Taco Life Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Orange

First, many of my family and friends tell me I only leave positive reviews and never negative ones. This is true, but the reason is that if we don't enjoy the food and experience at an establishment, we never leave any reviews at all. We are not the type to try and punish a business for bad quality food or service, we will merely never go back.

So, if we take the time to review a restaurant or eatery, it's because it was a great experience, and they deserve the recognition. Additionally, my wife was, at one time in her earlier life, a professionally trained Chef, and she has a true talent for selecting the great, the just good, and especially the bad. So my review here was written with her concurrence and blessing! .

Now it's time to talk about "Taco Life" in Orange. Upon walking in we immediately thought the following:

Very clean and very upbeat atmosphere. We liked all that we saw (I usually check the bathroom for cleanliness as well, but I forgot this time, sorry). The smell of the place was delicious, with no rancid oil smells or any odors of a negative nature. Just pure goodness.

The Staff were polite, clean in appearance, and industrious in regard to their various duties. They greeted us loudly and clearly as we walked in, and looked us straight in the eyes as they did so (meaning they weren't like tired robots repeating canned greetings with no life behind the words).

All the staff were kind, and patient, and came across as sincerely wanting to help and please us as customers. We felt very comfortable, and at ease, without feeling rushed (it was near closing time when we walked in).

As luck would have it, we were fortunate in that we were able to speak with the manager Marco. While waiting for our to-go order we were able to chat a bit, and upon speaking with him we knew immediately why this establishment was so upbeat, clean, and well-run. The man was rather exceptional as a leader. It was evident his employees respected him, and when he briefly turned to provide guidance they all jumped right to it without hesitation and were happy to do so. All the staff were highly competent, and clearly respected their manager. In summary, we found nothing to complain about.

Let's now talk about the food.

Portions were plentiful.

Ingredients were of exceptional quality.

The taste and flavors were well orchestrated. Whoever came up with their source sauces, and mix of spices for their various menu items did a great job (they knew what they were doing).

Very broad menu selections, not just your basic Tacos and Burritos. So much to choose from (see the other reviewers who posted pictures of the menus). Also, their tortilla chips were excellent. I forgot to ask if they make their own, but if not, they should keep their supplier, as they were fresh, crisp, and loaded with flavor. Anyway, we were extremely happy we chose to experience their "Taco Tuesday". It was well worth it.

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In summary, we would give them five (5) stars across the board, as we really couldn't identify anything that would make us want to lower their score. It's our hope they continue to maintain this level of excellence and remain in place...

Taco Life is a convenient little place located in the Santiago Hills community. Pulling into the parking lot can be challenging at times, at spots closest to the restaurant, so it's best to get there early or park farther away over at Pacific Ranch Market. The entrance dawns some simple colorful flags and a funny statue of a server holding a burrito. It has the atmosphere of a casual little cafe, with a few tables for outdoor dining and scattered tables; tall and regular height inside.

Taco Tuesday is my favorite day to visit; street tacos are $2.50 and you have a choice of asada, carnitas or pollo. The staff is super friendly, and ordering at the counter is fast.

The order came out quickly and the tacos were fresh, fragrant and loaded! Grab a fork when you get your order, because as I bit one side, the contents overflowed out the other side. The tacos were flavorful and went down quickly. On a previous visit I ordered a fish burrito and it was large and stuffed with rice beans and fish. I found it also to be delicious and it was very filling.

Taco Life is a great little place for a more authentic Mexican...

I stopped by Taco Life in Tustin on my way to dinner with friends in Laguna, needing a quick bite since I had missed lunch. While it was a bit out of the way, I was glad I chose it over fast food. I ordered the Carne Asada Taco for $5, and my partner got the BRC burrito (Beans, Rice, Cheese)= $18 out the door. I was expecting the kind of street food you'd get from a food truck; you know small tacos w 2 tortillas but after seeing the price I knew it would’ve been the bigger tortilla. The Carne Asada Taco came in a generous portion, and while the tortilla was good, the asada could have been more tender. My partner found the BRC burrito to be okay, but it had too much rice and not enough beans and cheese to create a balanced flavor. The reason I'm giving this place 4/5, it’s a new establishment and despite the decent food, is due to a concerning hygiene issue I witnessed. I noticed one of the workers grabbed the trash while wearing gloves and then returned to food prep without changing them. Proper hygiene practices are essential in any food establishment, especially for those with food...