungry, didn't feel like arguing and dressed like a zombie, so La Vic's it was.
The carne asada tacos were overpowered by the massive amounts of spicy salsa that came with it. I couldn't even enjoy any orange sauce because the tacos came out way too spicy without it. The portion size was great and I appreciated the mighty meat fest, not a whole lot of fillers here.
I don't remember if I told my friend to order it without salsa or maybe she was playing a practical joke on me to see how much spice a zombie can take before their head explodes.
If you like a lot of heat after a drunken night out, come here, but if you prefer a more balanced flavor Iguanas is for you.
This place is good except for the not so needed moisture in the sour cream. Throughout the burrito, the excess water from the sour cream and salsa start to overflow. I wish they would switch to a different brand of sour cream; one that is actually creamy.
All the sodas (except for the canned or bottled ones) are flat. So I would advise to buy a canned soda if you want it carbonated.
Last but not least, the chips are alwasy stale. No matter if I go in the morning or at night, they're hard. I guess it's because they're under a light.
Of course the best thing about La VIcs is their famous orange sauce. Even though there are things that could be better, it's still a great place to eat.
It's all about the orange sauce. People drink it up like Gatorade.
Burritos on its own are decent but with the orange sauce they are spectacular. You can pour that stuff on tree bark and I am sure it will make it taste like heaven. Orange sauce has some serious super powers, like the ability to make 3-year olds eat broccoli.
I am still dreaming of the orange sauce.....OMG! Yes, I did buy a bottle, and had to get a bag of ice to keep it 'fresh' while we drove back to the East Bay. The bottle of the secret orange stuff, is sooo worth it!
Their menu is like any other Taqueria joint, full of yummy omnonom goodness!!! I am a super burrito type of gal, fill my burrito up till it will explode please, but hm....hold the beans! Love my fill of asada and rice more than the beans. Slather on the good ol' orange sauce and dont talk to me until I'm done! Their tacos are also very tasty and so are the nachos. In a perfect world, I could eat an entire burrito and nachos and not explode. Something about La Vics makes me into a total glutenous person! I still think of that yummy orange sauce and want some right now as I drool and type about a little piece of Taqueria heaven......
The only thing that erks me are (1) parking, sometimes it sucks to find parking (2) seating.....if it's crowded, you SOL with getting a table, and there's really no where outside to eat (3) GRAB them orange bottles quick! Sometimes they're MIA.....I think it's those shaddy people who TAKE the bottles of the good sauce home w/o buying it...c'mon it's only a few dollars, just buy your own bottle and leave the ones that are suppose to be for dining in....geez!
The guys love coming here for late night munchies, especially for La Vic's quesadillas. I will have to admit, and put my biased preference for Iguana's to the side, that the quesadillas here are very good. They deep fry the tortilla and load it up with sour cream and meat and goes very well with their famous orange sauce, which is a lot creamier than Iguana's hot sauce, which has more of a chipotle flavor.
This is probably my 3-4th time here in the past year or so and I have been able to smuggle in my Iguana's nacho fries in each and every time and eat it in their establishment since the guys crave the quesadilla and I'm more of a nacho fries girl myself. Score. I was here this past Friday around midnight, just in time to beat the crowd, and find a table. The security guys are a little rude, but you have to understand they are working and a bunch of drunken idiots come in and make fools of themselves so, of course it would be hell of annoying.
The only other thing is that they are CHAIR NAZIS'! You can not move ANY of the chairs around it seems or in certain areas because of a "fire hazard," BUT you can have 5 chairs at one table with 10 ppl at that one table, one on top of the other, and that's ok. Wierd. That also sounds like a fire hazard, but hey! There's only 5 chairs at that table just like it was meant to be...
So if you are patient or in dire need of your La Vic's fix with orange sauce drenched over your food, come here. Just don't try to steal their orange sauce because those guys are QUICK! These bottles of orange yumminess are available for sale for $6, which will last a while if you use it wisely. And nothing lasts forever, they DO go bad like everything else in your fridge. Common sense ppl.
Overall, 3.5 stars.
Their burritos are OK. Maybe it tastes better when one is under the influence of alcohol... Their orange-colored sauce is so good and turns a mediocre burrito into a decent one.
I'd only go here if I'm within walking distance and not allowed to drive.
If there's a way to describe good late-night food, it's La Vics. Why even bother writing a review for this place, there's really nothing special to it. You could replace their burritos with any other Mexican place's burritos and it would still be the same. It's really all about that orange sauce. And who knows what's in that orange sauce...it's just full of DELICIOUSNESS.
Crappy parking, limited seating since it's literally in a house, but always does the job when you crave a burrito loaded with orange sauce.
I love La Victoria!! I crave the taste of that orange sauce sometimes.. Customers should beware though, the sauce contains pork if anyone was concerned about that! I'm not though. I usually get a vegetarian quesadilla. I've gotten a burrito a few times but I think it's a bit bland. Too much rice. The sauce is mainly what makes this place awesome.
I do have to say that the orange sauce is bomb here. It's there special hot sauce that is hot and a bit creamy. i believe it has sour cream in it. They sell it separately also. Their burritos are above average but lacks stuff like cilantro and onions like in SF burritos and are more bland. Wait times are usually not long, though it can get crowded at times.
I believe recently they no longer have the orange sauce in the squeeze bottles, possibly cause of theft? They now use the small containers and give you like one or two of them for each order instead.
They get five stars for two reasons and none of it is for the actual food!
1. Their open up late, great place to go after a night of drinking.
2. Orange Sauce!!!!!!!! What they hell is in this sauce? It is so DAMN GOOD! They actually bottle this stuff up and sell it. I highly recommend buying a bottle!
The food here is a little above average for a taqueria. My advice........ buy a bottle of orange sauce and go to Araujo's Taqueria off Senter and Capital.
San Jose, CA
Category: Mexican
San Jose, CA
Category: Food
San Jose, CA
Category: Mexican
San Jose, CA
Category: Mexican
San Jose, CA
Category: Mexican
It's not that nice to laugh at someone else's…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Ahh one of my forbidden foods! I'm only allowed to…
All the burritos, enchiladas, tortas, nachos, and…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
For when I get a case of the broke college…
I love burritos. Here are some of my favorite…
The Bay Area in California is very unique to have…
