Taqueria El Jarro

Had it not been for the shady bathroom situation, I would easily award these guys 5 stars. They were friendly, the food was pretty great and the place was clean! But I'll never go in that restroom again.

Let's start with the goods. We walked in on our way from SF to Carmel for a quick lunch. Order at the counter, and they'll bring you chips and salsa and your food. The salsa was delicious and not too hot.

I highly recommend the fish tacos. They're on the a la carte menu, so order as many as you want. I also ordered a side of black beans - but beware, it comes in a bowl the size of a cereal bowl. That was WAY too many beans for this girl! But back to the tacos. Excellent, fresh, full of flavor and juicy.

The staff is friendly and welcoming, with big smiles on their faces when we arrived and they waved and yelled goodbye to us as we left!

As for the restroom, it was pretty skanky. It's around the back corner of the restaurant with outside access and looks like all three shops/restaurants in this area share it.

There's no women's/men's; just one unisex bathroom. Ladies, you know what I mean when I say I hate unisex bathrooms... men are nasty creatures! There was no ventilation system, flies were rampant and I felt like everything I touched was dirty. Needless to say, I touched everything with a paper towel and then scrubbed down afterward. Eep!!

The BEST thing this Taqueria has going is...... The View of PCH...

Way overpriced food but since the wife had to use their (((sketchy restroom))) I felt I should grab something, so I ordered a couple tacos that happened to be on larger corn tortillas with a lot of meat, unfortunately not all that good.

Tacos - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Op8z6dOb0D7vkZy_rVb_3w?select=UbZ5_BxUhrLh-4V5P7jEgg#fmpE98827um3zDTukf-Mcw

Al Pastor - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Op8z6dOb0D7vkZy_rVb_3w?select=UbZ5_BxUhrLh-4V5P7jEgg#LI9EUnfDkXEBwDD_r0BXzg Shame, shame, shame what a waste of some good piggy, *(note to cook, find a new marinade recipe) por favor! 2-Stars

Carnitas - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Op8z6dOb0D7vkZy_rVb_3w?select=UbZ5_BxUhrLh-4V5P7jEgg#jAypziGpQ0sgv6Rre_4LXg Much better than the other taco, nicely cooked, good flavor average taco. 3-Stars


Want some good Mexican food? Go somewhere else!

Avg: 2.5-Stars

This place was alright.

Stopped in here for lunch during a motorcycle ride. The service took forever to bring out a burrito, but I guess it was warranted because they grilled up the beef fresh, so they can't exactly throw a burrito together a la Chipotle. They serve plenty of other dishes too, so that probably has an effect on their efficiency.

They were being hammered because our group of about 50 motorcyclists riding with Doc Wong's Motorcycle Skills Clinic were rolling through here and needed food.

I would stop here again, and would like to see how they are when they aren't as busy.

I can't believe there's no review for this Mexican restaurant. Let me be the first to say, that you can't go wrong eating at Taqueria El Jarro. The restuarant is located on scenic Highway 1 just north of Santa Cruz.

My friends and I were hungry after riding up in the hills. We decided to stop and eat in Davenport because the coast was just stunning today. No fog and rain so you can see for miles out into the Pacific Ocean.

The menu had the typical mexican food from Huevos Rancheros and quesadillas. I ordered the special Chimichanga with Chile Colorado. The plate came out hot. I love how they just toss the entire plate in an oven to melt the cheese. The beef was tender while the refried bean was smooth and creamy. I would've given this authentic mexican restaurant five stars if they deep fried the burrito a little longer. The chimichanga is supposed to be crispy but it felt like regular tortilla.

This little gem is located smack dab in the middle of San Francisco and Monterey on beautiful Highway 1. It was well worth the 2 hour drive down from the city to devour not 1, but 2 mouthwatering fish taco's. The tilapia was cooked to a flaky buttery perfection and was still piping hot when it landed in front of me. The fresh and crunchy cabbage was the perfect addition to this masterpiece of a taco. The salsa was up to my spicy expectations and the chips were as greasy, salty and crunchy as you'd expect!

Quite an authentic and charming little taqueria nestled in between the cutest antique shop and the historic Whale City Cafe. I plan on returning in early December when I can experience my fish taco while watching the whales in the near distance (this time of year you can spot them right off the coast as it's the only point you can see them this up close and personal).

I wish I could rate this place with more than 3 stars, but it was just not as good as I had hoped. Maybe I should not complain about grease, but I felt like I was drowning in it by my last bite. I ordered 2 tacos, which usually have a little oil but not much. However, these tacos were drenched. Besides that somewhat disturbing fact, they were really quite good. My bf ordered a burrito and he didn't seem to have any grease problem...so I should probably go for that if we stop here again.
The shop itself is a cute little place on the way down to Santa Cruz, so it's nice and convenient...and plus who doesn't like tacos??

I was taking a friend from out of town on a tour of the Bay Area and we stopped here for lunch on the way to Santa Cruz and Monterey.

Have to admit they are in a great location. Prices are good, selection is a bit lacking and the service is barely there.

The one thing that really ticked me off though was my order of flautas. Twice I bit into the TOOTHPICK they used to hold the tortilla together while it gets cooked. After the second time I asked why is there a TOOTHPICK in my food. The reply from the woman at the counter was ..."Oh! That's how we keep it together while it cooks". This absolutely flipped my lid. I've never been to a Mexican restaurant that does this, not even the ones in MEXICO!!!

My reply to her was that I found it appalling that they did not at least TAKE OUT the tooth pick before putting it on my plate and putting all the garnish on top of my flautas so that I couldn't even see the toothpicks in them. The second toothpick managed to poke at my cheek. She just looked at me with a blank stare and said "OK" she then turned around and proceeded to ignore what happened.

Never going here again

Based on one meal on July 16, 2008, this place should be avoided. While the carnitas tacos were pleasingly large and tasty, the side dishes and salsa were sub par. One side dish, the rice, was clearly spoiled, with that old food flavor that says thank goodness they heated it up (hopefully) enough to destroy the pathogens. The salsa was bland- almost ketchupy. The refried beans were almost tasteless. The counter staff was very friendly and the transaction smooth. The place was quite clean. Maybe a follow up visit would say otherwise, but I now avoid places with first experiences like this one (for health reasons).

Update- I can't believe I revisited this place after the last time! June 29, 2012 for lunch. I ordered a vegetarian burrito minus the cheese. I was astonished when they said it would cost more than $7.50 - for a burrito, really?? 'must be really special' I thought. NOPE!! It was the most expensive mass of rice I have ever purchased. Come on- beans don't cost that much! How about some greasy, undergrilled onions, too? But, that's not the worst part- the worst part was that the salsa had improved (I guess- it didn't look like ketchup) (see prior visit notes) but was fizzy-spoiled, fermenting. Oh, I hope I don't get sick....The counter help was still very nice and efficient, though.

Okay- now, I'll never go back. What a shame that this place took the place of a good place, "La Cabana" - which is now a few miles down the street on the west side of Santa Cruz.

We stumbled on this place after walking Gazos beach.

Pros:
-Less packed than the bar & grill on the corner.
-Excellent fresh salsa & fresh avocado instead of tired guacamole.
-Reasonably priced for huge portions.

Cons:
-They really should offer table service, as the gal upfront had potential to make more tips. :)
-Spread topping out better in burritos please. :)

We each got a carnitas taco, which was good and the meat was crispy and flavorful, and then we shared a plate of nachos, which were loaded with beans and cheese, and had lots of extra pickled jalapenos, which we happily piled onto our tacos. I really enjoyed my lunch here, especially considering it's one of the places on the coast that doesn't charge an arm and a leg. I thought it was good.