Taqueria El Guero — Restaurant in San Luis Obispo

Lookin for a Mission Burrito? SLO happens to sit just barely across that imaginary line, the one where you see more dodger hats and the burritos are soft and floppy by design. "Refried over pinto 'round these parts, buddy"! "No avo chunks in our green salsa here, pal, that's by design"! Unfortunately, the closest firm, tightly rolled, mission style burrito will be found in Salinas. But im not here to talk about burritos. Nooo. I go to Taqueria El Guero when I want a torta. Their warm, lightly toasted buns are so soft and buttery. Their Al Pastor is full of that amazing salty-sweet caramelized flavor wrapped in char, sometimes I'm tempted to order 2, But sadly I can't finish two. See, I never eat tortas. Why would I, having lived in SF Mission for 20 years? The Mission Burrito is king and that's just how the world works. But i live in SLO now... and in SLO, the tortas is the next-best-thing. HOWEVER, if Taqueria El Guero was in the mission, wow, they would make it very difficult to sway me from the burrito I order my way... In fact I think I'd most likely flip flop between this amazing sandwich and my long-time go-to and that's saying A Lot. But in SLO??? Well that is no contest. There is no other choices here. it's an El Guero Pastor Torta all the way. Every time.

Edit Feb 2024: ok so, I just had their burrito for the first time. ON HIT. This burrito is the closest to a mission burrito I've had outside of SF or Oakland. Definitely worth...

First and foremost, the food is really good... The queda birria was juicy, rich, fatty, cheesy, and seasoned heavily even without the delicious side of consume. It was a hearty portion even for a giant like me and the house made pickled veg is another nice touch. The rice and beans are delicious as well, rich, soft, and probably some good fat in the refried beans. The drink selection is nice too with beer, wine, and my choice, horchata, which I filled with the fountain after it was gone (try the leftover horchata with some diet coke, so good).

The place was busy, friendly, and well ran with music that matches the energetic vibe but was maybe a touch too loud for someone trying to chat (I was not).

I'm often torn on how to reflect pricing in reviews. The bottom line is Taqueria El Guero is at the top most end of Taqueria prices you'll encounter in the entire area, and while the food was good, there are many places as good across the central coast. I see the prices up front, they're right there, and I can either accept or balk, so I tend not to really let it impact the score unless I feel gouged. Only on the side of rice and beans did I get close to feeling gouged due to their small portion, however with some consume poured on them I didn't mind their $6 little dish.

Ill probably be back for more quesa birria, and that warrants 5 stars for making some...

The quality of the food and flavor warranted an extra star, but my experience wasn't good. There are table top cards asking for reviews, so I hope this one finds its way to owners willing to work on the great base they've created. My wife and I stopped for lunch today anxious to try a new spot. It was 49 degrees out when we arrived. Oddly, the front door was propped open. The place was freezing, but I thought we could find a table out of the cold. The restaurant is counter service where you pick up your own food and bus your own table. I was kind of shocked to see the lowest tip % available to choose was 18%. The kitchen is walled in with glass, Barrio style. While waiting almost half an hour for our food, I saw a few less than sanitary moves made by kitchen staff. Overall, the restaurant was dirty and it was only noon. My wife tried to close the front door and the only front of the house staff we encountered quickly propped it back open and sternly told her that it was broken and needed to stay open. The food was very good, but my plate had a huge chip out of it. The silverware is the thinnest, cheapest you can buy. They serve marinated carrots with each plate and mine were so undercooked I couldn't even cut them with the...