Giddy up like El Papa Gallo

Today, we find ourselves at El Papa Gallo Restaurant at 901 E Harry. These folks recently opened and we each had multiple Facebook followers tag us, wanting us to check them out. So here we are. 

Upon arriving, this place is small, there are only 6 tables inside. We are the first ones here for lunch but the place already has that delicious taco smell. As usual, Shon is late.

I reviewed their menu and ordered carnitas, al pastor, carne asada, barbacoa, and chicken tacos from their street taco menu. I was super hungry so I also ordered a crunchy chicken taco. Fortunately, they have my favorite drink with tacos, Pineapple Jarritos. 

I started with the crunchy chicken. It was amazing. Nice flavor, a little spice and a delicious, fresh, shell. 

The chicken street taco didn’t have quite the flavor of the crunchy taco but it was still pretty good. The meat was nice and tender 

The al pastor has a nice flavorful kick to it but the meat is a tad chewy. The steak was tender, lots of meat and nicely cooked. All of the tacos have a nice amount of meat on them. 

I just bit into my carnitas and UH OH. This thing is delicious. It tastes as though some midget angels came down from heaven and slaved over the carnitas for hours. Tender, juicy and fantastic are the only words to describe what I just devoured. Without question, this is the second best carnitas we have had, second only to Pollo Express. 

Finally, the desebrada taco. The meat was super tender, amazing and flavorful.

All in all, this place is pretty good. The service was pretty quick and friendly. They definitely have a strong suit and that is shredded meats on tacos. I will be back for more. 

Shon's Take - Taco Tour Stop #49 - El Papa Gallo - 901 E. Harry

So, 1 year and 3 months in and I think we may actually be hitting our stride. We've scheduled three weeks in a row (and going to be a 4th week in a row tomorrow) AHEAD of time and with minimal B.S. back and forth from Thing 1 and Thing 2. Last week's taco try-out was a place someone had recommended to Travis (why he gets all of them, I have no idea) and so it got added to the list pretty quick. So we headed south again to El Papa Gallo Mexican Restaurant at 901 E. Harry.


We showed up around 1145ish on Wednesday and I immediately had a good vibe about the place - hole in the wall joint, but it smelled pretty tasty as soon as we walked in. All of the taco options were listed in one spot at the order counter. So I went with one of each - steak, pork, shredded pork, shredded beef, and chicken. They put the taco choices up in layman's terms for all you non taco experts out there.


We got some chips and salsa to tide us over till the tacos came out, which didn't take long at all. The tacos came out looking quite tasty, standard street style with a grilled pepper to go with it. I started with the chicken taco - it was filled with plenty of meat and had an ok flavor to it. But a little dry. Not sure why I can't find a decent chicken taco in this town, but man.... I don't remember one that really stands out. Anyway, I digress.... needless to say I had a disappointing start. But the remaining tacos more than made up for it. My steak and al pastor (pork) tacos were both quite tasty. Plenty of seasoned meat that was cooked perfectly. The shredded pork (carnitas) and shredded beef (barbacoa) were both very flavorful and juicy. Both of these tacos required zero salsa and were still very good on their own. Definitely good enough to vault El Papa Gallo immediately into my Top 10 taco places for sure, with the possibility of getting higher on the list if I get this same level of consistency again and again.


Overall, I'd say we were all quite happy with this recommendation to Travis. Tasty tacos, quick service, and decent prices that are even better when they do their $1.00 Taco Tuesday specials. I definitely see us heading back for another round soon. My overall rankings on the 5 Taco Scale are below.


Food Quality - 4.0 Tacos
Price - $
Value - 3.5 Tacos
Cleanliness - 3.0 Tacos
Service - 3.5 Tacos
Overall Experience - 4.0 Tacos
Likelihood to Return - 4.0 Tacos

Shon's Take - Taco Tour Stop #48 - Taqueria Altena - I-235 and Seneca

For the second week in a row we were actually able to figure out where we were going pretty easily. Makes for a nice change of pace to not listen to Thing 1 and Thing 2 text 4594537 times trying to figure it out. I had seen a post being shared on Facebook about this new joint down south, so I asked Travis about it and he was like "Yeah, I've already been tagged in that post 4 or 5 times." So, not knowing what was driving this kind of attention, we decided to venture out ourselves and find out.


Taqueria Altena is located in a building just south of I-235 on Seneca. West side of the street. And you better look hard or you'll blink and miss it. Anyway, we get there and there are already a few people there which is a good sign. We went and ordered at the counter and..... cash only. So, of course I ended up springing for our buddy David who happened to join us on this lunch. I placed my order for 4 tacos - a shredded pork, an al pastor, an asada, and a shredded cheek taco for the heck of it.


My tacos came out in pretty quick fashion and really looked pretty tasty. Standard street taco dress with onion and cilantro and lime on the side. Basically these tacos could be divvied up into two categories - dry and juicy. The shredded pork and the cheek taco were heavy on the juicy side, almost messy. But flavor wise they were both really pretty tasty. I enjoyed these tacos quite a bit, despite the number of napkins I had to use, especially with the cheek taco. Both had plenty of flavorful, juicy meat. Don't pay any attention to Chris' whining on his review of the cheek taco here, this is a guy who's eating off the kiddie menu at every stop. But yeah, we definitely needed both tortillas to keep these together. The asada and the al pastor were both average tacos. Maybe slightly above. They had plenty of meat, but they were both a little dry and probably seemed even more so after eating the first two tacos. They didn't have as much as flavor as the first two tacos, but still a couple of decent tacos. Just nothing that made my taste buds as happy as the first two did.


Overall, this was definitely a place worth stopping into. If I'm in the area again, I would be back in for another round and maybe to try some of the other things on the menu. My overall rankings on the 5 Taco Scale are below.


Food Quality - 3.5 Tacos
Price - $
Value - 3.5 Tacos
Cleanliness - 2.5 Tacos
Service - 3.0 Tacos
Overall Experience - 3.5 Tacos
Likelihood to Return - 3.5 Tacos

Shon's Take - Taco Tour Stop #47 - El Viejito - W. Central and I-235

Our hunt for a new spot a few weeks ago was made pretty easy for once. Travis had mentioned to us that there was a new Mexican place that had just opened near his work. Since we're both trying to find a tasty taco place that's close to our offices out west, this was a no brainer.


El Viejito is located in a teeny tiny building on W. Central, just east of I-235 that used to have a Chinese restaurant in it. The new owners have done a nice job of sprucing up the joint - everything looks fairly new and clean. This is a typical quick order Mexican restaurant. You walk up to the counter and order and they will bring it out to you. I wanted to try a little bit of everything, so I went with a fish taco, and 4 street tacos: asada, al pastor, chorizo, and carnitas.


The tacos came out in a fairly quick turnaround time and looked pretty decent on the plate. Everything came out with standard dress of cilantro, onion, and lime. We also got a couple of decent salsas. But just an FYI - no free chips and salsa here. I started with the fish taco, which was a couple of pieces of fried fish with a tasty tartar sauce and slaw on top. You'll notice there isn't a pic of it, mainly because I ate it before I even thought to take the pic. Overall, a pretty tasty taco. But for the size, I could've used a little more of the fish. Chorizo was next and I would say it was also a decent taco. They get bonus points just for having it on the menu as it seems only about 25% of the places we go to offer chorizo as an option. I had the other three tacos and they all left the same impression on me: plenty of meat, decent quality, but they didn't have that "flavor kick" that I had hoped for. And the carnitas seemed to be a little on the dry side. On their own they were probably average tacos, but I was able to give them a little more flavor with a few splashes of salsa.


So, overall, I'd say we found a viable option on the west side of town. Nothing super amazing, but good enough that I will definitely stop in again. The proximity to my office and the lack of quality taco places out west gives them a definite leg up. If you go, start with the fish and chorizo and go from there. My overall ratings on the 5 Taco Scale are below.


Food Quality - 3.0 Tacos
Price - $
Value - 2.5 Tacos
Cleanliness - 4.0 Tacos
Service - 3.0 Tacos
 Overall Experience 3.0 Tacos
Likelihood to return - 3.5 Tacos

Travis - Taco Tour stop #49 - El Papa Gallo - 901 E Harry

A couple of weeks ago, apparently a few friends were in the mood to make recommendations - so during that week we had several tag us in the post for the new S Seneca place but I also had one recommendations sneak in for El Papa Gallo on E Harry.  A bit of a spoiler - I'm VERY happy the recommendation was made. But read on!  So for 2 weeks straight we've actually planned ahead and for this week we made our way to E Harry to check this place out.  Definitely not a big place - you can miss it if you're flying by.  But holes-in-the-wall don't scare me - sometimes they offer the tastiest results!

When I first saw the menu, I was a little concerned because instead of using traditional names, they had "Americanized" the names. So for $2.25 each we were presented with 5 options (check out the pic of the menu). I went for all 5 and waited for what I hoped was a delicious surprise.

The chips and salsa weren't bad. I think the chips were bought in a bag but they were crunchy and I enjoyed the salsa - so really no complaints there. (I could have eaten more.)  The tacos arrived fairly quickly and were presented in a sort of fancy bowl-like thing just like last week (weird).  I realized later I was missing the chicken taco - and then I forgot to snap a pic, so you'll just have to take my word for it that I had one of those too.

Everything was served in a single soft corn tortilla - I still prefer 2 (street-style) because they seem to hold up better if it's juicy meat.  However these seemed to be homemade of some sort - and had been fried shortly. They just an ever so slight crunch on the outside so they were pretty good.

I started with the "marinated pork" (al pastor). It had a nice flavor for sure.  It was a little chewy but nothing to be bothered by - many al pastor tacos we encounter have the same texture, so it wasn't anything unexpected.  It was a tasty taco, the meat had a nice seasoning and I definitely liked this taco.

The "beef steak" (carne asada) was next. The meat was tender and plentiful as some of it fell out of the shell (and I scooped it up later).  It had a nice steak flavor with good seasoning. Overall this was a pretty good taco that I would enjoy again.

The "shredded pork" (carnitas) was next and it was very juicy. This is where I'd appreciate 2 tortillas, but I managed to get it eaten.  Excellent flavor on this taco - it was tender and had plenty of meat.  I'm going to go ahead and say it - this is among the best carnitas taco I've had. It's not THE best (Go to Pollo Express for that one) - but it's definitely ranked among the best. It was very good.

Next I went for the "shredded beef" (desebrada). It was also very juicy and the shell was definitely falling apart. I probably should have started with this one but like the carnitas, I was able to shovel it in my mouth (just try and stop me!).  It had a good flavor also and was enjoyable.

Last (and least) I ate the chicken taco (which was also shredded).  Again, the tortilla was falling apart by now. The "outside" of the meat was juicy, but biting into it I was presented with sort of dry chicken. I know sometimes keeping chicken moist all the way through can be tricky - but if you're gonna make it, you gotta be able to do it.  This wasn't a bad taco, but it was the least of the bunch.  It didn't have a lot of flavor - so I could take it or leave it next time.

Overall I think we've found a spot that we will definitely be back to.  I think we were all quite pleased with the results - and in fact, if they can remain consistent in their taste and quality, this place will land solidly in our top 5 stops in Wichita.  They also have $1 tacos on Tuesdays - so while the value wasn't GREAT on a Wednesday, on a Tuesday it will be excellent!  There will definitely be a return trip here to see if they can keep pace with their first impression - but as of right now, I definitely recommend a stop here! Very good taste, friendly & fast service - totally worth the drive.

Out of 5 tacos, here are my ratings:

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

Travis - Taco Tour stop #48 - Taqueria Alteña - 3835 S Seneca

Sometime recently, a gentlemen named Blake Attebury posted on FB about Taqueria Alteña and how it was good and deserved some local love.  I candidly don't know Blake, but his post went crazy - I see it now has over 3200 shares and almost 1500 likes. I was also tagged in or the post was shared to me like 4 different times I think.  So when something gains that much attention that quickly, we must go!

This place is pretty new - I think maybe a donut shop occupied the space recently because of the donut stickers still on the window and in the process of being scraped off.  They are located just south of 235 on Seneca and bring cash!  It's a small place so you gotta watch for it or you'll drive past like we all did.  There's not much inside - maybe 9 tables or so.

Ordering was slightly confusing - there were 4 (?) tacos on the menu but a 5th (carnitas) was available.  I decided to try the shredded beef, carnitas, al pastor, and carne asada - and left the cheek for Shon (and a surprise for Chris).  The food came out in a timely manner and was presented nicely in a semi-fancy bowl-like thing.  Everything was served street-style with 2 tortillas - well, mine were but not everyone's.  Looks like plenty of meat on everything so I was eager to dig in.

I started with the shredded beef - I think. It was hard to figure out exactly which was which because mine had tomatoes but no one else's did. So full disclosure, I'm not 100% sure.  It had a decent flavor but it was a little dry. It honestly wasn't bad - I just had hoped for a bit more flavor on this taco.  I'd be open to getting it again and making sure to know if that's really what it was!

The carnitas (I think) looked exciting to me and I wasn't disappointed.  It had plenty of meat - it was definitely moist and tender and I enjoyed it. A good flavor and was something I would get again for sure.

The al pastor didn't have as much red tint as we usually see, so I wondered if it would be as seasoned as we've seen elsewhere.  It wasn't.  It had plenty of meat and the flavor that was there was good - but it definitely wasn't as bold as we've had other stops.  I'd call this a solid "not bad".  Nothing memorable though.

The carne asada was last - another "not bad" version.  It didn't have a lot of flavor and it was a little chewy.  It had plenty of meat but I still had kind of hoped for more flavor to the taco.  Sometimes we encounter "bland" carne tacos, and this one is on that list.  That doesn't make it bad, but it doesn't make it stand out either.

Overall this new place I think will be fine for awhile. It's not a terrible location if you're headed south - as it's a very quick hop "off" of 235.  There were definitely some odd things that happened though with some tacos for others being served on only 1 tortilla instead of 2. Also, the menu not being quite up-to-date with their entire selection was a bit confusing.  Last but not least, I'm not entirely sure why my taco had tomatoes and no one else's did. So I think they need ramp up the consistency a bit.  I would return to this stop if I'm in the area - although I probably won't go out of my way to get here.

Out of 5 tacos, here are my ratings:

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

Sorry for being a slacker, here is a nice update.

Travis has been nagging at me for a few weeks now about my reviews and it had made me realize, I owe y’all an apology. When we started this thing, we agreed to write about the tacos. The good, the bad and the ugly. 

So far this year, we have had some bad and some ugly tacos. Today’s review/apology will bring you up to date on the goings on thus far. 

We started the year by crowning Pollo Express the 2017 Taco Tour Champion. Ernesto and his team work extremely hard to provide an excellent experience. Frankly, they blew everyone else away last year. We were fortunate enough to meet up with Denise Neal (Dining with Denise) to present Ernesto the award. It was a great time but unfortunately I had to leave early so I could meet a customer and sell a car. 

Before I agreed to give Pollo the nod, I forced the guys to hit Gaga’sGrub, the ugliest food truck in town. Dustin sent us a personal invite months ago. Then, I ran into him at another restaurant and he invited us again. His tacos are fantastic. They are absolutely delicious and I will certainly eat them again, at which point, I will do the detailed review I should have done the first time. 

The first week of February, we headed to El Pollo Dorado al Carbon’s brick and mortar location. Some of you may remember our review of their taco truck, this was slightly better but still left a little to desire. Most of the issues we had were customer service related. Their tacos are pretty good, they are affordable and they come out quick, once they take your order. It was freezing inside the restaurant, the TV was blaring some nonsensical music and it took forever for them to take our order. But the tacos sure are good. 

The next week, some gal ran her mouth on our Facebook page calling Pollo “one of the worst”. None of us took her seriously but we planned a visit to a place she said was better. I got busy working a car deal and couldn’t make it. After the other two ate, it was abundantly clear that there was no reason for me to go, they sucked. 

On February 21, we went to el Viegeto Mexican Restaurant on West Central. Travis has high hopes as this is very close to his office. Apparently we found ourselves here in the first full week of business. The carnitas dry and flavorless. The carne asada was flavorless and chewy. The chicken had a stale, fried shell but the meat inside was nice and tender. It had a terrific kick to it. Chorizo was extremely chorizo-ish. It had a nice flavor and spice to it. I would consider returning, if I was in the area and in a hurry. 

Last week, we went to Taqueria al Tena. This place is in South Seneca, just South of I-235. I was running a few minutes late so I had the yahoos order my tacos. They were kind enough to order a carne asada that was extremely salty yet tender. The Al pastor flavorful but not the best al pastor. Whatever the heck the shredded beef thing was is an extremely leaky taco. It was very fatty and greasy. It produced a fatty, greasy slop. The carnitas was full of flavorless meat and there was some hard crap in the middle of it. 

An update on that unidentified taco, these morons decided to order a cheek taco. It was disgusting. If there is ever a meat on a taco you can’t identify, don’t eat it. It didn’t work out well for me. 

I DO HAVE SOME GREAT TACO NEWS FOR YOU:

Taco Fajita, yes the one that is known to take between 10 and 50 minutes to prepare a plate of tacos, has made significant progress. 

They are now, based on several different visits by multiple people, getting tacos out in the 10-15 minute ballpark. Their food is pretty darn good and the tacos are still just $1. Their service has been their only holdback and it appears that have resolved that issue. 

At this point, roughly 50 taco places in, here are how the top 5 stack up for me:

Pollo Express 

Molinos

Taco Fajita

Gaga’sGrub

El Pollo Dorado al carbon

In short, we are still having a blast. Tacos are amazing and there is no indication that we will be slowing down any time soon. I apologize again for my lack of reviews this year and will stay current by posting future reviews within a day or two of eating the tacos. 

If there is a place that you think we should go, please let us know. Thanks for reading!