El Taco Riendo — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Authentic Mexican food in Minneapolis; it does exist!

One of the hardest parts about leaving California (besides the obvious being the weather) was the all the incredible authentic Mexican food restaurants I was leaving behind. Getting street tacos on corn tortillas with fresh made pico de gallo with a side of the freshest guacamole was a weekly occurrence. Sure there are good Mexican-inspired restaurants like Nico's and Lagos Tacos if you're in the uptown area but it's always missing something.

We were in the northeast area grabbing coffee and getting some work done at Anelace Coffee practically next door when hunger started to hit. We saw a taco truck in the parking lot and were immediately inspired to get Mexican. (Little did we know that was El Taco Reindo's food truck you can rent out for catered events!) My fiancé was impressed with the reviews (way to go, Yelpers ) and decided it was low risk walking the 50ft from the coffee shop.

As soon as we walked in we knew this was it.

The smells of fresh cooked meats seasoned with just enough spice wafted through the air and the decent line at 2pm reinforced that we'd picked right. The menu is a little confusing because there's pictures with numbers in front of you, a breakdown of the different flavors of beef, chicken and pork next to that, and another menu to the right with all their entree items and sides.

I ordered two tacos, one bisteca and one carnitas. I tried to order some elote to split but they were sadly all out for the day. My fiancé ordered the pollo verde enchiladas. Both were mouthwatering and full of incredible flavor. Don't be turned off by the "hot" salsa. It's not hot right off the bat but it does heat up a little bit throughout the meal, nothing unbearable though. All topped off with cold Pacificos.

They have ample indoor seating but also outdoor seating, which is an obvious go to when the weather is nice.

Service was very fast and friendly and everything was made to order in front of you. We will absolutely be back when we're exploring the...

Thank you, my Local Guide colleagues to the north, for putting The Laughing Taco on my culinary radar. After a long day of sightseeing, we found ourselves on the northeast side of Minneapolis looking for sustenance and not wanting to spend a king's ransom on dinner. El Taco Riendo fit the bill perfectly, big on flavor and easy on the wallet.

From the outside, it looks like a hole in the wall (not necessarily a bad thing, the best taquerias always have at least a hint of sketchiness). However, once I walked inside, the clean, brightly lit interior and the spotless open kitchen made a keen first impression. As we waited to order, the staff promptly cleared tables after patrons finished their meals. There was plenty of time to observe the restaurant since the ordering process is sloooooooow. It took a good five minutes for our party of four to order our food at the front counter.

During the wait to order, I watched the El Taco Riendo kitchen staff prepare batch after batch of corn chips. Our basket of hot, fresh chips and smoky salsa de arbol got our meal off to a splendid start.

While the menu at El Taco Riendo was an extensive variety of meats, this is going to be a very pollo-centric review as our group ordered all three versions of the chicken. I ordered the tinga de pollo chimichanga, which was loaded with succulent, well-seasoned white meat with pleasant, smoky finish.

My eldest daughter, who coils in terror of the slightest hint of spiciness in her food, declared the mild, yet flavorful Pollo En Salsa Entomatada tacos a hit. And my wife gave the Pollo En Salsa Verde Con Papas high marks.

The only disappointment was the plump cheese quesadilla served in a burnt flour tortilla.

As we left, the manager, who was tidying up the front of the restaurant asked us how we enjoyed our meal. He did not need to though; our smiling faces were a dead giveaway of our satisfaction of our first (but not last) dining experience at the...

I love love love El Taco Riendo. My standard order here is the classic burrito, with barbacoa beef and tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and cheese inside. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is....

I usually take the burrito to go, and then head up Central 1/2 block to Fair State Brewing for a great beer with my burrito. Yum. It's a perfect combo, IMO.

There are two basic burrito options: Mexican style, or American style. American style features rice, beans, pico, cheese and sour cream. Mexican style features rice, beans, grilled onions, cilantro, lime and the optional add ons listed above (my fav). It's the unique cilantro and lime combo that makes El Taco Riendo's burritos so special.

The burritos here are wrapped nicely to allow easy eating. They are not as large as the burritos available over in St. Paul (El Burrito Mercado, for example), but El Taco Riendo's burritos are MUCH more flavorful and unique tasting. It's quality here, not simple quantity.

The staff are all super polite and friendly, eager to help you out with questions. The cashier always speaks good English.

There are limited parking options on Central, so be prepared to grab a spot on a side street and walk. The sitting area inside is relatively sparse and not large, so be prepared for this too. The night I went here, the line was quite long to order. Each burrito, enchilada, fajita, taco order are all made from scratch while you wait.

I am happy that this restaurant survived their big fire several years ago (see my photos from 2020) where they operated out of a food truck, and decided to renovate and reopen in the original location. If you're craving a high-quality delicious burrito, get to El Taco! I know you want one now, right??? Gosh, I sure do. ...