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:
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