Taquería Orinoco — Restaurant in Mexico City

We were staying closer to this Condesa location of Taquería Orinoco so we had to try it. We were desperate for some good ole tacos esp after eating at all the fancy schmancy places that frankly, wasn't so different from the type of food we can get in LA. We walked here from our hotel, and saw the line right away so we knew we were at the right spot. We were very well aware that this chain appeals to tourists, but traveling with a kid with allergies (dairy, eggs, most nuts) makes food decisions more conservative. We knew we would get some good tacos in but maybe it wouldn't be the "most amazing" or "the best tacos I've ever had in my life." Well, we were wrong! At least for my son and husband (and in my recent memory) these tacos were the best we ever had. We read all the reviews saying to stick with the pork so we got two chicharrón and two trompo (Al pastor) sueltos on corn tortillas for my son (and extras for us). My husband and I got the chicharrón costra (same as tacos plus grilled cheese), and the trompo gringa (big taco with cheese, corn chips, onions, cilantro, and avocado). We also got extra potatoes and the charro beans which def were extra cuz the order already comes w potatoes (skip adding potatoes and just get more tacos). Though, my son loved the potatoes so much he saved the last potato in a napkin and hid it in his pocket to consume later. The charro beans were disappointing because there were three beans in there and just soup. I've seen other people's photos with hella beans so maybe they were just out but in that case I wish they told me and I would have just asked for another taco lol. When we ordered, we told them about my son's allergies and they said they would cook it in a clean plancha to avoid cross contamination. Wow so thoughtful!

Back to this being the best tacos of my son's life. He's only 9 and not a fan of tacos. Whenever we go out for tacos he's just meh about it. I now know it's because he's never had this level of taco. When he took a bite of the Al pastor taco he literally jumped back in his chair and his eyes got so wide. He even ate some of the onions on it! He took a bite of the pineapple but he was never into it so he ate the rest without the pineapple but I was so surprised he ate all the onions and cilantro without saying a word. The chicharron taco also took him out of his seat. He just quizzically stared at the taco and asked whyyy is it so good? Then he couldn't stop talking about how good the tacos and potatoes were and then got really sad after he ate one of each taco. I asked him why and he said he wished his stomach was bigger so he could eat more. We promised him we will find even better tacos and if not, we would return before our journey ends.

Well, since then we've had a number of tacos from various famous places and tomorrow we will be returning.

As for the adults, we agreed the Suelto tacos were better than the big cheesy one or the grilled cheese version. It didn't really add or take away, aside from stomach space. Tomorrow we will just stick to Sueltos and eat as much as we can before we leave cdmx. The line is...

Update: the email they shared for me to give more information about my visit doesn't event exist lol. Added screenshot. -1 star for pretending to want to improve service

Update November 2024: was looking at recent reviews and was confused to see so many 1-star ratings.

After returning to eat here tonight (November 4, 2024 ~17:48)-- and as someone who used to love Orinoco--I won't be returning.

I'm not sure what happened here. Not only did they raise prices ~17%, but they were missing tons of ingredients. At first I noticed the avocado missing on my quesadillas. Then I noticed they were missing on the res tacos. Finally, I notiched my chicharron tacos had nothing but that...chicharron. When we asked a staff member why they were missing ingredients, they simply said we don't have avocados right now.

I'm not 100% sure how you can sell items on a menu with 1/3 of the listed ingredients. This is unacceptable for a brand like Orinoco that has been around for such a long time.

Please see photos. It's shocking they are the same order taken 6 months apart. One the Orinoco I used to loved and the other tonight missing plenty of ingredients.

With so many other Monterrey taco chains coming to CDMX, it's a weird time to increase prices and decrease the quality/ingredients. Hope for the sake of other first-time and returning customers you fix the problem.

-- CDMX Eats 2024 #70, Dessert #2: This is my favorite branch/sucursal of Orinoco in the city. It is the most comfortable and it's never as crowded as the Roma/Alvaro Obregon branch.

The prices have gone up recently (what's new in cdmx?), but they are still very fair (relative to other sit-down places; obviously higher than a $12 street taco). Many of my local friends say this place is only for gringos, but I think the ingredients and quality is solid. I really like their flour tortillas, the fact that they provide potatoes, and their salsas. With all of that said, I would not wait an hour to eat here (like so many on Alvaro Obregon do).

I highly recommend the chicharron tacos (with flour tortilla) and always saving room for dessert:...

Two words: Tourist trap.

I rarely leave reviews, but my experience at this restaurant was so poor from start to finish that I feel compelled to warn fellow travelers and taco enthusiasts.

After placing our order at the counter, paying in advance (including a standard 10% tip), we found our seats and waited for our food. The wait was unusually long, but the first item to arrive was the potatoes—and they were undercooked and cold. Not lukewarm—cold, as if they had been sitting out for 15 minutes.

We brought this to the server's attention, and they took the dish back. About 5–10 minutes later, they returned with the same batch of potatoes, obviously reheated in the microwave.

Next, our tacos arrived, but the order was incorrect. Worse yet, they were cold as well. Again, we alerted the server, who took the food back. This time, they returned with the correct tacos, but once again, they were cold.

When we pointed this out, they apologized and assured us they would replace the food. A few minutes later, they returned—yet again with the same tacos, barely warmed in the microwave. At that point, it was clear that quality food was not going to be part of this experience.

We reluctantly ate what we were served, as we didn’t see the point in continuing to complain. It was, without a doubt, the worst dining experience I’ve had in Mexico City.

Save yourself the frustration—there are countless taquerias within a 5–10 minute walk offering better food at half the...