Taqueria El Grullense No 2 — Restaurant in Lodi

Conclusion (Read below for details): I have no idea why this place gets so many high reviews. It’s not the worst burrito I’ve had, but it’s also far, far away from the best I’ve had. Very unremarkable.

Observations: Small business Prices are average Interior is nice lacquered wood The person who took my order was polite Order didn’t take very long Food was hot No goodies with food (no peppers/radishes/salsa cups)

Opinionated section: I ordered a regular burrito ($11) with carne asada. The carne tasted unique; It was similar in flavor to chorizo. I don’t know if it’s intentional or not, but personally it made me feel like maybe they aren’t cleaning their flat top or something rather than feeling like they use unique seasonings reminiscent of chorizo. My burrito was rolled poorly, which out of fairness to the cooks does not affect the flavor, but it is a sign of cutting corners or even just not caring. Speaking of which, I ordered my burrito “hot” but I don’t think they even added any salsa at all because my burrito was dry. The rice and beans were okay. I didn’t notice too much nor too little compared to the carne. I feel like they really skimped out on the onions and cilantro which sucks since I didn’t get any jalapeños or any salsa no kick, no zip, nada. It was alright. I usually finish burritos really quick because when I worked at Baja Fresh I used to make myself a burrito for my 10 minute break and then wolf it down and “old habits die hard” but I’m having a hard time finishing this one because it’s pretty mid. I wish I could say that this was worth the money because the place is fairly close to where I live, but I cannot lie For the same price you can go to Tequileros and they give you jalepeños and radishes and they put salsa on their burritos that you can taste. For $20 or less I can buy some cheap steak, tortillas, onions, cilantro, beans and rice and make burritos better than this for my whole family and still have leftovers. What’s the point of going out to buy this type of food if it’s so expensive? I came here because the reviews were very good on Yelp and it showed $5 quesadillas and $5.50 super burritos. I should have know that was too good to be true in 2025. You can’t even get a McDonald’s hamburger for $5 anymore, but anyways, I would go...

Inconsistent, but has potential

I’ve been to El Grullense No. 2 a couple times now, and I really wanted to love this spot. The first time was about 7 months ago on a Monday, during their $1.50 taco special (al pastor, carnitas, or chicken—all day). The flavor was on point back then, and I even saved this place as a hidden gem for the next time I was in town.

Unfortunately, this visit didn’t live up to the memory. Same $1.50 Monday deal, but the tacos were overly salty, oily, and lacking the depth of flavor they had last time. The meat was still well-seasoned, but everything felt off — like it was rushed or just not cooked with the same care.

That said, the kitchen is always moving fast, the service is quick, and the pricing is hard to beat. This place has serious potential — they just need to dial in the consistency and focus a bit more on quality control.

Still worth a visit if you’re nearby, but fingers crossed you catch them on a good day.

Overall experience on July 21 2025: – Today’s tacos were overly salty and greasy. The meat tasted heavy and one-dimensional, without the vibrance I remembered. – The tortillas flavor didn’t land like before. – Tacos were oily —feels like quality control has slipped. – Best-case scenario is inconsistent: what was a hidden gem last time turned into a mediocre...

Food quality is inconsistent. My wife and I and some friends stopped for a late lunch. My wife and I got the carne asada fries and I got a couple tacos (carnitas and barbacoa). My friends got the asada fries as well and some different tacos. We both agreed that the tacos were amazing. But also that the asada fries sucked. And I can’t put my finger on how. Over seasoned fries under the meat. Bad onions maybe. I don’t know. But none of us could eat more than a few bites. We actually took it back and asked for a refund or exchange for something else, but we’re told no; that we would have known after the first bite if it was bad. We ended up throwing it away. It was a disappointing contrast to the very delicious and...