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Tacos Jalapa
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 10 am - 8 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
Loren Q. said: "I'm a big fan of this place. Their pozole is great with a ton of pork. I'm really into their breakfasts too. I've always had good service here. Now on the not absolutely great side I'm not a huge fan of their burritos (except their…" read more »
130 reviews for Tacos Jalapa
Review Highlights
"Taqueria Jalapa has the best Al Pastor."
(in 25 reviews)
"My favorite is the soft carne asada tacos."
(in 22 reviews)
"I LOVE their vegetarian burrito."
(in 51 reviews)
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130 reviews in English
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Review from Teresa T.
Cupertino, CA
8/30/2011
We have been going here for many years. Oh where to begin. The food is great. The prices are great. The service is great!
Chile Relleno, Shrimp cocktail (I like it in the summer), Caldo in the winter, fish plate, fish tacos.... You can't go wrong.
Bring your appetite. Perfect portions and the best chips and salsa is included with your meal! -
Review from Andy F.
Mountain View, CA
1/27/2012
I really like Tacos Jalapa. I've been looking for a good, local mom-and-pop Taqueria that serves great burritos and quesadillas. I think I've found it. There's limited seating, but that's fine because I usually take-out.
Parking is difficult, and exiting the parking lot can be very difficult during rush hour. Suggest parking in front of Peet's Coffee. -
Review from Alan L.
Yes!! I've found my new Burrito fix for the Sunnyvale area!!
Tacos Jalapa!!
Tacos Jalapa is a small mom and pop ran restaurant. The don't have a big store front and sort of hidden. So be on the look out for the restaurant sign.
Today I had the Burrito Jalapa. This is basically a Wet Burrito made their way.
The burrito is made of Onions, Cilantro, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Rice and Beans and your choice of meat. I had the Beef Tongue (nice, soft and tender). The burrito was topped off with a Melted Cheese Sauce, Onions, Cilantro, Sour Cream and Jalapenos. Yum!!
http://www.yelp.com/us...
When I got my burrito....ahhh....I'm hungry for this!!
I cut open my burrito to checkout the inside. Yup!! It's filled with meat, not too much rice, not too much beans...
http://www.yelp.com/us...
My first bite....Ummm....tasty, hot (temperature hot), spicy on the light to medium side. The wet burrito does not hold up too well, so it's best eaten with a fork and knife.
What I really like about the burrito:
It was filled with chunky meat.
The Cheese Sauce did not dry up or harden up after awhile and remained a liquid format.
The burrito was hot (temperature wise) evenly throughout every bite.
The burrito wrap did not harden and dry up.
The spices used in this burrito is very flavorful....as I write this review I can still lick my lips and taste the flavor of the burrito.
The rice or beans did not dominate the burrito.
Nice even spread of ingredients.
Overall a 4 star burrito for now until I try a few more. I'll be checking for consistency and trying other dishes and will update this review. For now...I'm happy and will return. This will be my "Go To Burrito Place".
Oh...don't expect a nice big place...there are only a few tables inside and a few outside. Two and Four seat tables / booth. -
Review from Erica S.
12/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was looking for a quick place to grab food to-go and found this place on Yelp. Best to park next to Peet's instead as the parking lot here is small and difficult to get out of. The place is pretty small so don't expect to eat here with a bunch of people.
I had the beef, chicken, and pork street-style tacos. $1.50 each is cheap! Asked for free chips and salsa. The pork and chicken are marinated in a special sauce, but I didn't care too much for the pork as it was pretty greasy. Loved the chicken and beef ones though. The beef was actually chunks of steak vs shredded beef. A satisfying meal! I'll be back again! -
Review from Cindy O.
Sunnyvale, CA
2/6/2012
The food is always fresh here. The place is very small however.
I buy to go usually.
Nice smiley folks -
Review from Annie D.
11/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Stopped in for lunch, not a big menu but all the cravings will be fixed.
I got their cocktail... on a Wednesday.. I didn't notice it said Fridays and Saturdays only.. but I still placed my order and it was still made. Nice! If you've never had the Mexican cocktail, it's served warm or hot in juice and add your own amount of ketchup to taste with hot sauce, lemon and with crackers. Yum! Enjoyed it here.
Also tried their lengua taco, cooked nicely. Good.
I'm not the biggest fan of Mexican food, I know, I'm the only one in the world, but this place was pretty darn good for the Mexican fix. -
Review from Ryan R.
San Jose, CA
Food is good---atmosphere not so much if you are looking for privacy while eating. A total of six tables in a room about the size of a studio apartment. The TV was way too loud and blaring Mexican soap operas and the seating has you almost at the same table as those next to you.
Free chips and salsa are always a plus but the soap operas are even cheesier than American ones and the fact that only one guy was working the entire place (thus the time to get my food took about 15-20 minutes) definitely drops the overall experience to three stars. -
Review from K P.
Milpitas, CA
1/19/2012
It's actually more like 3.5 stars.
Like others have said, the food is good but nothing that really stands out. You know, kinda like when you go over to your friend's mom's house and you fix your own plate...it's good but not some culinary masterpiece.
So if you're looking for mexican comfort food on budget (ok, they cost more than taco bell but at least you know it's real meat), then this place will hit the spot on those cravings. -
Review from Drew S.
Menlo Park, CA
12/6/2011
Yum!!!
Fast service with a smile and great food too. -
Review from Patricia L.
San Jose, CA
9/27/2011
This place is super tiny! There is one cashier and then one person making the food so the service is super slow. Don't come here if you are in a hurry.
They give you chips and salsa to munch on while you wait. I ordered one carne asada taco, one al pastor taco, and one pollo taco. My brother ordered a regular carne asada burrito. We both also got an Arizona ice tea...and the total bill came out to be less than $15!
There are a few tables inside and a few tables outside for people to sit at. If it's nice outside you should definitely sit outside because when it gets busy there are a bunch of people standing around waiting for their food so it gets really cramped and you'll feel like people are standing over you and staring at you while you are trying to eat.
The food here is decent...nothing really stood out though. No complaints but no praises either. My brother's taco was not ginormous like how they usually are at chain restaurants (i.e., Chipotle)...it was just normal size.
There are better and faster options in the area! -
Review from vimal p.
9/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
I really want to like this place, its good but I wouldn't say the best.
free chips is a plus, and outdoor seating was nice.
def check out ruby's on the other side of Sunnyvale for some 5 star tacos. -
Review from April B.
Sunnyvale, CA
11/12/2011
I have only been here once. I tried the chicken tamales I thought they were good. I did like the atmosphere the tv was way to loud.
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Review from Paul H.
Sunnyvale, CA
9/15/2011
can i just say...YUMMMMM
food real good. me and the coworkers had a taco salad, enchilada, the carne asada and al pastor tacos, and a quesadilla.
LET ME...highlight the quesadilla real quick...even though we had to wait to bring the food back to the office, the cheese wasn't all hard, and they put pico de gallo inside so its still moist but the tortilla aint soggy. FRIGGIN AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
this place is good to go, and the service is pretty good too. -
Review from Daniel D.
Cupertino, CA
11/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Nothing spectacular here. Was hoping for a more legit mexican place but nothing was spicy and it wasn't that flavorful.
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Review from George K.
Cupertino, CA
7/20/2011
I came here in a search for some really good Al Pastor tacos...and I was not disappointed. On top of this, I dabbled in the beef cheek tacos (as I do love a good beef cheek) and was pleasantly surprised! These fillings were served on some fantastic soft corn tacos (which I normally don't enjoy so much)...in fact, probably the first soft corn tacos that I've ever loved, let alone liked! To top it off, the hot salsa was delicious.
So, now you're wondering why I only gave it 4/5 stars...and that is due to the wait. It is small, and there are quite a few people that hit it up, but the wait still surprised me.
Regardless, I will definitely be going back again, and again, and ... -
Review from Brian S.
Union City, CA
12/24/2011
Great service. Hardworking owners and ridiculously good tacos!
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Review from Mahesh H.
San Jose, CA
12/22/2011
Wow, it feeds your taste buds. cost affective and tasty. Little spicy dispite we mentioned NON spicy, but its mexican right. Quality and Quantity better than branded places. Its a place to go. Of course wait time needs to be doubled on what they tell you. If they tell you 10 minutes , take it as 20 min and so on!
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Review from hollie s.
Sunnyvale, CA
10/8/2011
MMM I love Tacos Jalapa! I love supporting this place because it's a mom and pop joint and well, just damn-well good! I love their veggie jalapas more than life! Not much room to sit inside with only two tables-but there are picnic tables outside with umbrellas. This is a great grab and go type deal, but be prepared for a line! Tacos Jalapa isn't much of a secret at all, everyone wants to go!
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Review from Red Tail H.
Sunnyvale, CA
4/22/2011
Love this place! It's just a little hole in the wall taqueria with basic food. But it does its basic food *really well*. My favorite here is the flautas with potatoes. Mmmmm..... The parking lot is really small. Don't be surprised if you need to park in the Peet's lot next door.
Don't come in here expecting a soda machine or anything like that. It's good, basic food plus cans & bottles. -
Review from Nick H.
Ithaca, NY
5/31/2011
Not your typical tex-mex shit. I would go again.
No beer :( -
Review from Jennifer C.
Durham, NC
12/22/2010
This place is taassty and quite affordable. I'd been here a couple of years ago and their tacos were delicious then. This time I got two tamales (chicken and pork). I preferred the chicken. I usually like my cornmeal a little more moist, but these were really good slathered in salsa and sour cream.
I also got taquitos, one of each (chicken, pork, mashed potato) and it came covered with lettuce, tomato, cheese and onions. I'm have a uncommon love for mashed potatoes, so that one was my favorite.
Also, an extra "half star" for not using styrofoam, and for good service. I couldn't finish all my food and wanted to take part of it to go. When she saw me starting to walk out with it, the woman at the counter called me back and gave me square of foil to put over my food, plus a lid for my salsa (since I also made off with the rest of the chips in the basket).
I also just like the ambience. There's only about 6 tables inside, and two of them are big booths. The kitchen takes up the back third of the restaurant. There's the requisite spanish language soap operas playing on the TV. It's unassuming and homey. -
Review from Adam C.
San Jose, CA
11/10/2010
Great flavor and good kick in the spiceness area. I ordered the Burrito Jalapa, which is their specialty wet burrito. I have had better chicken, but theirs was not bad. Its a small little place off of el camino. There is not alot of parking, but people move in and out quickly. Nice friendly workers as well.
Definitely a repeat offender! -
Review from Amber L.
San Jose, CA
2/4/2011
This place is good. It's a little hole in the wall place (great for to-go), and the food is prepared/cooked while you wait.
This is one of the few places that has veggie (potato) flautas. Honestly, I think the cook handrolled and cooked 'em on the spot for us. Everything was so fresh, and the service was great. BTW.... the flautas were terrific.
The salsa they give you with the free chips is a little on the hot side as my bf pointed out, but tasty.
My only complaint is that because this place is too small (there is only one person to cook, clean, and ring you up), it may be difficult to find a clean table. Other than that, good Mexican food, great prices (the veggie flautas were under $5!!!), and good service.
Tip - if you are ordering to-go, be prepared to wait a bit as the food is made-to-order. I'm not sure if they do phone orders, but if so, that would probably be the quickest option. -
Review from Kurt W.
Sunnyvale, CA
7/25/2011
Not a bad little Mexican restaurant. Service is good and prices are reasonable. Food was tasty and they provide you with a bowl of chips and salsa while you're waiting.
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Review from Jason H.
Millbrae, CA
1/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Very solid burrito place. I had my first wet burrito - Burrito Jalapa. The regular burrito might be better than the wet, it looks like they grill it in another Yelp picture. Hooray for crispy shells!
A very small restaurant.
Chips and salsa come with your order (No Salsa bar -0.5)
They do not appear to have guacamole on any item. (-1)
Word of warning
They ask if you would like hot or mild salsa on the burrito. 99/100 hot is still relatively mild - not here. It will burn your mouth somewhat so be sure to have a good heat quenching drink. Still good, just hotter than usual.
They DO accept credit card. I believe they have a $6.00 minimum or they charge you a quarter. (And they state they really prefer cash)
Summary: Solid burrito. I would go back. Still only 3.25 stars -
Review from schelly y.
Santa Clara, CA
7/10/2011
We tried the al pastor and the carne asada tacos but I think the al pastor tacos were better. They are not as good as the Ruby's Taqueria al pastor but they filled my taco craving. It is a hole in the wall kind of place but the service was pretty friendly and the tacos are cheap and tasty. Also, unlike Ruby's I do not fear for my life while I am eating here. hah
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Review from Jose M.
Sunnyvale, CA
8/26/2011
Been going to this place since high school and I've always liked their burritos and tacos. Don't go to it as much as I used to but I've always had positive experiences. Although I've had better at my house :)
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Review from Matt T.
Milpitas, CA
10/29/2011
One of the best mexican restaurants I've been to...always the small ones that are good...ordered their house special and quesadilla(sp?) and it was very good at good price to
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Review from Mark F.
Mountain View, CA
11/1/2010
The best burritos. They are lightly fried, and for some reason that makes all the difference.
Come here with a small group and the guy will bring you out some gratis chips and salsa, which is also mm delicious. Basically if you haven't had burritos here then maybe you should go to a doctor and get yourself checked out, and then afterwards stop by Jalapas and eat a delicious burrito because doctors' offices are kind of scary and you deserve a tasty treat. -
Review from Steven V.
Sunnyvale, CA
7/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not a bad place to go to when you're craving tacos or a burrito. I decided to try it out by ordering a lengua and carne asada burrito (my usual when I go to burrito joints) to compare it to tres portrillos on fair oaks. It was good but I prefer tres portrillos. Tacos Jalapa is still a good place grub to meet your cravings.
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Review from Tamiko B.
Sunnyvale, CA
6/29/2010 2 photos
Pretty good place, I'd go back.
Ordered two regular burritos: One chicken, one beef. I'm posting a scan of their menu so you can see what they put on them. There's also a Jalapa Burrito which is bigger and has more stuff on it.
Got them both toasted and whole beans. Not spicy so I will try to get it "hot" as Velma C. said.
Take-out for us, took about 10 min. for the order, got two green salsas and a small bag of chips. Bought two Mexican Cokes, the only kind to have with Mexican food :-)
Tasty, I enjoyed it. We like Super Taqueria so it will do when we don't want to drive to downtown SJ.
Place is really small. Two booths and a few tables.
It stated on Yelp that they don't take credit cards...they actually DO take credit cards.
Parking lot is small but sufficient. There's a Chinese place right next door. Blink and you'll miss Tacos Jalapa, right off El Camino. -
Review from C L.
Santa Clara, CA
5/26/2010
Checked out this place on my way to Big 5. Within 2 minutes in each direction of Jalapa is a Baja Fresh and a Chipotle..don't patronize those chains, come here instead!
Got a taco (al pastor) and a regular burrito (carne asada). Taco was $1.25 and a good deal. Burrito was $5 and very small; the carne asada was kind of bland. So come here to support an independent taqueria and go for some tacos! -
Review from Dave D.
Santa Clara, CA
9/15/2011
The tacos al pastor are some the best tacos I've ever had. I eat here at least once a month, and I'm never disappointed.
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Review from Erick G.
Mountain View, CA
1/25/2011
Great value...
Had the Tacos Al Carbon - very tasty.
Sauce is spicy.
Nice guy.
Listen, there's four people in line, and you have one guy who takes an order, makes his food, then tends to the next guest. No problem. If you're going in all hi-brow, just go somewhere else. But if you want to eat some delicious tacos, with two Tarmarindo beverages, for under $10, this is the place. -
Review from Madeline I.
Marina, CA
11/22/2010
Oh My gosh!!! I love this place.
My Uncle works at Sunnyvale Ford and my grandparents used to take us there when we were younger to hang out with them. For lunch we would usually go there.
Now that I'm older and In college I live in SJ now. I decided to go out to lunch with my Uncle for Vets. day and we ended up going to the same old same old Taco shop.
OMG, I forgot how amazing the food is.
It's a fair price. It's super filling.
And I couldn't stop eating their flavor-able food.
I'd highly recommend it! -
Review from Allister D.
Sunnyvale, CA
7/21/2010
I tried their sea bass fish tacos and wow they were soooo delish!!! the best fish tacos Ive ever had! This fish was meaty and the tacos were double wrapped just like I like them! It was fully packed with great traditional taste! mmmmm! I need to try their fish nachos now!! my invention ;)
BTW, my gf ordered the tamales and they sucked according to her but I also think they sucked too lol but her al pastor taco was soo good! great flavors! -
Review from Danielle K.
Mountain View, CA
4/10/2010
Tasty, fast, fresh, cheap, friendly, authentic.
Two of us went in: 5 tacos and a coke, $10 even.
I'll definitely be back. My only regret about this place is that everything is served on styrofoam. -
Review from Steve S.
San Jose, CA
Updated - 4/22/2009 1 photo
Picked up 10 tacos for a party thing-a-ma-jiggy, and people loved 'em! At $1.50 each, can't beat the price, and the taste is great. Had them mild, and they still packed a little punch.
If this is your first visit here, I recommend trying the tacos first - after all, it's in the name... Tacos Jalapa! I made the mistake of trying the Burrito Jalapa, which was amazing, but also totally took me off guard in its size and presentation. Start small, and work your way up to the Burrito Jalapa! :o)Listed in: Yelpin Sunnyvale
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/23/2009
Tried this place for the first time today. Not really a fan of the parking lot - pretty small and… Read more »
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Review from Dan B.
7/19/2009
I visited Tacos Jalapa on two occasions after a fellow yelper pointed out that it was missing from my taqueria list for this area. The place is very small and jammed in next to a much bigger Chinese fast food place. Parking is limited. Tables and seating are limited. Menu is small, dominated by burritos, tacos, tamales, and quesadillas. The interior is cluttered and a bit too claustrophobic, though thankfully there are a few tables outside.
On my second visit here, I arrived after the lunch rush and was the only patron. Even so, every table, except one, was filled with the remnants of finished meals, spilled salsa, etc. Guess which table I chose?
Meat quality and taste has been average. So far I have tried the grilled chicken (unusual but tasty; in tomato sauce with onions), the carne asada (OK flavor but strange texture), and al pastor (the best of the bunch).
Tacos Jalapa gets at least three stars for:
- Providing homemade chips and salsa - yay!
- Grilling their burritos (a nice touch)
- Providing good-sized tacos for only $1.50 each
- Having friendly service (at least from the lady owner)
It does not get any more than three stars because:
- their regular burrito is TINY
- they don't offer carnitas (!)
- they took a full ten minutes to make my tiny burrito.
- they have some cleanliness issues (see rant above)
- they do not offer any burritos without sour cream and cheese as a standard item, meaning I have to remember to special-order them the hell out -
Review from Hanson J.
Sunnyvale, CA
10/7/2008
(Note: this is my first review on Yelp, so please be forgiving and let me know if there's anything specific I can do to improve it.)
Absolutely one of my favorite restaurants in the Bay Area. Here's why:
1. Great food. I'm no expert in Mexican food, but the fish tacos are always refreshing and satisfying, and the burritos are slightly crispy and high-quality. Meals come with crunchy chips and salse verde (and spicy salsa if you want it). The guacamole is pretty good too. Even my dad, who is pretty tough to impress when it comes to food (especially food that's not Chinese), enjoyed eating here.
2. Good service. Cristobal, the owner, has a quiet sense of humor and remembers me. Get to know him if you're so inclined, he's friendly! If you choose to sit outside (which I like to do), they'll bring your food out to you. You take care of your trash at the end, so it's not full service, but it's good casual dining.
Keep in mind that it is a small family-run restaurant, so it's suitable for small groups (4-6 people can sit comfortably at one of the outside tables). It's also not fast food--expect a moderate wait for food during busy times.
Prices are pretty low, so I usually have a satisfying lunch for around $8 (four tacos, or maybe a burrito).
