Zantigo — Restaurant in Fridley

** Updated Next morning. I did receive a phone call from their corporate offices explaining that their fryer had broken and they were waiting on the new one being delivered. They are still getting to know their online ordering system. I understand that "life" happens, I just wished it could have been communicated better. My refund was sent through this morning.

I placed an order through their website for 14 chilitos, 1 chips and salsa, and 3 chocolate churros and paid online through their website for pickup. When the order was picked up, we were informed that they had no chips in stock. They couldn't refund the card and gave my husband cash. When we got home, we realized the churros were also missing. I tried calling the store, and nobody answered. It went to voicemail. My husband drove back up to the location just to have them tell him that they couldn't give a refund to him, and they were also out of stock for churros. (Why we weren't notified immediately they weren't in stock like the chips and salsa is beyond me.) The employee said he shouldn't have given the $4 in cash back to him previously. That he had to call the corporate number. What business takes money for a product they don't have in stock and then doesn't give their employees a way to refund it?! I have left a message at the "corporate" number I was given. The service doesn't specify that it is Zantigo, just asks me to choose a mailbox for whom I am calling for. (Which nobody provided a name for, I just guessed and pressed 2 the first person available option.)

I would double check your bags on pickup orders through their website as apparently you can add and pay for items they don't have in stock and then be left sitting without a way to get them refunded...

Long ago there was a great taco schism in Minnesota, in one direction the behemoth Taco Bell trudge forward, shallowly innovating and respecting no traditions.

In the other there stood Zantigo, a bastion of hope, tradition, and excellence. You, like many others may have found yourself asking, where might one get a chilito in this broken age? My friend, Zantigo has been making chilitos for longer than I've been alive*. (And I'm 40).

Have you ever bitten into a hard taco shell from Taco bell and wondered what decade it was manufactured? At Zantigo you know it's fresh because it's crispy and flakey and it tastes like food meant for human digestion.

Have you ever had the taco meat at Taco Bell and wondered if the grade of meat was the same as your GPA your senior year after you discovered marijuana? I certainly have. At Zantigo, the meat is actually good! They have barbacoa you hipster! They have chorizo!

Right the wrongs of corporate America, reject bland mediocrity, embrace Zantigo.

*Zantigo was purchased by Taco bell in the eighties, but a few workers thought it suuuuuuucked, rightfully, and independently resurrected Zantigo a decade later using the old recipes. And God bless...

Zantigo is a great alternative to Taco Bell, and also beloved Chipotle, for those who 'just don't like it' (me). You can't go wrong with a Chilito, offered Hot or Mild. Extra sides of cheese, sour cream, etc., definitely drive your bill up with the quickness. Ask for the 'Tigo Fries with easy seasoning as they tend to overdo it with the "normal amount" they deem necessary. Service has really come a long way and has vastly improved in the past six months. The only concern I have is price. My usual order is two Chilitos, a small 'Tigo Fry, and a side of sour cream (no beverage). The better part of $8 for this ensemble is a little on the steep side. I am fully-addicted, however, and have resorted to paying my $8 per week. Coupons, meal deals better suited to Chilito Lovers, and a quick and simple update of their Spartan restrooms would be a few of my humble suggestions. Side note: They do have a "Zantigo Rewards" Club that is worth signing up for as you get one free Chilito on your next visit. I just recently signed up for one so I am unsure if it takes a million years/dollars to accrue "Rewards" or not. Now go chomp on some...