Travis - Taco Tour stop #23 - Los Compadres - 3302 W Central

So fresh off the Wichita Taco Fest, I was anxious to get back to quality tacos.  This week, with Shon on a cruise (jerk), Chris and I decided we'd try out Los Compadres Mexican Grill.  I had made a comment on a FB post about Pollo Express being awesome and someone said they like Los Compadres even better! So I figured this place had to be pretty darn awesome.

I beat Chris there by a few minutes so went in and found a seat.  This place is pretty small - however it's actually larger on the inside than the outside if that's possible.  Parking is limited but once I was inside, the area was small but spacious. We weren't crammed in like sardines (a nice change from the Taco Fest atmosphere).  The place was very well maintained and clean and they actually used touch screens for taking my order and for paying when we were done.  However the menu I was given should have just been thrown away. It was up-to-date and didn't look like they made it at home, but it was falling apart and absolutely covered in dried salsa or something.  They had a selection of classic tacos for $1.89/ea so I picked the al pastor, carne asada, carnitas, and ground beef (all on tortillas).

The food arrived fairly quickly and looked pretty yummy.  There was plenty of meat on each taco so I dug into the al pastor first.  It was juicy and had a good flavor - but it had a dry texture (yes, even though it appeared to be juicy). It was actually kind of weird, but it was tasty and I enjoyed it in spite of the "dry mouth" experience.

Carne Asada was next and there was enough meat it was falling off the taco.  The flavor was decent - a little more flavor than some of the bland asada tacos we have had.  The meat was a little chewy, but again still had some dryness to it.  Overall, not bad if you're into asada tacos.  The abundance of meat was a plus.

Carnitas was next and fair or not, every carnitas now gets compared to Pollo Express. This one didn't hit the mark, but it was a very tasty taco.  I would absolutely get this one again if I came here even though it's not as good as PE.  Again though, oddly, it was a little dry.  (A theme has developed).

Lastly, I went for the ground beef.  This one was nothing special. It honestly felt like they tried to make an "Americanized" taco for some of their customers.  It had a little kick to it and plenty of meat.  But on the tortilla, the texture was definitely a little weird.  It wasn't bad, but wasn't anything special.  I would probably skip this one next time and try something else instead.

Overall, the tacos here were better than what we sampled at Taco Fest, but because someone told me they were better than Pollo, that's what I was comparing them to (and they aren't).  Still, it's close to my office, and if I was looking for something authentic and close, I'd try them again (and sample some different tacos or other dishes). Service was fast and friendly (and hi-tech).  As far as value, I think something got messed up because I ended up only paying a little over $5 with tip.  They have $1 tacos on Tuesdays, but this is Wednesday.  I couldn't quite figure out what was up but it didn't really register until after I had paid and left.  I'm still going to give them good marks for value at $1.89/ea (or $1 on Tuesday).

Out of 5 tacos, here are my ratings:

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Travis - Taco Tour stop #22 - Gordita's Express - 1602 E Harry

So this week we took a look back at places that had been recommended and was reminded of a need to visit Gorditas Express. This is definitely another hole-in-the-wall joint with very limited seating and parking. It looks a little rough on the outside (and frankly the inside isn't much better) - but sometimes those are the best places to go!

Naturally, I was the first to arrive so I placed my order at the counter and took my seat.  I selected the Al Pastor, Barbacoa, Desebrada (shredded beef), and Pollo tacos.  By the way, the menu indicated that Barbacoa here was goat meat. Honestly that took me aback a little, but whatever, I'm here to try tacos!

Some complimentary chips & salsa arrived and the salsa was definitely on the hot side of what is normally complimentary - in fact she asked if I was okay with hot (naturally I was).  A good blend of flavor and heat - many people will find this too hot, so if you don't like spicy foods, you should ask for mild.  Doofus 1 & 2 also noticed it was hot (when they eventually arrived). I think it was too much for Chris.

The tacos arrived but she forgot my al pastor - but she happily corrected it and brought it out a few minutes later.  One thing immediately noticeable is there is probably about twice as much meat as the tacos can handle (and that's always a good thing).

The al pastor (marinated pork) was a little chewy.  The flavor was good and the plentiful meat was nice. We've definitely had some crazy good al pastor tacos on this tour, and this one won't beat the best, but it's a good taco.

The barbacoa (goat meat?!) was next and was tasty. It was tender and juicy and again the meat was falling out of the taco.  It was good, but not amazing.  We've had some super tender, yummy barbacoa so far and again this one won't compete for the best. But I'd absolutely put it in the better half of the list.

Desebrada (shredded beef) was next. It was shredded meat that I opted to get on a fried flour taco and came with chunks of potato. It was an interesting blend (in a good way). I definitely enjoyed it and would get it again. Taste was good and again overflowing with meat.

Lastly was the pollo (chicken) taco. It was shredded and flavored well. Meat overwhelmed the tortilla but I did have one little chewy spot that detracted slightly from the taste. Textures are important to me, so unfortunately when this happens it just takes away from an otherwise good taco. But overall, a solid choice.

Overall I was hoping for Gorditas Express to be right up there as a Pollo Express competitor, but it did fall short.  But that's not to say it was bad - I've definitely got them on the upper half of my list. One thing we noted was that if we are in the area, there is no longer a reason to go to Taqueria El Fogon - Gorditas is just down the road and I'd rather come here, have decent service, complimentary chips, good food, pay with a card, and try some of their other menu items (which look pretty good)!

Out of 5 tacos, here are my ratings:

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Shon's Take - Taco Tour Stop #22 - Gorditas Express 1602 E Harry

Another week, another taco joint - 22 weeks in and we're still hearing recommendations from people on places to add to our list. If you have a favorite place that isn't on our list, please let us know. Because so far, it seems like some of our favorite places were found by listening to the referrals of our friends, family, and readers. This week was another recommended location that none of us had ever been to - Gorditas Express, near Harry and Hydraulic.


This week continued our "hole in the wall" trend that we've established the last few weeks. And even though this place definitely fit that description, I didn't get the janky, dumpy, vibe that I got when I stepped foot into El Fogon last week. The place is SMALL, but smelled awesome as I walked in. Once inside, you walk straight up to the counter and place your order. After perusing the menu, I decided to go with 5 tacos - an Al Pastor, Desebrada, Guisado Rojo, Guisado Verde, and Taco Pescado. The lady working the counter handed us some chips and salsa and we self served our napkins and utensils from a table off to the side. By the way, the chips and salsa here were pretty tasty - probably one of the spicier house salsas I've had since we started this tour. But not so hot that it burned. Just a nice, spicy, chunky salsa served with chips sturdy enough to hold a good dose.


After a short wait, the lady at the counter brought my tacos and they looked pretty darn tasty. I decided to start with the Guisado tacos - both were pork tacos, with the Rojo being in a red spicy sauce, and the Verde in a milder, green tomatillo sauce. I thought both tacos were very good, though a little messy because of the amount of sauce. I was definitely looking to wash my hands after getting covered in a smattering of the tasty sauces. Next up was the Al Pastor and this one was also quite good - tender meat, onion, and cilantro. A nice hint of seasoning, though the seasoning wasn't nearly as potent as the sauces were from my first two tacos. The Desebrada was a shredded beef taco that tasted like a nice slice of roast beef in a taco. Even had some soft taters in it to really give it that "mom's roast beef" kinda feeling. Last was the Pescado (fish) taco. This one had 3 sticks of fried fish, lettuce, cilantro, and tartar sauce. The fish didn't look high quality, but it was still a decent taco none the less. If you're not a tartar sauce fan you might keep that in mind since the ingredients aren't listed on the menu.


Overall, I'd say this was another quality find - the Guisado tacos were delicious and will definitely have me coming back. And with a nice assortment of other tacos and a decent price ($1.75/each) this one is definitely going to end up on my rotation of places to go to again. My overall rankings on the 5 Taco Scale are below.


Food Quality - 4.0 Tacos
Price - $
Value - 4.0 Tacos
Cleanliness - 2.5 Tacos
Service - 3.5 Tacos
Overall Experience - 4.0 Tacos
Likelihood to Return - 4.0 Tacos

Shon's Take - Taco Tour Stop #21 - Taqueria El Fogon - S Bluffview and Harry

We've been hitting a bit of a random assortment of late - some fairly mediocre places sandwiched between some excellent (Pollo Express!) places. And of course, it seems like every time I pick, we end up with mediocre. Since Travis and Chris are slow learners, they left it to me to pick again (mainly because eating with them is like going to dinner with your spouse - they never want to just pick a place.) We had a few people recommend El Fogon, so we decided to give it a try.


Now, they say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, right? Well, the owner probably ought to keep that in mind and think about what his restaurant says to people as soon as they pull up. I mean c'mon.... we've been to some dinky joints, and I really love those kinds of locations. But this one just seemed...... dumpy. This is definitely not a "first date" kind of place. Travis was there when I got there and I could tell he was already cranky. I assumed that he had gone to the counter and placed an order, but apparently that's just for picking up food to go. So we were confused at first..... were we supposed to sit, not sit, order, not order? Eventually someone did get to us and we placed our order. I decided to go with 4 tacos - Asada, barbacoa, al pastor, and carnitas.


Once the teeny bopping restaurant crew got their act together, we did FINALLY get our drinks, then later, our tacos. New first impression - the tacos actually looked pretty tasty. My tacos came with the standard dress - onion and cilantro, with grilled onions and a couple of peppers on the side. We also got a random plate of cucumbers and radish slices ahead of time. One of our guests said that's a pretty standard "authentic"..... thing. To me, it was just random and a waste of cucumber and radish. All of the meat on the tacos had a nice hint of seasoning to them. Not too spicy, but also not terribly memorable. The Al Pastor would probably be my favorite of the four - you could see the red seasoned ring on the meat and it was really pretty good. The other three tacos were decent tacos as well - tasty, but lacking a certain "WOW" factor to them. My biggest complaint - I had 4 tacos and I was still hungry. For the size and the price (1.75/each) I got a fair amount of meat. But without chips and salsa, this is definitely the kind of place where you need 6 tacos or more to make a complete meal. Chris and I actually debated - do we order more here? Or go somewhere else? If we were some place with decent service I would say the tacos were probably good enough that we would've ordered more. But since we weren't in the mood for their shenanigans (and Brett was with us and interested in trying another place) we actually bolted down the street to take Brett to Pollo Express.


Overall, I'd say this place definitely is the epitome of "middle of the road". If I'm in the area and NOT in a hurry, I would probably stop in again. You can still get a fair plate of a half dozen tacos for just over 10.00. But I definitely wouldn't go out of my way as there are plenty of better places between my office and them. My overall rankings on the 5 Taco Scale are below.


Food Quality - 2.5 Tacos
Price - $
Value - 3.0 Tacos
Cleanliness - 1.0 Tacos
Service - 1.5 Tacos
Overall Experience - 2.5 Tacos
Likelihood to Return - 2.0 Tacos

Travis - Taco Tour stop #21 - Taqueria El Fogon - 1555 S Bluffview Dr

Shon's choice this week was Taqueria El Fogon - we've heard a few good things about it and it gets good reviews on FB, so we thought it was definitely worth checking out!  It's worth noting that this place only accepts cash - so if you go, plan ahead! I rarely carry cash, but in this case I happened to have enough on me, otherwise this would be a little frustrating...

The joint is an old fast food place - I'm not sure what, maybe a Taco Tico or something?  It's located just off of Harry near Via Christi St Joe.  Black tape is what their sign letters are and the inside is just as unimpressive.  It wasn't clear if we were supposed to seat ourselves or order at the counter or exactly what. I wasn't getting a great vibe from the place (and as usual I'm first to arrive).  Shon appeared shortly after and we sat at a table after I helped myself to menus that were stacked on the counter.  We ordered waters and given the speed at which things weren't happening, we went ahead and placed our orders for 4 tacos each:  Barbacoa, Carne Asada, Carnitas, and Al Pastor.

Chris and our guests arrived shortly after but it took awhile to get their orders taken, but eventually our waters appeared as well as a random paper plate of radish slices, cucumber slices, and limes.  Weird - must be authentic, but I left it alone.

Service definitely wasn't fast and the place looked like it was ran by a group of teenagers.  But eventually our food did come out and the tacos are pretty small but with a pretty good helping of meat on each.

I started with the Asada and it was pretty tasty - I was actually a little surprised.  It had a good blend of flavors and the meat was tender and juicy and seasoned well.  Probably above average on my list of asada tacos.  It's not the best one I've tasted, but definitely in the upper quadrant!

The Barbacoa was next - it was very juicy. It had a good flavor but wasn't anything exceptional.  I'd call it a middle of the road barbacoa as we've had some pretty darn good ones on this tour.  But it's not something you'll be disappointed in.

The al pastor was next.  It had a VERY slight spice to it that I enjoyed.  The taste was good but it wasn't going to win any awards.  Again, a solid middle of the road al pastor - better than some we've had, not as good as others.

The carnitas was last and it wasn't even close to last week's at Pollo Express.  That's not to say it was bad, but we've got a REALLY high bar on the carnitas and this one fell well short.  There were some dry spots in the meat that took away from the experience.  Definitely a middle-of-the-road one here too.

All of the tacos were $1.75/ea and they're small - but there's a decent helping of meat.  So as far as value, they're not great, but they're acceptable.  $8 with tip isn't bad.  The place feels a little "dumpy" because of the run down signs and empty TV mounts on the walls.  They could spend a few bucks to spruce the place up a bit to feel just slightly more inviting.  If we hadn't been going here on purpose, I probably would have driven past them and chose something else without ever setting foot inside.

Overall, Taqueria El Fogon wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything I'd bother making the trek across town for.  It was good enough that if I'm in the area, I might stop by (if I have cash).  But the service wasn't great and the tacos weren't memorable enough for me to talk any more about them beyond this review.  If someone asks me about the place, I'll tell them you have better choices - but if you're in the neighborhood and want authentic, you probably won't be let down but you won't be wow'ed either.

Out of 5 tacos, here are my ratings:

Food Taste:
Value:
Cleanliness:
Service:
Overall:
Likelihood to return: