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Good food, huge portions and great prices. This is fast food, low budget dining at its best.
I got the Taco Delight and a Taco. My partner got a super Nachos and a Taco. I was only able to eat 1/4 of my Taco Delight and my partner ate all his Nachos (How? I don't know).
They pile the ingredients on. The staff is really friendly.
If you want dining inside, go somewhere else. If you want good, cheap eats, go and go now.
This place is classic, white trash Americana at its best. You gotta appreciate it.
It's got that dingy 1970's decor that gives it charm.
The food is just like Taco Bell, except this place piles on 10 times more meat and condiments.
There is no rhyme or reason to how anything is prepared or assembled in their kitchen.
It's a whirlwind of cheese, hot sauce, and taco meat that you might get lost in if you are not careful. Go with a south bay local so they can show you the way....it's a right of passage.
I spent many a late night in line at this place. My go-to is the burrito but the nachos are great too!
mmmm....
1) The food tastes gross
2) The food looks gross. I can only take their word for it that it was actually beef.
3) The place itself is disgusting.
It was, however, cheap. Be afraid. Be very afraid
I dedicate my 500th review to Bravo and their biggest fan, my bf. Due to his addiction we've been visiting quite often and I'd probably never have known the late night joys of Bravo if it weren't for him.
Extra delicious because it's the original, my only complaint is that they no longer have olives. (According to staff because they're too expensive). As for the common complaint of upset tummies, I claim shenanigans. I don't know anyone who actually got sick, it may just be a running joke.
You really can't call it Mexican food. I mean you could if you wanted, but you'd be lying.
But you can call it filthlicious. Me and my friends use the phrase filthy as sorta of a compliment when it comes to a restaurant, it basically means greasy and delicious in a way that makes you happy but also feel filthy in the end. Like you know your body is mad at you for eating that, buuut maybe you're drunk? maybe ur sometihng else? and before you know it you just ate the whole wheel of cheese. Filthy.
Taco Bravo is like that, hard shell tacos with hella ground beef, shredded iceberg lettuce and an absolutely obscene amount of cheese. And of course it tastes great. Each taco is enourmous and filling. Esp the Taco Delite (not delight btw...) which is the equivalent of a taco bell double decker taco but with a fist full of cheese. The tostada is pretty much the same thing but now the crispy bit is flat and there's no meat, just beans. And cheese. I literally took of %75 of the cheese and took two lactaid pills (i'm lactose intolerant) and i still got sorta sick.
the nachos look insane. i was afraid to get it.
But yea. it all tastes pretty damn goood. Filthy good.
It's also sorta funny that under "attire" i could say formal. I mean you could eat there in a tux if you wanted, it's a free country and all.
I don't even want to add even 1 star!
Disgusting.. I went here today with some friends and let me just that this place is run by some dirty white trash. The lady at the counter looks like a crack head. I made a comment to my friend about how dirty her hands, nails, she was in general and wondered if she handled the food. My friend assured me that cashiers don't handle food.. then within seconds I saw her wipe her nose, pick her ear and then grab a tortilla out of the warmer. That lady should be fired!! Stay away if you value your health!
I went to Taco Bravo tonight and ordered a tostada and a Super Burrito
I have been going to Taco Brave over 20 years. Used to go to the one they had in Cupertino off of Deanza BLVD. I have to say that tonight's meal was exceptional. The tostada was amazing and was made by an older gentleman whom I have not seen there before. The way that he layered the beans, sauce, lettuce, and cheese was perfect. It looked like an artistic creation. The tostada shell was fresh and crunchy not at all soggy. The beans and sauce were just the right combination. My Super burrito was made by a slim young man who placed all the ingredients into the burrito in the exactly the right amount necessary to bring the flavors to their fullest development.. I would rank this meal in the top 5 of all time that I have had a Taco Bravo.
LOVE THIS PLACE ! My hubby grew up down the road and introduced me to Taco Bravo.. I have to admit, when I first saw it, I was like umm.. REALLY ?!?! But the food is soooooo damn good ! The crunchy tacos are awesome, the super nacho's are freakin enormous and you gotta love the huge beef burrito's. Cheap and delicious ! Any time we make it out there, we stop here ! Love going after a concert and eatlng a late night snack !
What can be said about Taco Bravo. Is it good mexican food? Not really but its better then Taco Bell and its open late. So where do you go when the punk show is over? Thats right cheap food at taco bravo since they are open until like 3 am.
The best way to describe Taco Bravo is that its a step above Taco Bell and a step below a real Taquaria. I love their bravo taco where it comes in a fried flower tortilla shell and filled with ground beef, shredded lettuce, a massive amount of cheese, tomatoes, and olives.
They are open late and a great spot for late night snack.
Taco Bravo is cheap, cheap, CHEAP. You can get a huge burrito for like $2.50 - although the food is as far away as you can get from authentic mexican food. Or even Taco bell fast food for that matter, Taco Bravo is its own Enigma.
The spicey sauce they give out is not very good, and make sure you get all the toppings in the burritos to load it up big time. You may need to lay down afterward.
Large cheap bean burritos. Very tasty. They do not skimp on anything. The tacos are loaded with cheese. if you ask for onions you get a pile of onions. I was very happy with this place and i plan on eating there often.
This is delicious, greasy, cheap taqueria food at its best.
I've never met anyone who doesn't like Taco Bravo -- the menu is a rundown of basic ground beef, cheese, lettuce, and hot-sauce topped items like nachos, tacos, burritos, and tostadas and that's about it (tomatoes and sour cream are extra). I always order tacos, but I've heard people swear by just about everything served here, so you probably can't go wrong.
Definitely make sure you ask for some hot sauce when you're there, and if you're in the area and craving a midnight snack, this little shack is open LATE (2 or 3 am, I think).
As far as atmosphere, it's nothing special. The only places to sit are a few stools inside the shack-section where you order and 4 or 5 old, invariably dirty tables and benches at the front and sides of the janky building.
And if you're a woman, I'll warn you in advance of the dudes who take and fill the orders here -- I don't think I've ever walked up to the counter without feeling like the guys behind it are trying to stare through my clothes as I listen to them make sleazy comments to eachother halfway under their breath.
If you can let that slide, though, all I have to say is YUM!
I like authentic Mexican food as much as the next guy...but that's not the ONLY thing that I like. Taco Bravo is absolutely MAGNIFICENT!!! Its Americanized, pseudo-Mexican, crunchy-taco-shell fare, but its the absolute very best of that particular sub-cuisine that you will ever find, anywhere on the planet Earth.
I very much appreciate the fact that Taco Bravo is open till 3 am (in fact, when I worked in Sunnyvale, I used to skip out of work, five minutes early at 2:55, jam down the freeway, and catch it while it was still open, four out of five Friday nights, when its especially busy), but the claim that its somehow exclusively the domain of after hours, intoxicated feasting, is a slander. Taco Bravo is excellent, any time of the day or night, irrespective of whether you're stone cold sober, or falling down drunk.
I've been eating there since 1985 (and remember it being across from the Pruneyard for a lot longer than that), and the best things to eat are as follows:
The Bean Burrito: This is the single most cost-effective restaurant purchase in Santa Clara County. If I were a homeless person, these are all I'd eat, based on the enormously favourable food-to-money ratio which pertains to these sometimes almost Duraflame log-sized burritos. You HAVE to get them with extra cheese (I think its 35 cents extra), and I personally recommend them with extra onions (but ONLY if you really like onions; if you don't, you should probably order them with no onions at all). You can do whatever you want sauce-wise, but for me, I get them with no sauce (you have a choice of red or green, sometimes characterized as spicy or mild, although I frankly forget which colour goes with which level of spiciness), and then administer doses of the "taco sauce," that comes on request (they usually offer it, actually), in little plastic cups.
The Tostada: These are freakin' great! They are approximately the same price as Taco Bell tostadas, and a very similar seeming design, yet contain about three times as much actual food content, and they taste at least five times better. They will double-shell them upon request. These things don't travel well, so if you're not going to eat them on the premises (and you really should), then be sure to get them double-shelled. Some people prefer the Super Tostada, but since I don't care for olives, I've never tried it.
The (regular) Taco: It looks a lot like a Taco Bell taco, costs about the same, and yet is about twice as filling, and tastes easily TEN TIMES BETTER! A simple thing of gastrointestinal beauty.
The Soft Taco: Another excellent deal; you get a LOT of meat on this little baby. Highly recommended.
The Taco Delight: Its a difficult thing to describe, but which is truly scrumptious. I always order it without olives & tomatoes, for the record.
It should be noted that Taco Bravo is a fast food joint. That may not be for everyone, but that's what it is. And the food is a Hell of a lot better (and less expensive) than anything you'll get at McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Jack-in-the-Box, etc. It is the best fast food place I am aware of - period.
Oh one of my devious vice's out there. I'm in love with their american style Enchilada and super taco. This place is what Taco Bell used to be before taco bell became commercialized. They even serve a hamburger that reminds of the old Taco Bell Bell Burger.
Does anyone even remember the bell burger? It's good and messy and if you're picky stay away but if you like that old style type of location then come here.
If someone picks it up for you, four stars. But if you've got to deal with actually going....Close your eyes when they make your food - because it's amazing that they don't get more people sick... It's that gross. Believe it or not, I've even seen a crack pipe behind the glass - I can only imagine that it belonged to an employee.
Good fast food Mexican grub though. A step above Taco Bell. But a similar menu. If you can deal with the crowd, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Best of all, they stay open late, to serve the drunks leaving downtown Campbell.
It is effing Taco bravo people! For the whiners and the newbies:
It has a look to it out of a porno set from the 70's. The sign screams Campbell circa 1980. There are stools to sit on and stare at the road and two concrete tables that are older than me. The menu is on a board written with little plastic block letters. You order through a midget sized window to a crankster working the register. I don't think anything on the menu is over 5.00.
It is not real authentic Mexican food. It is drunken debauchery post coital evil goodness. It reminds me of a place in Oakridge Mall around 1983 called Taco Villa - dirty and good. Kind of like looking at online porn, dirty and good.
There is nothing more chronic to me than that shredded cheese piled on anything and everything they serve here. The taco delight has the hard shell stuffed inside of a soft flour shell glued together with refried beans - I mean how caloric and delightful is that?
This place is a dive - expect the service to match. I could care less that the crankster touches my money than makes my food. I could case less that it is what it is. I could care less that you go to this dump expecting taqueria food and are disappointed.
I love my Bravo - drunk, sober or hungover. It is a craptastic institution that will probably blow your guts out but I care none and I love it.
Taco Bravo is a notch above taco bell in the mexican fast food department. Its makes a spectacular hangover lunch or a glorious late night drunk snack.
However,The highlight of ANY visit to Taco Bravo is not the food.
What is it then? You may be asking yourself.
Answer: Its the cast of characters that make this fine establishment run. They ALL look like they would fit right in on I Love New York with all the other degenerates vying for that crack hoe's affection.
The combination of food and the collection of colorful employees make this a solid spot for some drunk entertainment.
Run and don't look back!
They handle your cash and then they turn around to bulid your taco, burrito, or whatchamacall it with out washing their gruby, dirty, filthy cash hands. NASTY!
Taco Bravo is about as authentic mexican food as it gets here in the Bay Area, probably Mexico too, perhaps even the entire world. Of course I lie, this isn't authentic mexican food. What it is is cheap but satisfying food.
Now I know that some of the employees there can look a little grimy, but that doesn't really bother me. I just try not to think about it.
I come here every so often when I get that craving. The sad thing is is I've never been here drunk, always sober, so I can't even blame alcohol for liking this place. Fatty
This is the best taco place in the Bay! matter-of-fact even better than any taco place I eat at in Texas.
This is the one thing I miss about San Jose was this place, when I travel down to see family I always stop here to eat.
The burritos here are the bomb!!!
Is it deluxe food - no. Is it deluxe cheap, Mexican food - heck yah!
The cashier and staff were super friendly at this whole in the wall. Cheerful and full of smiles, not so bad when you are picking up some food to take home.
The burrito was super tasty and a lot! Add some hot sauce and yum! The nachos weren't deluxe amazing but while washing back a Corona, laughing and eating Mexican food it was perfect!
Great food for the prices!
For some reason this place sounded yummy yesterday and sometimes it can be good. I do love the tacos and nachos but I cannot stand the service!
When I went up to the window I was greeted by a women who looked like she HATED her job (can't blame her though, she does work in a hot ass taco shed) but anyways she gets PAID its her job!
So, she takes my order and starts making my tacos.. with in 1 minute of waiting a rush of 5-6 people come in and she starts going off! Saying that we are all lazy people! I think majority of us just got off of work! we already put in our 9-5!! and us lazy people pay your bills!
I was really distracted and offended by this! not to mention they do not use gloves or wash there hands and they take your money and turn around and make your food! I am sure at 2am when your drunk you don't notice or even care!
This place is really ONLY good at 2am when your drunk! Otherwise I wouldn't eat here again! If people who work there are so miserable and hate when people come there... then I can only imagine what they do to the food when they get mad!!
bottom line... you gotta be wasted off your ass with no expectations to eat here!
My friends and I love Taco Bravo. Sitting out in front of this place is fun while people watching. Sometimes the birds chirping in the bushes can be annoying as they look for food that has been dropped.
Taco Bravo does not go skimpy on the cheese, especially on the soft tacos and super tacos.
If you have gas problems, get a burrito...that'll clear it up in no time.
TACO BRAVOOO!
not too much bravo bravo from me!
so, me and herb came here for a quick snack..
i ordered a super taco and he ordered a super burrito and nachos with a large sprite with no ice.
first off, the old man working there.. told some other lady that we got orange soda.. so we corrected him and they gave us sprite.
so we got our food.
the nachos were simple.. chips, nacho cheese, with jalapenos one top.
it hit the spot! simple, cheap.. but oh so good.
i got my taco and it was great.. not super great, but i loved the olives!
herb got his burrito.. but behold!! it was a bean and cheese burrito.
whhhat? of course, he's not the aggressive type so he didn't bother asking to get his burrito.. i had a bite of it.. it was good..
the man just can't hear.. it's a tad annoying..
i don't know if i'd come back here.. it's a hole in the wall and sometimes i'm scared of getting sick!
Glad to see that they are still around, at the same location. I had to stop there today to get my "usual" (of many years ago), the bean burrito. Nothing has changed, cept the price went up about .20 in 5 years. This being so close will make my stops at taco bell and del taco much less. Now, only if they'd listen and adhere to my request of "less cheese and more hot sauce", I'd be a happy camper!
Went there sober and was extremely disappointed.
Went there drunk and the experience did not improve.
I'd prefer the variety (and the cleanliness) of a Taco Bell over Taco Bravo any day.
I just shake my head at all the " taco bravo fans". This place is terrible, low quality food, and that's what the fans love about it!!
I tried it like 3-4 times when I lived in San Jose, and each time I was blown away by the quality of food being even lower than Taco Bell.
The Burrito is like watery goop with grade f meat substitute, and your stomach will be rumbling for the next 2 days.
I seriously think the inside joke is " The food is completely awful, but its open late, and we're so cool to be supporting this place instead of Taco Bell...Yeah Bro!"
( Shakes head)
I've passed this place a million times, but never had any desire to try it. Ever. But last night, quite drunken, our friends wanted to go here.
You order outside, and there are only 2 tables to eat at. I think we beat the club rush by about 2 minutes, because the lines got insane after us. The food is easy to order for the drunkard, with not too many options. I got the super something nachos. Delicious when I'm drunk! Not sure how it is sober (much like Lee Noodle House, White Castle, Bay 101, Pinky's Hot Dogs, the crepe place across from DNA Lounge...etc). I'm pretty sure everything was cheap too.
The cons of this place....the bathroom is disgusting. Don't touch the walls. You also have to deal with drunkards in line. We were in line, and I had to go use the restroom, and some of the guys had to smoke, so they walked me around the back to the restroom. I handled it, they smoked, and we got back in line with the rest of our friends. One of the drunk doods in line started bi7ching at me about cutting in line. Hella made me mad, especially with the courage juice in me. I don't remember what I yelled back, but it was probably a lot of slurring and wobbling around. Anger Management Class Graduate in me told me that I'M probably the "annoying drunks in line" that the dood is going to write about in his own Yelp review. Or maybe he was really hungry?
My booty has been peeing all morning, so - that 2nd star.
well something happen Denice you food seems cold not good for me sorry to say i get a free Colan flush out when i eat there and i have bin going there since mike belt lo toked me about your place 12 years now
and you new location is even worse on saratoge ave real bad sorry to say you must have the munches to eat that crap or real cheap speaking of cheap no more olives come on whats the deal find a new distorter and some of your workers are jerks like the night crew they look sleepy all the time or there stoned all the time real rude if you request something different my last viset there the worker said you come here and make it your self he said i was to picky sorry i wont be coming back the berto are getting smaller and no olives come on don't be so cheap
I can say on a few occasions that Taco Bravo saved my life! You know, where you wake up without the massive hangover you anticipated but kick yourself cause you had 4 tacos when I'm sure 2 would have done the job just the same. Then text your friends..."dude, taco bravo saved my life"
Ok so I've only gone here after nights of debauchery...and I still don't know when Taco Bravo closes but bless them for taking care of the drunkards. Thier prices are great, a taco is $1.39 just to gauge, and portions are huge. I'm not a cheese lover, I'm asian (lactose intolerant), but of course while drunk the 1/2 lb of shredded cheese on your food just melts in your mouth. The olives on the tacos is an extra WAHOO. The hot sauce is a great compliment...a bit hotter than taco bell but not that fire in your mouth hot that destroys any taste of anything else.
The Nachos is a plate of bad goodness...for $5 bucks, It can feed 2 sufficiently...or 1 when drunk.
Bad Points: No indoor dining and very little space outdoors to eat. The last time I ate here, the next morning I awoke to what I thought would be the standard, drunk the night before bowel movement,...but um....it was little worse....And contacting my friends, they had the same issue. Hopefully this is an isolated incident.
There is no better place to fill that craving in your stomach for ground beef and cheese at 2:30 am than Taco Bravo. This place is like Taco Bell on steroids. A lot of steroids, but then it stopped taking steroids and got really fat. I can't think of better nachos (price and taste-wise). The taco delight is an amazing double-decker taco, and the burritos are enormous. Even though I love spicy food, I'd recommend that you get their food 'mild' (or red) and add LOTS of their hot sauce on top. Always order extra shredded cheddar. I've tackled the boneyard, and I'm looking forward to the kamikaze. I'm not looking forward to going to the bathroom after it though. I still have one of their old large cups that folded at the top. I keep it as a souvenir. I love this place. It's also got the sexiest employees of any food establishment I've ever been to.
they have secet items here..
the bone yard burrito....
and the kamakazie
I've heard a lot of horror stories about Taco Bravo. "Oh, this place will give you the runs," or, "Dude it's older than my mom!" I'm unsure about the age, but I am sure about one thing- I've never had any digestive problems from any of their food.
It's faster than Taco Bell, better than Taco Bell, and it's pretty damn tasty. I make a point to stop here when I'm not with someone who's picky. Every doubter that I've made eat their food soon becomes a believer, nay, a fanatic of what we like to call Ta Bra.
Try it and see.
There are 2 types of people in this world:
Those who will eat at Taco Bravo, and those who will not.
Notice I said "eat" and not "like". I eat a taco bravo. Why? I'll tell you why:
As you saunter up to the counter you are thinking to yourself "holy crap, I haven't seen a menu that looks that old since I was listening to Guns N Roses on cassette". Then as you order your food the simplicity of the menu makes you pause. Finally your mind comprehends that you can only order about 4 different things. You settle and pay your cash.
The food comes in a white bag and looks like you made it at home. It's simple. Beans, cheese, ground beef and some onions stuffed in a tortilla. It's not complicated. It's not gourmet. It's not even that great. It just... IS.
For a select few you will sit there on the ancient stone benches out front which are most likely older than you are, and think about the old days. The days when the pruneyard sucked and the only good places were the garret and El burro. How you used to browse the small Compact Disc section at Tower records and how the CD packages used to be like a foot long to discourage shoplifting.
For others, you'll look at your food, grimace, and swear to yourself that you're never coming back here.
It is with that in mind I say to those yelpers, those people looking for the ultimate boutique taqueria with "authentic food". Those hippity hipsters who want to be the first to review the cool place. This is not it. It never will be. This place is like Mexican food's Tyler Durden. It looks at Chipotle and says "is that what a taco is supposed to look like?" And laughs.
So to end my review, all I can say about Taco Bravo is one must decide himself what Taco Bravo is. Go there once. And you may find what you are looking for. Chances are you will not. But no "review" can suffice for this place.
It's easy.
It's quick.
It's cheap.
It's edible.
It's not upscale food, but what more do you need when you're hunkering for something quick and cheap. At least you're getting your veggies worth in the tacos or burritos. They've got lots of choices: tacos, burritos, nachos. You won't find seafood here though.
It's a mission house with outside seating, but no indoor seating. Sort of like a mexican Wienerschnitzel or a mexican Falafel. It's more of a place where you can order/pick up your food.
Hip hip hooray for quick and cheap food!
3 1/2 stars
Went here last night drunk as hell.....and had a super taco and a taco delight. the first one ok, but the taco delight was pretty good. All 3 guys working there were cool and really looked like they enjoy their job. Will be back next time I'm drunk.
3 stars
Ok so I was really really drunk and not hungry at all, but after leaving downtown campbell,…
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I don't know who eats here during the daytime.
But I know how popular this place can get around 2AM.
You'll think you're smart because you're drunk and Tacos, Nachos, and Burritos sound good don't they? After hours grubbing here will turn a hangover that would have been a mild headache into tomorrow's gastro-intestinal war.
Decisions made after 2am usually aren't good ones.
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