Taqueria MICHELADAS Don Efren — Restaurant in West Haven

I'm 36 and I've visited and lived in many places (including famous food capitals) and this is BY FAR my favorite place for Mexican food because of their offerings, their prices, and their service. This is most certainly one of CT's best kept secrets and it really shouldn't be a secret!

Offerings - when you have a craving for unique ingredients or if you want to try something different from the mainstream - like lengua, tripa, or buche - these can be hard to find, but not at this restaurant, which offers all three in various dishes! Their selection is so diverse, fresh, and delicious, so come with an empty belly so you can try as much as you can!

Prices- every time I visit, I bring friends and all I ever rave about is the food. Before we can even get to the food, though, my friends always comment on how affordable everything is, even the dishes worth rare ingredients! In this economy, this is rare and I'm shocked that there's not a line out the door every time I go.

Service - every time I'm in town, I make it a point to visit this place because they've been so incredibly kind since my first visit. The husband and wife treat us like they've known us their whole lives. When I think about "community," these are the kinds of people I think about - the kind where, if they saw someone in need, they'd offer to help, or if you compliment the wife's jewelry, she'd offer to grab a help piece for you next time she goes to Guadalajara (this happened)! Additionally, they're wildly efficient! I'm always shocked with how fast they process our orders!

Atmosphere - whoever painted their tables is incredibly talented! They're all so colorful and detailed! It's hard not to feel good when looking at the scenes painted on each table.

Life is short. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a visit to this place and interact with these wonderful humans. You'll be wishing you'd...

First and foremost, the customer service was wonderful and welcoming. They make you feel like family there; very attentive and nice.

The vibe is colorful as well with an authentic Mexican feel.

With all of the above said, unfortunately the food didn't live up to my expectations. I tried the following.

Tacos: 🌮 Al pastor - very salty and over cooked Asada - over cooked, chewy Carnitas - not enough salt and flavor Barbacoa - taco was drenched and lacking flavor. Like dipping the taco water before eating it. Pollo - I could've finish this one, chewy, overcooked, and had a beer peculiar flavor to it *Also, the tortillas were stale and hard in places when it's supposed to be soft corn 🌽 tortilla. ** Only positive was the portions. Avg. Person could fill up on 3 of these.

Rice and beans: 🍚 This was ok. Plain red rice and refried beans, but it was topped with stressed cheddar 🧀 instead of queso fresco.

Churros: theses tasted good and were in bite sizes but unfortunately all were doughy in the center.

Conclusion: If the food was halfway decent of at three very least good. I would've given this place a 5 Star ⭐ review. It's a shame, the customer service and vice is excellent and the food is...

My mother and I stopped here for an early dinner today and we were BLOWN AWAY. The owners of this sweet little restaurant are incredibly kind and hospitable and immediately made us feel welcome. The atmosphere of the place is colorful and cozy. The whole experience was like a warm hug.

The food is excellent and beautifully seasoned. We’re originally from out west and are used to food from various regions of Mexico being pretty readily available and done well; unfortunately we’ve found Connecticut often lacking in flavorful, authentic Latin food. Until now. I had some incredible pork (Al pastor, I think?) enchiladas and mom had, I think, a steak taco style dinner. We immediately fell in love. She adored the Jamaica (iced hibiscus beverage, one of her all-time faves) and the horchata I was given to sample was pure comfort in a cup. We just had to order takeout as well for the rest of our family, even with a 45 minute drive home.

We don’t live in the New Haven area but will be back again anytime we find ourselves nearby. Again, I can’t stress enough what kind and lovely people the family who owns this place are. Give them a try and let them...