Tacos El Compa Taqueria — Restaurant in San Jose

My Mexican friend showed me a social media post about the best tortas found in San Jose. Since none of us has ever gone to Tacos El Compa, we decided to come out here and try it.

When we arrived around noon, there was already a long line + people sitting in the small, limited spaces available. When we got to the front, the person let us know that it was gonna be an hour wait. Well... we were already here, very hungry but also wanted to try this place, so we will wait.

Luckily they gave us our drinks. I went with the strawberry fresca which was delicious and had a good amount of strawberry flavor! My friend ordered the horchata, which he said was probably the second best horchata he has ever had (the best was down in San Diego, so for something close in proximity, I will gladly come here). But by all means, very good!

Finally, around 45 minutes later, our orders arrived!

My friend saw on the menu that the carnitas were "deep fried", so he immediately got giddy and excited. He said that all other "carnitas" in other restaurants usually aren't fried (not traditional) so they usually fall flat.

So we both ordered carnitas tacos, and boy that was delicious! Soft and juicy, with some fried bits you can taste and feel on the sides. ONE AWESOME THING TO NOTE: my friend says the tortillas are most likely HOMEMADE since they didn't come in perfect circles or shaped perfectly. There is evidence of imperfect cuts and shaping. Regardless, the tortilla was soo good!

Next up were the tortas. I had carne asada with mine and man! First bite tasted like a hamburger to me, which I love and do not mind at all! Not to mention that this is a huge chonker (not as big as Mexico Bakery down at Story Rd, but still a darn good size!). I think Mexico Bakery is larger, but I prefer the ingredients and seasonings used here!

They also provided a red sauce and green sauce, which the red sauce was spicy and good, while the green sauce was savory. I personally like it without the sauce since the meat marinade and ingredients used are delicious on its own, that any sauce added would overpower the flavor they put in. But if I had to choose, I actually like the green sauce more.

Overall, 5/5. I love this place. This is going to be a tough place to beat for tortas. I would definitely try the other menu items next time! Pro-tip: just come when they open to...

I had this place book marked for a while now being it had such high praise and reviews. The pictures posted also look so good. As I walked in I noted the place was hopping busy with every seat taken. I walked up to the counter and saw that they had a 2 sided menu “with no pictures” hmmm what do I order? Heck I don’t even know what some of these food items are. I asked the cashier what he recommended and he took out his phone and showed me pictures of what people order a lot. “Good selling tool, just wish the pictures were on the menu” I ended up ordering a super taco $3.99 soft tortilla, L Pastore meat, sour cream, avocado, diced tomatoes and a wedge of lime. A Jefecita with carnitas meat. $4.99 this one comes with a larger soft tortilla with browned burnt cheese on both sides of the Tortilla. “See pics” Last but not least a horchata to drink “ one of the better ones I’ve had “and I’ve had a lot, trust me. I sat at my table “the only one available lol” and a nice lady with a smile on her face brought my order with 2 different bottles of homemade sauce “red and green” both slightly hot, the red one had kind of a smoky flavor. I opted for the green “and lots of it, so good” Now for the flavors: the super Taco with the L Pastore has got to be the best I’ve had so far “anywhere” but the Jefecita..,,,,OH MY GOSH I felt like...... well Sally “from the movie when Harry met Sally” except I was screaming Jes! Jes! “In my head, silent voice lol” And my eyes rolled so far up in the back of my head I could see behind me!! People this place is Da real deal!! One side note, I watched as people got up from the tables how the worked immediately busted and clean the...

Decided to try this place because it was on the way to where I had to go. And I have to say, if I was a member of the gym that is in the same strip mall, I would probably go to that gym first and try to work up more of an appetite just so I could eat more tacos. The carnitas tacos are sooo good! They are legit carnitas, not carnitas with a ton of gristle mixed in which makes it so much better. The carne asada itself is seasoned well and doesn't depend on the salsa to add the flavor. Although when you do add the salsa on the tacos it just makes them that much better. The only one that I tried that didn't make me want to order more was the al pastor. It's not bad, but definitely not as good as the other two. All of these are served on just one fresh made tortilla which is all you need. It doesn't fall apart and still gives you the feeling of eating it with the double tortilla you would normally get. If you've got a hankering for tacos, make sure to hit this place up, especially if you went to the...