As our loyal readers know, we long ago established “our” taco spot (aka the Tako Factory). The only thing about our spot is that it is so far away! All the way out in La Mesa! (My Southern self is laughing at the fact that I just referred to a restaurant 15 minutes away as far. Insert eye roll here.) So we have been on the hunt for great tacos and burritos a little closer to home. We have added several spots to this year’s list to try. This Saturday night we had a little date night. We started our afternoon off at a few local breweries we haven’t hit yet. Had some beers, played some games, and had some fun. After a few brews, we got a little hungry. Shocking, right? What do Ian and Arielle crave after a some craft beers? Tacos. And lots of them. So we decided to cross the first spot of our list– the new Taco Stand location in North Park.

The Taco Stand is an authentic taqueria that started in La Jolla and now has a few locations around San Diego. The menu is small- just the basics of tacos, burritos, carne fries, and some sides. Of course there are beers (this is San Diego after all). Honestly, it’s a good thing the menu is limited, because everything is so fantastic you would never be able to make a decision if there were more thing on there! And because we ordered way too much between the two of us. I’m talking four tacos, a burrito, and guacamole. Don’t judge people! We were excited!

Let’s talk tacos first. The tortillas are made in house and they are amazing. The flour tortillas are incredible. They have a slight chew to them and are sturdy enough to support their gigantic tacos and burritos! I got the carne taco, baja fried fish taco, and the Sonora. The carne is perfectly cooked. Tender, expertly seasoned, and grilled to perfection. The fish taco is the perfect fish taco. Nice crispy fish, crunchy cabbage slaw, and chipotle sauce. The Sonora taco is sublime. They take their flour tortilla and grill it on the griddle on top of some perfectly melted, golden brown cheese. Then, they add their perfectly cooked Angus steak, pinto beans, a hearty helping of their guacamole, onion, and cilantro. It is the size of a burrito. This taco is a fiesta in your mouth. I was so full I wanted to die, but I ate every bite of that taco. Ian got the Al pastor taco and the California burrito. The Cali burrito has the same glorious, griddled cheese as the Sonora taco. The best part of this burrito is the fries which are seasoned and crispy. They add a nice texture to this little bundle of goodness.

I think all Californians know one of the most important parts of a taco shop is the sauces and salsas. The Taco Stand has an excellent selection. We tried four of them and each was better than the next. Personally, I enjoyed the creamy cilantro the most. Ian was a fan of the creamy chipotle. Each taco already is paired with the optimum sauce for flavor, but it never hurts to put more on there!

Ian and I ate ourselves silly at The Taco Stand. Our table was stocked with enough food for at least four people. Did we eat all of it? Almost. We did leave a small amount of guac and a few chips behind, but we did our best! We can comfortable say we have found our neighborhood taco spot. Don’t worry, we will not forget our roots. Now we just have taco spots in two different neighborhoods! If that’s not living the high life, then I don’t know what is.