El Rincon — Restaurant in Sacramento

On the outskirts of Midtown, straddling the I-80 Business Freeway in Sacramento, lies a tiny taqueria called "El Rincon Mexican Restaurant." Easily mistaken for an old-school, curbside hamburger joint, "Rincon" has only a few small tables inside, with much more seating outdoors.

Unlike many of the newer, posh, and yuppified taquerias that offer $15 guacamole, El Rincon has humble roots. The proprietor's family members make up the cooks, dishwashers, and busboys. And they know how to cook. Really well.

The tacos here are big; and at $3.50 a pop, it's quite a deal. Made in the same style as those at the famous "La Taqueria" in San Francisco, the tortillas are lightly fried -- just enough to provide a light crunch and melt the fresh Oaxacan cheese inside, yet without losing the "softness" of the tortilla.

The shredded chicken taco was moist and delicious. The shrimp tacos were cooked perfectly, and their juices popped across my cheek as I bit into them. They came with a chipotle crema and light cabbage slaw that provided just the right balance of texture and flavor.

Tortilla chips come gratis, and a salsa bar features homemade toppings of varying degrees of spiciness. I suggest the fresh-pressed mango salsa, which, after tasting the hotter salsas, had a cooling effect on the palate.

Although I know plenty of them exist, I have struggled to find a taqueria in Sacramento that meets the standards of say, the quesabirria tacos at "Guads Tacos" in Davis, or the California burrito from "Don Carlos Taco Shop" in La Jolla.

My visit to El Rincon has rejuvenated my hopes of finding great Mexican food in Sac.

I can't wait to go back to try their margaritas, as well as their homemade hot churros served...

This is a fun little (and I mean little) spot to grab some no frills Mexican faire. Located on a rather challenging 'triangle' corner which makes it one of those places you SEE it and then realize you are passing it. Parking is super limited, so expect to park on the street and walk a few feet, and maybe have to cross some heavy traffic. Come on, it'll be worth it. The building is an old (again, super tiny) gas station which is why it is situated where it is. There are a several metal tables outside, and even two bar height seating areas along each side of the building. Plus a few small tables inside. Order at the counter, take your number, grab some chips and salsa at the salsa bar (inside), and then go find yourself a table. They will bring your food to you. We came in for the 'Taco Tuesday' special for lunch which truly can't be beat. $1.99 for either seasoned shredded chicken or carnitas. We ordered 3 of each. Tacos were double layered corn street taco tortilla size, with onion and cilantro, some limes to squeeze on them if you like, and a couple radishes finished off the plate. We used some of the salsa on ours...We agreed that both seasoned chicken and the carnitas meats were excellent. The salsas (both green and red) were very good, and not overly spicy. Personally, as lovers of spicy foods, we would have liked them to be more intense. Overall, this is a fantastic place to grab some really good Mexican food for a super affordable price, at a...

We had made a huge order! We went to pick it up the employees were handling the food with no gloves they offered only a couple containers for salsa gave us only a couple napkins when we had made a huge order around 15 plates? The chicken and pork were mixed when that was not what was ordered! The chicken was very hard! The rice was hard beans were very dry as was the meat! Overall it was a terrible experience. The food was not good. The service is ridiculous. The way they handle their food is not acceptable. You are not supposed to use your bare hands while handling food. She was literally pudding, the meat Cilantro and onions and stuff on the tacos with her we literally sat there and watched her and we had asked her about gloves, and she looked at us like we were stupid! With all the plates we ordered we got hardly any napkins. Any salsa...