Mexico City Cafe — Restaurant in Saint Louis Park

My kids were in the mood for street tacos, and they had been for awhile. I had heard about this place recently opening up in my neighborhood and been wanting to try it. Just never crossed my mind until my kids reminded me they were still wanting street tacos. The fact that it was a local small business and we wanted to support small businesses, we gave it a try.

First off, I do not recommend the online ordering, as the timing of when the food is ready is way off. I ordered $58 worth of food and it said it would be ready 30 mins from when I ordered. I got there when it said it would be ready and it was all cold by the time I got home. I live 1/2 mile from the place. I could tell it had been sitting for awhile and there is no heat lamp keeping it warm.

We ordered fish tacos, barbacoa nachos, all their street tacos (except Tingas - chicken), chips and guacamole. Pretty much the only thing we didn't try was the enchiladas.

The Bad: The biggest disappointment was the fish tacos. Nothing worst than cold fish and not enough fish to cover half the length of the tortilla. We were expecting flaky, grilled fish and we had cold pan fried fish. I wouldn't recommend this dish. Should consider adding a deep fried version or taking this item off the menu. Maybe adding a cream sauce to the fish might improve this dish.

Portions in each taco was a little off. The amount of meat in each taco could have had maybe another spoonful or two more in it, as these were some of the smallest street tacos around town. There wasn't enough meat to fill barely half the tortillas they come in. I don't think you would find such small tacos in Mexico City as the name implies.

The Good: The best part of the meal was the salsas. The salsas were both excellent. The red (hot) salsa has very good flavor. Smoky, flavorful, and just the right amount of heat. Not like Chipotle's where it is all ground chillies and a little lime juice. The verde (green) salsa was also excellent. My daughter enjoyed that and it wasn't spicy at all. Anyone that knows anything about street tacos, the salsa is what makes a good street taco.

The meats (other than fish) all had pretty good flavors, even cold. Carnitas, Barbacoa, and Asada all had good flavors, but could have had a little more in each one. However the meats were masked by the salsa and lime juice as most street tacos are.

I enjoyed the Mexican rice and beans, as they were also flavorful. The nachos were good and lots of it. My son said they were excellent, and he doesn't say that too often to any food. His favorite foods are tacos and nachos.

Customer service is a good as all the other reviews say they are. Very friendly people and genuine.

I wish my first experience of this place was with warm food, as it might have changed my rating of this place. I will give this place another try in the future, but we will have to be dine in or order there to go. My next visit will determine whether I will be a returning customer of the place. I really want to like this place, as I too love street tacos and the convenience of the location. I hope to have a better experience in my next visit. I will update my review then.

UPDATE I tried the tacos again and actually got warm food this time. It was a vast improvement from the last time I took out. Tacos weren't as small and tasted even better warm. I could see myself coming back. Parking is very limited so might be a challenge during busy times or lunch time. They share the parking with neighboring businesses, so finding parking might...

Okay my wife and I have been trying this place since they soft opened and really wanted them to succeed but we can't overlook the food. The family that runs this place are absolutely wonderful people and they always try to give you good service. However, the food is bland and uninspiring. We've tried the tinga, carne asada, carnitas, their chips, guac, salsa, and churros. I've never had burritos or tacos that were so under seasoned. The only things I would recommend are their churros and agua fresca. Hopefully they will retool their recipes at some point but as of now we won't be back unless it's for dessert.

5/2021 Update:

After trying multiple times since this restaurant has opened I have to say I'm pretty bummed that they have not listened to what a large number of the low star reviews are stating. The. Food. Is. Bland. Salt is your friend, seasoning is your friend. The tinga tastes like shredded bland rotisserie chicken. The barbacoa tastes like a pot roast in a crock pot simmered with a half an onion and a no salt. The salsas (both Verde and rojo) are watered down and, guess what, lack salt. The queso sauce is poorly incorporated so it's lumpy. The only thing that have improved on is the consistency of their chips. I really wanted this place to succeed, please don't offer customers a refund, just take our feedback and retool...

I went to check out this restaurant for the first time alone! I have a deep love for real authentic Mexican food! I ordered the Taco plate (tinga/chicken). The meat is marinated and full of flavor! The rice is not dry and have a nice flavor as well. Next i brought my pre-teen daughter who has recently developed love for a good steak taco! Mexico City did not disappoint. She told me that they had great customer service and that made them the best in her book! The third visit we took along my youngest son who is 5 and extremely picky. On the kids menu the have some good options including quesadilla and grilled cheese! This time my son wanted to try a beef taco and he loved it! He is also big on rice and beans and wanted more of those! I decided to try out the plantains as this is one of my favorites. The have the sweet ones with crema and cheese on top! They are delicious. The owner is so polite and recognizes us when we come now! If I don't have a/the kid/kids he always sends a warm hello! We have been plenty of other times and also ordered to go! I looked forward to trying the Tamales...