Carnitas Michoacan — Restaurant in Virginia

Visited 11/14/22

Family and I were on the hunt for something different and decided to give this place a try. We were hopeful with all the positive reviews but, none of those reviews seemed to match the experience. We ordered a a kids nugget meal, kids taco meal, Carnitas traditional tacos (only) w/corn tortilla and Chile verde, house special Carne Asada, street corn, extra rice, extra flour tortillas, and a Horchata. Our total came out to $60.00...The price was a bit much but, whatever. It was a last minute dinner call so, what can you do?

When we got home, we finally realized why our order was more than what it should have been. They charged us for an extra meal we never asked for. We did not know what it was but it was another house special. We already made it home so, we decided to accept it for what it was.

The food was not great. The nuggets were just regular Great Value type nuggets and the fries were stiff and flavorless. The kids tacos had about a taco's bell worth of meat on each taco and lacked flavor. My corn tortillas were literally crumbling and snapping as I picked it up. I am not an expert in corn tortillas or what they are supposed to feel and taste like but, they tasted kind of raw. It wasn't firm and the texture was this weird gritty/sandy as you chewed it? It was very unpleasant. The meat was even worst. Hard, dry, flavorless mess. It reminded me dehydrated string chicken. That is best description I could give it. The extra meal was unrecognizable. It was a meat covered in dull, lifeless grayish brown sauce. My husband's meal looked the best but the meat had the same issues as mine except, it wasn't as dry. Beans were okay.

On the bright side, the corn, rice and horchata was good. We won't be revisiting. The 2 stars is...

Tried Carnitas Michoacan for lunch. My husband and I split it. Ordered the Al Pastor for $7.99. It comes with 3 tacos, no sides. Also ordered an additional taco for $3.50, Yuca frita $3.50, Guacamole $2.00 and a small unsweetened tea for $1.99.

I know I'm the minority here, but I did not enjoy the tacos at all. They were very oily and lacked flavor. The Yuka frita were delicious! Crispy on the outside, and soft in the center. The dipping sauce that they come with, is okay. It's a mayonnaise base...tasted somewhat like Mac sauce. The guacamole is obviously homemade and very good, but would've been nice to have some chips with, even if they raised the price for 'chips and guac'. The unsweetened tea had a nice balanced flavor.

My overall impression is meh. Mainly because I didn't enjoy the main course; the tacos. But also because I found their prices to be quite high, compared to the competition, for a drive thru taco joint. I paid over $20 for 4 tacos, some yuka fritas and a small iced tea. For a comparison, I can go to my local Mexican restaurant and order 2 iced teas with unlimited refills, flaming hot fajitas with beans and rice, and unlimited chips and salsa, for about the same price. And this place wants a tip for drive thru service. No.

My husband didn't like it either. I think I was a bit more forgiving than him. It just...

I usually take photos of my food, but today I devoured it before I could even take one. I got Michoacán Carnitas Tacos & Yuca Fries. The fries came with this tasty chipotle Mayo for dipping or maybe even dunking a taco. I poured it on everything. I expected a little more fries, but it was the perfect serving for the price. I’m a yuca lover, so of course I’d expect more. I paid $3.50 for a 32 oz of Horchata. Usually when I go to a Mexican restaurant I end up paying $3.50 for a small cup with a lot of ice and no refills. I like how this one 32 oz was like 3 cups of horchata in one. I was very satisfied. The only thing I didn’t like about the horchata was the grittiness, but I could look past it. It is made with rice after all. I paid about $19 for all of the food I got. I think that is reasonable, because I could have spent more anywhere else. Sometimes it is worth spending a little more money. My only regret is that I didn’t come here sooner. I found out about this place back in July & it took 4 months for me to try it out! This will be my...