Taco Especial

Decided to give this place a try and so glad we did. Sign on the door states family owned since 1979. Food was very good. We started with guacamole that was creamy and carried a nice flavor. I got a combination plate of chimichanga and 2 tacos came with rice and beans, and enough food for about 2 meals, so come hungry. My wife ordered the especial salad with chicken, it was layered with flavor. About the only thing I would knock on here would be the salsa was very thin and watery but wasn't bad. The best part in my opinion was they didn't kill everything with cilantro, which done places do that and I can't eat cilantro. Dining area was a little dark but not bad and it is a little tight, while we were there it got busy and they do a ton of carryout orders, so the entry area got crowded. We will definitely return.

Amazing food! We recently starting dining here after seeing a short video of their Mexican Pizza on Facebook. We really did not expect the Mexican Pizza to look as it did in the video. Surprisingly it was/ is! Not only does it look exactly as pictured, it was delicious! This is our go to place for Mexican Food. Each time we go we try a different dish, and never disappointed! Steak fajitas, flour fried tacos, enchiladas, combination platter, etc...all great!

Should’ve taken my photo before I dug into it but I was starving and this food looked sooooo good. I got the enchilada suizas and my boyfriend got the dinner combination and everything was fantastic. Dining room is cozy and clean and our server was great. Probably a new date spot for us

I used to go to Taco Especial with my family when I was just a little girl living in Michigan. Since I’ve moved to Ohio many years ago I rarely get a chance to come by. Today I got to bring my 4 year old in and it really was full circle. This place has Delicious food and great service. The door is always opening with people coming in picking up food or coming to sit down. My family was impressed. My favorite and go to is the Quesadilla Dinner. So simple yet quality ingredients make it perfect. Highly recommend if you’re near Detroit.

They just catered our son’s graduation party this past Saturday and we couldn’t have been happier. They were very kind, clean, and overall made the usual stress of worrying about the food and setup obsolete! The food was amazing too! I would definitely recommend using them.

I ordered nachos and 2 tacos got home and opened the box to 2 chimmichanga dinners? That's not even close to what i ordered? Offered to remake order but I had to come back up there? You screwed up? Bring it to me? That's the only thing that would of made it right!

This is hands down my favorite Mexican restaurant in all of downriver. The people who work here are the absolute best. Everyone is so kind and accommodating. Excellent customer service. And the food is always so good, prepared just the way you like it. My whole family loves this place, I have been eating Taco Especial for years and its always a fan favorite.

Found this place on Facebook suggested ad. Hands down delicious. Huge portions and fast service. Highly recommend. We will be back for sure.

Downriver Classic Mexican restaurant since 1979 Yes 43 Year's packin them in everyday. Original owners just reopened dining room it's really nice. Had a great fun lunch last week. I ordered one of each Taco Style a Deep Fried Puffy Taco, Corn Tortilla style and Flour Tortilla so a choice for all your favorites. She had a marvelous Double Chicken Fajitas OMG fantastic. A order of Shredded Tinga Chicken Enchiladas n Salsa Verde Sauce WOWED some of the very best ever eaten. A bowl of Charro Beans n Queso Fundidio along with the New Mexican Pizza. You gotta try this Unique Burger Cheese filled creative Mexican Pizza. It's a flavor overload in each Bite. Fast fun friendly service and greetings from owner and chef. They do a tremendous amount of take out orders. Show them some Love easy to find on Southfield road in Ecorse Mi. Find them on Facebook Yelp and Google follow for daily Specials. #tacoespecial @tacoespecial #mexicanpizza #chickenfajitas #chickenenchaladas #puffytacos #mexicantown2 #downriverclassic #downriverfriendseat

I've been going to Taco E since I was a little girl. I haven't seen Maria in a longtime but I will definitely never forget my memorable experiences especially because of her and her Maria sauce. I remember Maria would have to authorize that I ate at an authentic Mexican restaurant for my HS Spanish class and how I hated taco shells and she would always make 3 beef tacos with no shell on a plate basically a taco salad lol (now, older and wiser, I love the hard shells). But, let's get real here the cheese and onion enchiladas are where it's at. This is probably my favorite dish of all time. Whatever they dip the tortillas in is just insane delicious . It's not like most places who have a red and a green sauce. This is like perfection and not overbearing so you really get to taste that amazing I believe it's Muenster cheese and the crunch of the onion. Out of this world! Number one thing I recommend. Their cheese is my favorite, don't ever change that! I can go to tons of restaurants but it's the cheese that sets it apart. Taco E is my favorite restaurant, hands down. Also the Botana and just a basic beef hard taco (extra crispy). The cooks are good people keep it up guys!

Another great place to open a restaurant! Let me explain ... It was 12:35 on a Saturday. Their neon sign was 'on'. The inside lights were 'on'. The OPEN sign was in the front window. The kitchen has a window on the front sidewalk ... and there were people working in the kitchen. They have a Myspace page that does not reveal their hours. Ditto for their Yelp page. The front door was locked. The hours are not listed on the front door. One of the kitchen workers pointed to the OPEN sign in the front/kitchen window ... and waved. I pointed at the front door. He waved again. I tried calling the phone number listed here ... ring, no answer. Anyone know the days & hours that the serve customers?

Love the the renovations! The food is fresh and fantastic!!! The staff is friendly and attentive. Definitely returning regularly!!

This restaurant has been a popular one among my boyfriend's family, so I've always heard great things. My first visit (early 2015), I tried the chimichangas (my go-to Mexican restaurant dish) and they were not very good. Can't remember exact details, but I've definitely had better. For this visit, I ordered the enchilada dinner as I've heard they are the best in the area. I tried 2 beef and 1 chicken. Yummy cheese and onions throughout. The menu states they are "dipped in red sauce" and I told the waitress I did not want any red sauce. She was confused, but wrote it down. I found out later that the red sauce is actually their salsa, which comes on the side with chips and not in their enchiladas. Rice and beans were good, I liked the salsa, chips were decent. I'll definitely visit again!

I want someone to explain why did I place a bonata order and three steak tacos at 8:18 p.m. and tried to order a drink but the girl said have my husband tell her the drink when he arrives. Mind you y'all close at 9:00 p.m. I live two blocks over and you mean to tell me my husband gets there at 8:35 p.m. and they closed. NEVER WILL YOU SEE A PENNY FROM ME!!!! Mexican town it is!!! Sad part y'all own the Taco truck. I only put a start Judy to post the review BADDDDDD ESPECIALLY DURING A PANDEMIC

I moved away from Detroit in 2000. Taco E's food and salsa haunt me in my dreams. If someone could tell me what is in the salsa so I can try to recreate it here in Texas, my life will be complete.

My coworkers and I ordered lunch from Taco Especial. Assortment of tacos, enchiladas, rice and beans. Food was fantastic. Georgina is very friendly and creates a fun family atmosphere. So nice, especially during this time when you can't dine in. Highly recommended.

Poor service, I came in with a group of people to dine in and i have not seen such bad customer service. They got orders wrong and some of what my party ordered never got it. If you plan on eating from here I would advice try the to go option. The place tries to be a restaurant but it fails in service for customer, I do see that the waiter that attended us did try to give us a good service but in the end I felt uncomfortable during my dine in.

Stopped in for lunch, first time here. Nice enough small place that has a sad table for one! Ordered ground beef taco, steak taco and ground beef fried taco. Ate chips and salsa while waiting, the mild has decent flavor and hot is medium to me, not hot. The tacos were good, preferred the ground beef over the steak, it had better flavor to me. Also preferred the fried flour shell, personal preference. All in all a good lunch and cheap, under $7 for what you see in the picture, can't beat that.

I had the beef and bean burrito dinner. The portions were very big! I split them with my daughter and it was a perfect amount with the beans and rice on the side. My wife and other daughter split the chicken fajitas and said they were really good!

This is the Mexican food I grew up eating. I still go there when I come back to down. The food is always well prepared. The ingredients are fresh. The food is what I consider authentic Mexican. It has not changed much in the last 20 years. I normally get take out and haven't been inside in about 4 years, but when I have ate inside the service has always been good. The time for the take out is always reasonable. My go to is the burrito grande with chunky beef and cheese. It comes with a side of rice (very good rice) and refried pinto beans. If you are in Ecorse or Lincoln Park and are looking for some good Mexican food then I highly recommend.

I am currently sitting here waiting for the waitress to reappear. I walk in and am blocked by a line of people trying to pay their bills. there are no signs to seat yourself or wait...so I make my way through and seat myself. The server comes to my table with chips and salsa. No good. I read mainly positive reviews of this place but there was a bad one that commented on the salsa taste and deep down I had a feeling he was right. He was. I ordered the lunch special of two steak tacos and rice and beans. The rice looked like it came straight from the "mexican rice" lipton packages. It was also hard :/ the beans were okay. The steak tacos were in a fried corn tortilla. I was given the option of flour or corn. I took a bite and grease poured out of the bottom. The steak was good but had a similar taste that can be made at home, which is not necessarily bad but something Ive ever had at a mexican restaurant. All in all; salsa no bueno. Rice no bueno. Everything else okay. Waitress abandoned everyone as soon as her son came in. I cant believe this place has so many good reviews!! Los Arcos market off of Fort and Southfield is sooo much tastier and a lot less money.

I love this place!!! My Ex-wife turned me on to it. Just good food and consistent. I only get the Burrito Grande, but she would get a few different things. Good, clean, quick and affordable.

Server with the long hair and braces was probably the worst service I've ever had in my life. No personality, didn't get the items I had to ask for 3 times. Thanks for the horrible experience and even worse the lack of knowledge about anything. I don't say this about many places. I give a few chances. Food was less than mediocre. Had the Chile releno - no spice to it. Chips were stale. Thanks?

It's been a while since I've been here. I used to live in Wyandotte and Lincoln Park. I went back last night and had the tamale dinner. Such great flavor and the portions are pretty big. I've eaten at a lot of places even in Mexican Town in Detroit and but Taco Especial is way better than anything they have down there. No wonder this place has been around forever.

If your hungry for some Mexico can food, this is the place to get it. Great portions and friendly staff.

I always enjoy the food when I stop by when I'm in town before heading north for work. Great place and one of my favorites

I love this place! Definitely the best Mexican food downriver!! Great food! Very nice staff. They recently remolded the dining room so everything is nice, bright, and festive. I love ordering their chunky beef burritos or the tostadas. Awesome stuff!

I've been coming here for over 15 years and it is the best Mexican food in the world! (I've been to several places in Mexico lol) I've enjoyed everything on the menu and they have the tastiest rice and beans. Staff is friendly and prices are good. The only cons are they don't serve alcohol, so no margaritas, and they neighborhood is a little rough

Fantastic Mexican food in a unique and quite dingy and dumpy setting that makes me glad I don't live nearby b/c I would eat here all the time. Chimichangas were some of the best I have ever had...

Can't really be objective, been a staple of my dining for years. Literally been coming here 20yrs so I guess that's a review in and of it's self. Obviously there are things I don't like such as their salsa and their rice but their carne asada and their enchiladas can't be beat. Well perhaps they can be but not consistently that I've found.

Got the tacos. Not bad but not the best in the world. The atmosphere was nice and they had just remodeled and it looked nice inside. Price was good but could have had a little more meat on my taco.

Been going here for YEARS!! Maria is awesome, prices are decent, service is good, nice update to the establishment! However wish the food had a little more taste sometimes! Will come back like I always do (close to my home) restrooms could use an update

I have to say this is one of the best mexican restaurants I have eaten at. It is a small place with great food and staff. I usually order cheese and jalapeños quesadillas with rice and beans. Their rice is so moist and tasty. I normally don't eat beans but their beans are so good. I have had the chicken fajitas and would order them again. Very creamy and tasty. If you like Mexican food, I suggest you try here. You will like it. They do not serve alcohol.

Definitely one of the better choices for Mexican food in the downriver area, and by far the nicest staff that use really fresh ingredients with their food. The chicken burrito dinner is absolutely a surefire hit if you have a taste for burritos.

We carried out this week. A botana, chicken soft taco dinner, 2 ala carte fried tacos, and chips and salsa. These are the usuals and we were not disappointed. Portions are fair. Flavor was on point. The only comment is their salsa is more like a taco sauce. But non the less we ate it all.

What is with all of these glowing positive reviews for this place, have any of you ate at ANY of the fabulous Mexican restaurants in the metro area? I have ate at several of the Outstanding, and sometimes infamous Mexican restraunts in the Metro Area. Some well known, others not so much. And have even tried several of the Taco trucks, one of which is now know in our office simply as "THE" Taco Truck. This is my first review, in fact I created this account because this is the first time in years of use that Yelp steered me wrong. A coworker and I found ourselves in the area and decided to give it a try. The waitress came with Chips and Salsa, and the menus. I asked what kind of Tacos they have, after all Taco is in their name. The reply back was Corn or Flour, Strike one. So then I asked more specifically, what meats, "Ground Beef, Chicken, and Beef Chunks" Strike Two. What, no Lomo, Cabeza, Al Pastor, etc.!!! This is a taco place right? And whats a "Beef Chunk" OK, change of plans, I ordered the Enchiladas. time to eat some chips and salsa. The chips were good, obviously sourced from one the local suppliers, I have had the same chips several places. The salsa was OK, but had no Cilantro in it, a little odd, but everyone has a different twist on Salsa... Well my "Enchiladas" came I am going to quote Wikipedia here, "An enchilada is a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a chili pepper sauce." What I got was a corn tortilla rolled around a filling covered with cheese, no sauce, just cheese. And lets get to that filling, the Ground beef was hamburger fried with onions, and little if anything else. The Chicken was what looked to be frozen shredded chicken cooked with Cumin, and little if anything else. Maybe it wasn't frozen, but it certainly wasn't good. Is it better than Taco Bell? Maybe, but just like Taco Bell, this aint Mexican food. If your in this area and want Mexican food, try the taco truck down the street, at least it will have some flavor.

Taco Not So Special is what they should call this dump I cant believe all the raving reviews from the people on here about this place. But I guess if you live in the Ecorse area, anything is good, especially if you arent getting shot or stabbed during dinner. I think I would have rather been shot than have to eat here.. it was just that bad. Taco Bell would have been better than this. Thats not saying much since Taco Bell is pretty much garbage in a tortilla. First sign of it going to be a bad meal was when they brought out the chips and salsa. The chips were stale... not just one of them but the whole basket. I would have asked for new chips if the waitress was more attentive, but that's another story altogether. The salsa were god awful. I think they must have used the juice from canned tomatoes and put it into a bowl and called it salsa. It was watery and tasteless, sorta like if they put Miley Cyrus in a bowl. The hot wasn't any better, I didn't know heat was a flavor, but to them it is. It was just spicy tomato water. I would like some texture to my salsas, not something I should sip through a straw. I wasn't sure if it was salsas or mini bowl of gazpacho. The meal was equally as bad. I asked what meat they had for fillings. They said ground beef (should have known it was going down hill after hearing that), chicken, beef chunks and pork chunks. What the hell are chunks? is that a new Mexican cooking technique that hasnt been discovered here, sorta like like Sous Vide, but with chunks? I asked if it was Al Pastor and the waitress looked dumbfounded. She is a Mexican working in a Mexican restaurant. She looked at me like I was speaking mandarin to her. I went with the ground beef, since I couldn't clearly get a straight answer out of her what the chunks were and how they were cooked. The meals came and they were nothing more than TacoBell on a huge plate with twice the price. The enchiladas were dry and tasteless. Didn't they teach the cook what salt is? I asked the waitress again, I thought the enchiladas were covered in a red sauce. She replied back that they were dipped into the sauce. I looked again and wondered... dipped where? I don't see any sauce. They must have just hovered the tortillas over the sauce and hoped that some flavor would jump on them. It was dry and covered in cheese. I really have a thing against Mexican food that is covered with cheese. Its just not right and it just covers up what flavor the meat (fillings) does have. Dairy products aren't used in Mexico like they are here. We waited around for the check, but she never came. I guess she was too busy with all the local yokels who were there getting their regular stuff, since they refused to look at a menu. I guess those people don't know what good Mexican food is either, when they order the same crap over and over again. My suggestion is, avoid this place like a leper hemophiliac with HepC and just go down to the taco truck a few blocks down the street. They are cheaper and way more authentic than this place. At least they have Al Pastor and Cabesa. They use cilantro too.. something that Taco Especial seems not to know what it is. How can you have real Mexican food and not have cilantro?

Absolutely love this place! Always fresh, always great! The people working are always very respectful and polite. In fact I may go there right now for a botana.

Poor service! Will not return. I did not get what I ordered and It took forever to receive the food.

Taco Especial (or "Taco E." as it is lovingly called by locals) is the best Mexican food outside of Mexicantown. With regards to some items on the menu, Taco Especial is even better than those Detroit restaurants. I would recommend anything on the menu except the enchiladas, which for some reason don't taste quite as good as you'd expect. Highly recommended are the tacos, chicken chimichangas, burrito grandes, and Mexican sandwiches. The environment is really friendly. The decor might be cheesy, but recent renovations have been making the place look better than ever. There are even TVs to watch the games while you eat. More notable than the decor is the service. Everyone in the store, from the wait staff to the cooks to the owners, are absolutely wonderful. I have been eating carry-out from this restaurant my whole life and dining in since 2004. The staff knows exactly what my group likes to eat and also shares many jokes with us. I have noticed that every other person in the restaurant also shares similar good rapport, whether they're regular faces or not. Another recent addition is the dessert menu. I've tried three of these dishes and they were all good. Try out the pina special next time you go!

Low price, authentic Mexican. If only they delievered it would be everything I ever wanted.

Great food and excellent customer service. I go here almost every Friday if I can. Have no idea what that other person was talking about from Royal Oak, guess he thinks (like most people who live in Royal Oak or north of Detroit) he is superior because he doesn't live downriver. Oh, and I have lived several years in Southern California -- I know what good Mexican is and this place is one of the best in Michigan. The fact of the matter is this place has authentic & tasty Mexican food (great chips & guacamole too) and I am never disappointed by their fajitas and customer service. Not sure if that Royal Oak person has a low IQ or what but chunks of meat are meat cut up into chunks. Not sure why that is so hard to understand. And yes, they do have cilantro - just ask! :)

I've been to Taco Especial several times now. I like ordering different items from the menu. On every occasion the food was nicely presented, plentiful and tasted great. I also like that they don't put salt on their tortilla chips. They are very tasty. Salsa both mild and hot is excellent. Highly recommended.

They have the best authentic Mexican food in the Down River area! The prices are more than reasonable and you always get your money's worth, the service is blazing fast, and the employees always friendly!

The best Mexican food in this area, this restaurant has been here for years & ran by the same family.

Taco E is pretty good Mexican food - it is authentic and flavorful - surprising for being outside of Detroit. The beans are awsome - even if you don't want Mexican, swing by and grab a pint of beans for some really good dipping. It is family-owned and I think the whole family works there. The food is good - it is not on par with some of the places in southwest Detroit, but nonetheless, very good. On a side note, the stuffed pepper hanging in the dining room that was mention in a previous review kind of looks like Jay Leno.

I've/my family have been coming here since I was a little girl! And that was a loooong time ago! Ok not that dang long...but over well over 20yrs. Always has been the real authentic Mexican food! Usually I just get the corn tacos they are awesome! Family owned...I'm pleasantly surprised that they're still in business...I bet they've been there for over thirty years!!! Very nice ppl, nice service, reasonably priced food! BRAVO Taco Especial!!!!!

ive been going to this place for 30 + years,real good food, real good service,pleasant atmosphere,and a good price.

My fiancé kept bragging about how he loved this place when he was younger, so I gave it a try.. The rice was very good, not the dried up kind you usually see. Big portions and decent prices. Also, chip and dip is delicious. I would recommend!

I have been going to taco e for many years probablly since they opened in the 80"s it has never been a let down the food allways is great it looks more like it was a picture in a magazine. the cooks take pride in preparation and presentation of there food everyone who works there is very nice and they seem to have employeed the same people for many years which makes it even better.the cooks will actually at times bring the food to your table all I have to say is this is a great place with great food and great staff that I am proud to say I eat there.