Taco Boy's — Restaurant in Phoenix

God knows I’ve been trying my best not to do this, but at this point enough is enough. Came here for what was probably the 3rd time & yet again it was a nightmare not only locating an open parking space but also finding an open table in the dining area once I finally made it inside. Maybe the owner didn’t get the memo, but sometimes people want to take a break from their crazy day, SIT DOWN & eat a nice/reasonably-priced meal without being forced to eat in the car & get crumbs/grease all over their beige leather seats… Well apparently you can’t do that here at ANY time of the day… Not only is it a nightmare trying to park your vehicle here, but once you finally figure that part out (after 20+ minutes of waiting for a space to open, lurking around like a vulture waiting for a pack of hungry lions to finish up with a carcass), you get inside & can’t manage to find ANY seating because other customers take forever to finish their meals, & other customers will run behind you (while your back is turned as you order/pay) & snatch up tables the second they open up. Yeah, there’s tables outside, but let’s be real here; Who the Hell wants to sit OUTDOORS when it’s 800 million degrees outside this time of year? Literally all I wanted to do was come in & eat something filling (one of the menu items certainly cures this), yet as per usual, I come in & experience other customers being so ignorant & selfish with the tables/seats while the employees do absolutely nothing to remedy the situation. I literally watched two (LARGE/selfish) female customers bogart BOTH sides of the salad stand (to a point where no one else could get anything until they were done), & then as I’m standing there paying for my order, a table behind me finally opens up & the same two LARGE women grab it just so they could sit their oversized PURSES on top of it as they actually sit at the table next to it…. So you seriously let customers take up MULTIPLE tables just so they can have one (or more) tables for their PURSES (knowing that you’re ALREADY short on tables/seating, let alone parking spaces)? That right there is the epitome of poor management, because any good manager pays attention to stuff like that (or hires someone else who will) & they ensure that it doesn’t happen since selfish people like this are only inconveniencing other customers & putting them in a situation where they’d rather just dine elsewhere. This review won’t shut this place down (and shutting this place down certainly is not the goal of this review), but if you enjoy being able to just take a break away from your hectic day to grab something to eat, EASILY park your vehicle & EASILY sit down to enjoy your meal vs eating in your car or taking it to go (whilst foregoing any/all free drink refills that would be at your disposal if you actually sat down & dined at the location), you will be disappointed. In my case, I gave this place three different opportunities to earn my continued business, but things just aren’t improving with regard to the limited parking & limited seating, thus I’ll be avoiding this place until someone wakes up and either corrects both issues at this location or does the smarter move by finding a better “downtown” location that provides ample parking AND ample seating. It’s just ridiculous at this point, & I’m honestly not sure how someone (the owner or otherwise) missed this back when this location was chosen (outside of them just being soo desperate/thirsty to have a location in “downtown” Phoenix that they completely disregarded the fact that customers actually need to be able to PARK their cars & SIT DOWN once they arrive). Well you got your “downtown” location guys, but accessing it is a real pain in the ass for your customers who frequent this area far more often than the areas where your other restaurants...

New go-to favorite for authentic street tacos. Key words here are "Street Taco". Not artisan or new age or street-taco-with-a-twist. Since COVID-19 took down my favorite street taco stand (yes road side stand) I've been trying tacos from restaurants to make up for the loss. This location is the closest thing I have found. The food is clean, they use grade A meats and don't "fill" the tacos with gristle and vegetables (i.e. lettuce tomatoes onion and cilantro). So you're getting a taco with your choice meat.

These guys cook meats on an open charcoal grill (ranch style) so you can see the process and know what you're getting. They have a limited meat selection which personally is a plus for me. This allows them to focus on perfecting they're meat cuts and seasoning without over complicating the menu. Pick your meat, tortilla and plate style boom you're done.

The location is small and seating is limited but you can definitely dine in. This place is popular so be prepared for it to be loud and bustling.

It can be a little overwhelming when you walk in but here are some tips to be prepared for. 1)Look up the menu before going in, this way you can go directly to the counter to order. 2) It is very much like going to the butcher at a grocery store so just be aware of those there before you and those just standing around. The guys taking the orders will see you coming so more than one will be ready and may just stand in front of you, point to you for your order and you're off. 3) You'll pay for your order after they hand it to you so you can step away and wait for your name to be called (yes they take cards). 4) In the meantime, after you place your order head to the salsa bar to grab your salsas and veggies.

These taco boys have the process down. You don't see or hear any confusion, everyone has a job and they just keep at it. It's a well oiled machine. You'll hear a few undiscernable shouts in Spanish or a few specific melodic whistles but it's just the communication between the guys. Trust me every grunt, yelp or holler has a meaning and they all speak the language. It was very impressive to watch.

The only negative that I have to report is something that's out of their hands so I won't deduct starts for it but it must be mentioned. THE PARKING!! The parking. There is a Starbucks in the same building so you will be fighting for a spot and a drive through line that will be out of the lot in street traffic. If by some miracle you do find parking you'll fight with other cars blocking you in or in my case hitting my car....

Visited a few nights ago, while looking for tacos with a friend. She had already tried this place, but it was my first time. Because of this, I tried one of each taco flavor. I had corn tortilla tacos so I can't speak for how large the flour tortilla tacos are, but they were perfect, bit size morsels, reminiscent of a taqueria in Mexico. Bonus points for the fact that the smell reaches you before you turn any of the building corners! My favorite was the carnitas/barbacoa, it's pungent, fatty, and packing a flavor punch. I wish I would've had it inside a quesadilla. Second favorite was the adobada/al pastor, it has a tangy spiciness that hits just right. The carne asada sat there right in the middle, reliable, but nothing special worth mentioning, but better than other taco places, smothered with their delicious green avocado salsa and some pickled red onions and I devoured it. Next was the chicken, which sadly was a bit dry, meh, but tasty, almost like if they were going for crispy chicken bits, but it had the texture of thigh, so it must not sell as much and therefore had gone dry on the heat. I think there was one other flavor before I got to the tripa, which I had and it personally isn't for me, it's a bit on the chalky side and needs a bit of salt. At other times, when eating tripas, I've had them super crispy and loaded with the proper amount of salt, but this one left something to be desired. The bathroom is an individual door at the end of the corridor to the left of the soda machine. It was clean and stocked, very much appreciated -I included photos with my review. The cooks and cashier were friendly, and the vibes were immaculate. The restaurant was bolstering with folks of all varieties, all joined together under one roof over their love of this establishment. This will be the place I recommend to others when asked if I know any good taco place. You got to have it...