El Taco Riendo translates to "The Laughing Taco" in English, but they don't joke around with their tacos. This self-described fast food taqueria in Northeast Minneapolis opened in 2009. Their website says "Real Mexico City Flavor in Minnesota" and while sadly I can't confirm that claim, I do believe it.
The Place
The restaurant sits in an ethnically and culturally diverse part of the city. The makeup is a mixture of the old: children and grandchildren of Eastern European immigrants, and new: people of Mexican/Latin American, Middle Eastern, Indian, and African heritages as well as younger midwesterners starting families and making art.
It's situated right on Northeast's commercial artery, Central Avenue. The location is central and competitive at the same time. Just on the same block there are four other restaurants including two Mexican places, one right next door! With this kind of competition, you've gotta be good to survive.
Putting tacos al pastor in paint on the outside is a good sign. tee hee
The inside is well lit and clean, with colorfully painted walls with art and photography on most. There are also little decorative touches here and there that show someone put thought into it. There is ample table and booth seating. Each table has hot sauces, a napkin dispenser, and flowers, a nice touch. The photos show that some tables and booths have a vinyl covering, which is a bit odd but no big deal. There are two single-stall bathrooms. The men's room is clean and does the job. Parking is available on the street in front, or a parking lot behind the building.
Counter, kitchen, and one part of the dining area.
Click for the full meat menu
If you're really lucky, you'll have the lovely Erica (left) and Jessica (right) as co-cashiers. Erica took many of the photos on the walls!
The other half of the dining area.
The Tacos
Though you can opt for different toppings like tomatoes and sour cream, I went with the standard onions and cilantro. Tacos come on doubled corn tortillas, freshly oiled and warmed on the griddle. You get a lime wedge for each. And salsa if you ask. Served in a thin cardboard high-walled tray on a plastic fast food tray. Today I ordered two al pastor and one barbacoa. I got their green salsa on the side. It's more of a tomatillo-based salsa rather than jalepeño salsa which I'd rather have. It tastes ok, but the tacos were fine without it. The wait for most menu items isn't very long, it starts being made as soon as you order.
Two al pastor on the left, barbacoa on the right. Presented as served.
Al pastor
The al pastor tacos are painted on the front for a reason! They're very good here. The meat is kept in a warming container on the food line and is moist when served. The flavor is a great balance of savory and sweet. The underlying chili base roasted along with the meat is robust. On top of that, you have the sweetness and unique flavor of the pineapple. Sometimes the pineapple flavor doesn't stand out enough in al pastor, but it's easy to overdo it too. Taco Riendo gets this right, and it works so well.
The look and texture are so-so. The meat is tender but isn't crispy, having been in the tray instead of on the grill. The color is muted compared to how it's done elsewhere. But who cares, it still tastes great! The tortillas are fresh and have the delicious masa flavor, brought out by the griddle with a touch of browning. The onions and cilantro are also as fresh as can be, completing the taco.
Barbacoa
The roasted and pulled beef is flavored with spices and is fairly robust in flavor like the al pastor. The meat is plenty tender and juicy. It has a nice smoky roasted chili base flavor, but that's about as far as the flavor goes. It's not as interesting as the al pastor, so I probably won't get it again.
The Tamale
Wait what? The tamale?
Pictured half-eaten.
I also got a pork tamale to try out, and I'm glad I did. They do tamales here bathed in an orange-colored tomato and pepper sauce and topped with crumbly cotija cheese. The masa is tasty, sweet, and moist. The meat inside is flavorful and there's a good amount too. I'll probably get another next time I visit.
Conclusion
El Taco Riendo is a survivor in a competitive market, and tasting the food it's not hard to understand why. The al pastor and barbacoa were both good. The al pastor shines bright though, it's some of the best I've had. The value is in the middle ground for tacos at $2.35 each. They have a taco punch card where your 10th taco is free as a little bonus for returning customers. The tomales at $2.50 are a good value, as are the burritos for $7.25.
This is a great place for al pastor tacos so I'll be returning!
4.5 Pineapple Piggies out of 5
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