Tacos Calafia — Restaurant in Tolleson

With hundreds of taco shops to choose from, I feel like you really gotta shine to stand out. Everything has to be on point, otherwise, the other options will steal your clientele.

Tacos Calafia seems to be a shop that once reigned supreme given the number of reviews, but the over-salted meats, tiny tacos, the boring salsas, and the unfriendly staff left me feeling unimpressed and uninterested in returning.

The lady at the register seemed annoyed by our presence. Maybe it was because we didn’t order a huge platter, or a bunch of drinks, or maybe my Spanish wasn’t so good. She walked away from the register when I paid, leaving me waiting there until another employee came over to ask “did you need something?”

“Uh… do I need a number or anything?”

“Oh, here you go,” she said, as she tapped a screen and printed a receipt.

Not a great interaction, but one that left an impression. They acted like they were too busy. But there were less than ten people in the entire restaurant at 6pm on a Friday night…. I think my hypothesis is probably correct. Oh, how the mighty have fallen, and they don’t know how to deal with it.

Now, it’s not all bad. I love the small menu. Prices are decent, I thought. The nacho cheese on the nachos was the star of the show. But the salsa bar was B-tier, honestly. There were signs asking you to put on plastic gloves, but no one except us put on the plastic gloves. The cups were not placed intuitively, nor were there any plates to put the salsa cups on. The green salsa tasted like it came from a plastic jug, and the medium red was watered down and flavorless. Pretty disappointing and annoying experience at the salsa bar.

And that’s about it, amigos. The music was great, and I don’t recommend anything else except the...

I know, I know, but please. don't shoot the messenger. What's the use of a review if you're not going to be honest? So, here's my two cents, which by the way, is about what this food was worth - Two Cents.

I really wanted to like this place. I wanted to believe the glowing reviews. I wanted to have a taco shop that made my mouth water. However, this place missed the mark - by like a football field. It was later in the evening, not that crowded, and still the place was in disarray. We were not dining in, and I was thrilled, because the chairs are packed in and just all over the place.

The menu was basic, and I mean basic - as in basically bad. It was asthetically confusing, posted waaay too high on the wall to be easily read, and just not user friendly to a new customer, and the menu (as in the FOOD ON THE MENU) was not good. When we asked about the amount of tacos in an order, which I thought was a relatively simple question, we were met with a blank stare. Awkward.

More of the same. Crickets.

Blank look.

Bueler? Bueler?

Ummm, okay. Ultimately she finally regurgitated the types of meat available, not the amount - which ended up being one taco by the way. So, we ordered several.

Additionally, we ordered chips and guac. Pricey and runny guac - thick and chunky. Another ding on the ever plummeting score. Then we find out the guac is actually on the salsa bar, and we could have it for free. Thanks for the heads up cashier chick. Not.

The one saving grace was great tortillas, but not great enough to salvage the experience.

Overall, sorely lacking in quality, quantity and service. I would not recommend it, and I won't be back. Sorry, but that's one person's humble experience. Not my jam....

Today we walked into GoldKost Jewelers, to get my wife's ring sized which would take about 30 minutes to complete. We told them we were headed over to Firehouse Subs while we waited and they said, "oh no, you need to go try Tacos Calafina, next door," so we did. GoldKost's recommendation was spot on and Tacos Calafia didn't disappoint. My wife got the Tacos with Carne Asada and, to be different, I got the Nachos with Grilled chicken. The tacos were great; likely the best tacos I have had state-side. I absolutely recommend them. The nachos were definitively not as great as the tacos, but still good. The Nacho cheese needs some attention. It's much like what you get at sports events, movie theatres, or a can from Costo/Sam's. All other ingredients were fantastic but the cheese needs some attention to help it stand out and be as special as the Carne Asada Tacos. Thanks Tacos Calafia for a great lunch, we'll be back and bring...