Eric L.
Yelp
Ever since leaving San Diego, we've been looking for a great go to mexican joint. In the last month we tried Taqueria Azteca in Dublin (Dang good Birria Pho), El Califas (great burrito) and now El Forastero.
Personally, of the three I think I prefer El Forastero the most. here's why.
Food:
The food is good. We got a few things and almost all were great.
Carne Asada Fries: Almost as good as I remember in SoCal. The fries were a good size (not quite as thing as ideal but still really good), the toppings of it all were generous, and the size, overall, was pretty good. My kids split one and almost finished it. Definitely enough for 2 people who eat a medium amount of food.
California Burrito: It was okay. The first few bites were 40% tortilla, 20% cheese and 40% meat/fries. The flavors were great but the fact that it was small and didn't have a ton of stuff inside wasn't so great. As I got to the bottom, the ratios changed since it seems the tortilla bunched up on the side I started on, but I wouldn't get it again unless I was really craving a California burrito.
Rolled Tacos: Standard rolled tacos. Honestly nothing stand out. They were crispy and generous with the cheese/sour cream on it.
Street Tacos: Probably the second favorite of the night. We got a few tacos and they were filled with a ton of meat. GREAT value for the cost. We did wish they had more onion/cilantro, but in the end, we'd rather more meat than onion/cilantro.
Fish Taco: The thing to avoid. It wasn't bad by any means, but it was not what we expected comparing it to SoCal fish tacos. When we go to places like Taco Ensenada in LA, the fish fry is a light batter with a flakey fish inside. Sometimes it's a little oily but still overall light. This was a more dense fish and the white sauce was a different flavor. I can't ding them for not having the same flavor profile but it was just a little heavier than I hoped for on a fish taco.
Chips/Salsa Bar: Free chips and salsa! And they're all really good! What more do you need? El Califa didn't have this which was a demerit for them in the comparison game. The only issue we ran into here was that most of the sauces/salsas were low or out. They were so busy i'm guessing they just didn't know.
Service:
We went on a Thursday night. NOT taco tuesday, but a thursday night... they were pretty busy. Maybe 30 people in there and the parking lot was full. The staff was ALL extremely nice and helpful.
Location:
It'st he closest. Not by much but it's the closest place to us. I could walk there (I wouldn't) but I could. So that's a plus.
Overall, comparing the food to Azteca and El Califa, They're all great (minus the fish taco here). Service wise, also everyone's great. So why does this place edge out the others? Convenience and the chips. This is the same distance as El Califa from home but has chips. Azteca is definitely a drive. Oh did I also forget to mention they are open 24/7 for drive through? That puts the cherry on top.