Axel’s Taco Shop — Restaurant in Salem

I have been meaning to try this Taco Shop for a while now and after tonight's visit I regret not coming in sooner!

The staff was very friendly and accomodating. They took the time to answer my questions about a few of yheir dishes without getting impatient the way staff at a few other restaurant's I've been to recently would.

The restaurant is clean, but there are a few spots that could use some touch up paint, notably on the ceiling. Also, there was one vent that looked like it could use a wipe down.

The atmosphere felt more Mexican American than traditional Mexican, at least to me. In this case it's a good thing, in that it helps them to stand out from other similar restaurants.

Now for the food... I came in on a Tuesday, so of course I had to order Tacos. I ordered the Carne Asada ones and they were delicious! The lady who helped me actually let me know what options were available regarding how they could prepare them, but I went for a fairly basic order.

I also ordered the Burrito A La Diabla, sin camarones, con pollo. I substituted the shrimp for chicken. I try to eat Kosher when possible, for health reasons. The burrito lives up to it's name. It was the spiciest burrito I have had recently. It...

Let me start out by saying I have never felt as judged and uncomfortable in my own skin simply by walking into this ransacked pit of despair and atrocious excuse for a restaurant.

My husband and I ordered some rolled tacos and a super burrito. As i walk in, the employee was staring at me like I was Trayvon Martin and he was George Zimmerman about to pop a fool for the change in my pocket and a pack of skittles. The employee demanded I pulled up my pants as he shouted 'WE DON'T DO THAAT GANGSTER SH!T HERE ESSAY, IF YOU WANNA EAT HERE, YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES". He then proceeded to point to a crudely written set of "rules" he wrote on a dinner napkin that went on about all these rules you must follow in order to eat at this establishment

Now, being a law-abiding citizen, I ensured I was respectful, and followed the rules to a T. I politely pulled my pants up and placed my order. The employee was staring at me with the largest eyes I've ever seen, and kept turning around looking at the kitchen staff, twisting his neck like an owl.

I placed my order, collected my food and sprinted out as fast as possible. I will never return here.

Rolled tacos...

Tried this for the first time with my S/O. We got 2 orders of the 3 tacos (Chorizo & Carne Asada), a Carnitas Super Burrito and an order of Chile Rellenos.

First and foremost - the street tacos were very packed with meat which was nice - however, the Carne Asada was garbage. It was truthfully the most bland, unseasoned Asada we've had yet in this area. The Chorizo on the other hand was tasty and was one of the better ones that we've had and I would recommend in a street taco.

The Chile Rellenos was fairly decent across the board but we were not expecting it to be caked in lettuce. Wasn't appealing, but the taste of the Rellenos was good - not great - but good.

The sleeper hit? The Carnitas! Honest to God this is some of the best damn Carnitas we've had in this area and would HIGHLY recommend Axel's to just try the Carnitas alone. 100% is worth the trip for that alone.

Overall, there are far better overall Mexican restaurants/trucks out there, but for a niche item, the Carnitas here are second to none and would recommend a...