Travis - Taco Tour stop #41 - Alondra's Tacos - 1580 W 21st St

This week was a little bit of a mess... We have been wanting to go to Paleteria La Reyna but we discovered a few weeks back that they are closed on Wednesdays (our normal tour day). So since we didn't make it out until Friday, we thought it was a perfect opportunity.  However, after arriving, we were smacked with the news that they were closed for the holidays and wouldn't reopen until next year.  Sooooo, we decided to try Mr Taco (a few blocks away), but they only have outdoor seating and are cash only, so we decided to try Alondra's Tacos - who happens to be cash only also... Jeez.

tl;dr: We went to Alondra's Tacos.

This place has a decent selection of meats that you can go with even though they are cash only - and the rest of their menu looks pretty decent as well.  Service was relatively quick, but the tacos came out with a lot of cilantro on them. It always makes me wonder when places pile on toppings like this - are they covering up something or trying to add flavor to something lacking?

I went with a pollo (chicken) first. It was an orange color but juicy and had a decent amount of meat.  Pretty flavorful - it's one that I wouldn't mind having again. Not the best chicken we've had, but good enough to have it again if we return.

The al pastor was next. I kind of like this taco. It is tender but slightly chewy (not uncommon for al pastor meat). It had a nice little seasoned kick to it as well.

I always look forward to carnitas... But I'm also always comparing it to Pollo Express. This one fell short. It had plenty of meat and was juicy and mostly tender. It had a decent taste but not much seasoning and definitely not as bold as PE.

The asada was last and it was just ok. It was slightly overcooked and had almost a burnt taste to it.  The meat was also kind of chewy - so it really wasn't that good.  I can't recommend this one.

I decided another taco was needed so I wanted to try their "americano" taco - but it's not a ground beef. It's just one of their normal meats like above only served in a shell with cheese.  After hearing that I just decided to have another chicken and call it good.

Overall, I think this place is probably just above middle-of-the-road.  If they weren't cash only, I might be more interested.  The service was polite and food came out in a timely manner - but there just wasn't much memorable about this stop.  If I'm in the area, there are quite a few places that are close that I'd rather go to.  But having said that, don't be afraid to stop here and check them out.

Out of 5 tacos, here are my ratings:

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