Sal's Tacos
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
11 Reviews for Sal's Tacos
ive gone here twice the first time i was not very impressed but i was willing to give it another go. but alas once again i was disappointed. the portions and size are big, the price is about average or a little more then other mexican joints. the decor is sorta cool but gaudy at the same time. but the food overall is nothing great. id rather save money and go to smaller taqueria, especiallly here in west sacramento. larger portions does not equal better food (although claim jumpers does alright with this motto). its just not very inspiring and nothing about the place makes up for it in any other area. sal's is a pass for me.
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I've lived in Sacramento for over 2 years and haven't found a place where I get my money's worth quite like Sal's. You get free chips and salsa which seems to be none existent at other restaurants (e.g. Elephant Bar on Arden). This is the only place aside from Buca Di Beppo where the portions are so huge I have to usually end up taking home some food. I have yet to try anything besides the burrito which I guess is my complaint that the menu isn't more extensive; aside from that, this is one of the few restaurants I take my friends to when they visit.
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I want to give this place five stars. I really do, but I just can't.
For two people to eat a meal and drinks here it averages us $25 a visit. That's not necessarily a downer. Here's what is.
You get ICEBERG lettuce. You can't get refills on horchata or punch. NO SUBSTITUTIONS. You have to place the order yourself at the counter. The food itself isn't worth the higher price. It's not organic or spectacularly fresh.
It's like every other taqueria in town, but it costs twice as much.
Okay, but here are the reasons it gets four and not just three:
The menu is DIVERSE. You can get eggs all day. You can get pozole! You can get any combo of Mexican food that you can think of. The flavors are good.
Your eyes will NOT be bored. The walls are covered with tons of original mosaics by Sal.
They serve their own wine, which tastes GREAT!
So check it out, with some friends, for lunch.
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I have to second all the aforementioned issues with prices. Sal's is way too expensive for what you get.
However....
Jimboy's definitely has a competitor for the title of "World's Most Unhealthy Taco". Got a crispy carnitas taco after ordering one soft carnitas taco, but damned if I wasn't happy they made the mistake. That freakin taco was delicious. Fried to perfection, filled with tasty bits of carnitas, a slice of tomato and shredded iceburg lettuce.
Extra points for the shed-like ambience. Man. I could swear I just ate that taco in a real life shed.
Four star taco. Could be five if it cost less.
I really wanna like this place just by the look of it and the all-alone-in-a-no-eats-wasteland location.
Plus 5 stars for the Vlade Divac mosaic. AWESOME!
Minus 3 stars for a super burrito that was overpriced and not pick-uppable....more like a decapitated quadriplegic bunny rabbit oozing sour scream and overstuffed with filler rice and shredded lettuce. WEAK!
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Oh Sal's, I'm a true West Sac gal, from birth, as is my mom (1929 - G street baby!). . . and I Sooo want to luv you! But, you're just not cutting the muster these days. I couldn't even eat the leftovers this time.
Once upon a time, before the Washington Square yuppie homes went up, your Carnitas tacos were pretty decent (crispy edges and corn tortillas). Now they are a flour tortilla soggy mess. I really hate to be so critical, but I remember when these tacos were corn and could hold up.
I came here (reluctantly with my family) last week and was SO NOT impressed. (Although I do remember a time 5 or 6 years back when your Carnitas tacos were pretty good). Maybe I ordered wrong this time (I hope). But, really there shouldn't be a wrong way to order IMO.
I do like the variety of the salsa bar, but there's only 2 salsas that would make me clean the plate. The spicy cucumbers are a hit with me and the family too.
This morning, my daughter and husband were munching on the leftovers, but I just couldn't touch it. The Carnitas were not crispy, the chicken burrito smelled like Alpo dog food to me (seriously, my daughter came up to me asking if they should save me some . . . Hell no!- again in my humble opinion).
I SO want to like you Sal's. The night we dined, a regular came in right before closing. I guess "Sal" came in (Hummer and all). . . the conversation is as follows: "Hey, so and so (can't remember his exact name)", "Hey Sal, how have you been, haven't seen you in a while, but your Menudo is the best in town".
So, as I was leaving I had to check out the menudo on this guy's table - even though he looked at me like I was checking him out (sorry, no, but your food looks good). I do have to say it looked pretty damn good. And all of the usual accouterments - lot of lemon wedges, Mexican oregano, cilantro , cabbage, onion, and tortillas needed to make this a lovely hearty meal. So, I'm at an impasse again - it's really hard to find Menudo served every day.
Usually, me and mother-in-law will go to Esperanza off Franklin with our little pots to fill up on menudo (Sunday only), but sometimes you just want it when YOU WANT it: so I will try Sal's and the other place off West Capitol Ave.
I will go back to Sal's to try out the Menudo ONLY now. And I will update later - promise. Please don't spit in my Menudo . . .
Tee Hee - Sal has a great sense of humor: http://www.flickr.com/...
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We've been to Sal's Tacos on numerous occasions. It's the perfect pre-dive bar dinner destination in West Sacramento. Tasty, flavorful tacos and cold cold beer in a frosty mug. The rice and refried beans are above average. They also offer free salsa and chips under the hot lights. The place is usually fairly crowded around dinnertime. Sal's decor is pretty unique with the Sacramento Kings memorabilia all over the place. It's old school Kings memorabilia. Lots of Vlade, Peja, Bibby. They should update it...at least put a picture of Francisco Garcia on the wall. U of L representin'.
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Why do I love this place? Could it be the mosaics of pop icons all over the walls? Could it be the rocket hot salsas (maybe a dozen of them) at the salsa bar? Could it be that I was pretty damn drunk when I ate there? These are all contributing reasons. But, the number one reason I love this place is that they actually have a unique recipe for the traditional dish I ordered, chile colorado. The sauce, instead of being bright red and drowning all the meat, is smoky, brown, and lightly applied--spicy, sweet and unique. The meat was tender, without being the consistency or pot roast, and well spiced. I appreciate a unique point of view, and it's getting harder and harder to find in Mexican restaurants, which is why Sal's Tacos is my favorite Mexican joint in West Sacramento. From the crazy mosaics to the stupid hot salsas, from the somewhat odd location to the unique recipes, Sal's makes for unique dining.
www.sacrag.com
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Haha! I actually came here with Kevin L. back in September 2006, and it was supposed to be my first review here on yelp, but there were some major life events going on for me around then, so I never got around to writing until now.
I really like the place, big menu to choose from, food was ok. (See my photo!)
I think the thing that makes this place stand out in my mind is the amazing tilework all over the place, even the bathroom! Plus they have some funny signs on the walls.
Gut Reaction Rating: 3 stars and one more for tilt. You just have to appreciate the work that was put in to the tiles.
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Not bad, but not great either. In fact, I came onto Yelp to write a review but I had totally forgotten the name of the place.
I had Sal's #1 Special which is a fried taco and an enchilada.
The only thing that was truly remarkable about this place was the bizzare mosaics covering the walls. There was one of Frida (you know, the unibrow). The rest were of Sacramento Kings, past and current. I counted two of Vlade Divac-- one of them being his disembodied head floating in front of what appeared to be the Lithuanian flag. I can't be sure because I've never actually seen the Lithuanian flag.
There were some swanky condos across the street, too. What was I talking about again?
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I am not sure what originally made the people at Sal's Tacos put their yummy restaurant in such an odd location, but they make good food so whenever I have been the place has been pretty full. And I think everyone leaves pretty full as well.
Located on the other side of the I Street bridge in a previously shady, now hipster part of West Sac, Sal's is cool because its great for everyone. Today when I visited I found a mix of customers from blue suites to construction guys to moms all enjoying the salsa bar and good eats.
The place is a little run down, but makes up for it with the cool mosaics that cover the walls.
Today I had the chicken tacos which are yummy! Something about the way they cook the meat that just makes it really good. My friend had the quesadilla and she said it was really good. in fact, she had one yesterday too.
The only downer about Sal's is that it is a little pricey for Mexican food. But it is good and a nice change from the downtown scene.
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