Alegria Taco — Restaurant in Oakland Park

After a really rainy afternoon, and being ditched by our daughter, we decided to go on an adventure. I set about doing my due diligence of research, read a bunch of reviews and pulled up the menu. Sounded good so off we went.

This little gem sort of redefines "Hole in the wall." We passed it twice before we finally found it, but I'm glad we didn't give up. We didn't notice the parking area on the side until we had created a parking space in front. The interior was minimal, with only 3 tables in a tiny area.

So we ordered. It was nice to know that precooked meats were not just being put on a soft tortilla, as evidenced by the sizzling sounds coming from the tiny kitchen.

The tricky thing about adventure eating is to not chicken out as soon as you get to the adventure part. This requires you to go at least a little bit our of your comfort zone. Tonight was my first exploration in the world of tongue, politely called "lingua." Tongue is not something that's ever been on my list of things that really out to be on a plate with the exception of licking off extra sauce. However, the lingua taco was very good. The meat was incredibly tender, well seasoned and piled onto a double layer of fried corn tortillas. The taco pastor was delightful, with a bold blend of marinated pork and pineapple. The fruit added just the right amount of sweetness and the end result was delicious. I also had a tamale, my perpetual "go to" dish for judging Mexican food. Yes, it was a real Mexican tamale! The shredded pork inside, was tender and flavorful. My only objection was that it was a bit heavy on the masa for the amount of meat and didn't come with the sauce that was mentioned on the menu.

If you need another reason to give this place a try, the couple that runs it are just lovely people. They chatted with us briefly before we left. They were very grateful for the comments we gave them and excited that we were going to be reviewing it here. I'd go back just to see them light up at people...

OMG. Finally! I'm originally from an area near Mexico in Southern California and grew up eating amazing Mexican food. I've been here for almost 5 years and never encountered Mexican food that was even close to authentic... Until now! I'm so excited and happy I found this little place. I love Mexican food and I seriously panicked when I first moved here and ate at LIME. Locals raved about LIME and when I saw it had lines around the block, I was excited. However, after eating "it", I quickly realized that I moved to a place that is absolutely clueless about what Mexican food should taste like. Alegria Taco is a super tiny, hole-in-the-wall place, with almost no parking, hot inside and not a place I'd want to dine. I will admit those things work against it, but really... It's insignificant. I'll take amazing food over ambiance any day. For me personally, I'll be using a delivery service from now on. However I'm happy I was able to visit it in person for the first time because I saw how clean it was. It's what appears to be a mother father and daughter operating the business. The mother and father were extremely clean, organized, articulate and the kitchen was very nice. I felt good about eating the food here. The presentation was excellent, their homemade salsas are excellent. It's basically as if the mother and father are cooking you an authentic, home-cooked Mexican meal. They are originally from San Diego California. This place is the real deal. I just hope it doesn't get too popular for my own...

Update 3/3/19 Just went back and food and quality have gone down the gutter. Place now looks dirty and unkept. Ordered 2 tacos as a test before putting in a request for a larger order. Glad I didn't, got the tacos out and they were nasty. Not sure but the beef may have been partially rancid. I have learned that places like this, it doesn't do any good to question about their food as they just take offense. Last food was decent, this is completely inedible. As I have heard from others, it's went from ok to horrid. No reason to go back. Original Review 1/2017 The food is decent, referred to as Mexican by multiple reviews, but is more Spanglish than anything. Meaning, depending on what you order may have a very authentic spanish flavor or may be americanized for the masses. Tried the steak fajitas which were good, but oddly enough came with a large portion of rice n beans. 2 ground beef tacos had much better flavor, but were not properly rendered of fat making them very greasy. Total $22... which is ok because the portion sizes are decent. The decor outside and inside is nothing to talk about and the inside is very warm. Tables are really just those waiting to pick up their order. It's a hole in the wall, mom n pop place with some good and other meh items. The biggest problem is parking is non-existent, with just 2.5 spaces in front, the side is apartments which are often occupied and next door tow's anyone...