Maiz Picante Taqueria — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

Wow, this place has become my favorite taqueria in Santa Barbara since they have tacos al pastor that taste just like those in Mexico City! The meat is perfectly marinated, it has the typical slice of pineapple on top, tortillas are good, and salsas are great! Another plus is that prices are good given the quality and the amount of meat that you get. I usually feel good ordering just 2 tacos because they come with two tortillas and a lot of meat. I would order 3 if you are very hungry. The tacos with cheese are pretty filling. I loved the plain taco al pastor, mulita de pastor (with melted cheese and guacamole), and costra de pastor (with crunchy cheese). I’ve also tried the steak taco and it’s good. The shrimp pastor taco could have been better. So I would recommend sticking with pastor. I’m really excited because for the first time I was able to show the flavor of pastor to my vegan friends. They have beyond pastor and a vegan version of other types of meat too, but my vegan friends also think pastor is the best. Another thing that gives this place more points is that it’s decorations and music are cool so it’s not your typical neighborhood taqueria. This looks like a taqueria in La Condesa or La Roma (trendy neighborhoods in Mexico City). They also have great drinks like passion fruit agua fresca (non-alcoholic), margaritas, and beer. They even have a great dessert (pan de elote)! I’ve already been here four times since I...

I must admit I’m a little confused at all the gushing reviews of this place. The food is mediocre at best. From what we could tell, the chips, guacamole, and tortillas are all store-bought. Paying like 9 bucks for store-bought chips and guacamole is wild. The fact that they get those items from a store makes me question the quality of basically everything on the menu tbh.

The tacos I had were decent, but the birria was way too gristly. The al pastor was strange, and the pineapple chunk on top of it seemed bizarre to me. Al Pastor should be cooked with pineapple not just have a random pineapple chunk on top?

The aguas frescas were okay.

The atmosphere was nice and the place is very clean and inviting.

That said, if you are looking for good Mexican food I think you are better...

"I'd like a burrito, do you have rice?" "No" "Do you have Pico de gallo?" "No" "Do you have avocado?" "No" "Do you have sour cream?" "No" "Okay, I guess I'll just have a burrito."

That was literally how our conversation went.

I've been ordering burritos for 30 years in California, this is definitely a first. And, it was $20, go figure....

It's like they're trying to cosplay a Michelin star Taqueria. Thankfully the most popular Mexican restaurant in SB is less than a block away.

My burrito was 4/10, so could have been worse, but not by much.

And why is it 110° inside and 70° outside?

What a super weird place, and not in a good way. Guess that's why I was alone in there at 7pm on a Friday night in August.

Just be a regular Taqueria,...