Taqueria El Carnaval | Méxican Restaurant — Restaurant in California

In short. It was Fantastic! We went back for seconds! Loaded up tacos! Awesome Chips and Salsa bar! Very fast and super clean!

In not-so-short. I had (regular) tacos. Like, "street taco" type. First round was Tripe, crispy with a deep flavor! Carnitas, some crispiness and some moistness, I added some more salsa (From thier awesome chips and salsa bar) Asada, it was just perfect! And last, but far from least, was Chili Colorado! What!? Heck ya, Chili Colorado! It was spectacular!

Went back for another and also tried the Pastor. They chopped up the pastor finer then I have had before and with that marinade - I think that's the way to go. Another win!

All the tacos were so full that I basically made a plate of Nachos with all the meat that fell out!

The kids are so picky...they made some really simple quesadillas for them. Then with the power of bribery, they meekly tried some of the extra meat from my Tacos and earned themselves one of the most beautiful churros I have ever seen.

-Then for the first time all day, they sat in silence. All hail the Silencing powers of "El Churro!"

It was really laid back. They definitely have repeat customers too! At least 1/3 of the patrons were greeted by name at their tables. We were checked on by everyone. We had a great experience! Can't wait to be by again!

Thanks so much...

This is a great taco shop not too far from the freeway. Plenty of seating available, both inside and out. The ambiance is what you would think of for a taco shop, but it was clean and well maintained. I ordered the Molcajete, and while expensive at $30+ , it could easily feed 2, making the price very reasonable for what you get. It had a large, thin piece of Carne Asada on one side and a couple large pieces of cactus on the other. The bowl was then filled with grilled chicken, shrimp, octopus, and even grilled cheese. It was finished of with slices of fresh avocado and served with 4 tortillas. The star of this dish was the sauce. It had a little sweetness and spice you might get from a diabla salsa, but was never overpowering. I honestly could eat the sauce like soup with the tortillas on the side. I do wish it had more of the sauce and a side of sour cream, but overall it was fantastic. I look forward to trying more...

Live mariachi band on Friday night! They are so good!!

I had to update - unfortunately after tonight’s experience we won’t be back. The cashier was terrible! We had called in an order ahead of time, hoping to grab our food and go, and ended up having to wait in line to pick up our order for 30 minutes. We literally watched our food get cold on the counter while waiting for the single cashier to take down orders and run people up, as well as continue to take phone orders and make drinks. And it wasn’t even as busy as it has been when we’ve come in the past. We have always thought the food here was really good, but not tonight- it was lukewarm at best (I lowered stars from 5 to 4) and we ended up just eating outside the restaurant when we finally got it. We will miss your food, taqueria carnival but not...