El Taco Tote

My wife and I popped in before heading over to the remodeled Bookmans.

What was the first thing I noticed upon entering the restaurant, you ask?

Well, it was the woman in the back, hand pressing fresh tortillas. Oh yeah baby. I'm loving it.

Another thing I loved was the all you can eat chips & salsa bar. Yeah, its a bar, well, more of an island style service tray with sneeze-guard.

But as in life, all good things must come to an end. My adobaba tacos had a few too many fatty pieces inside. So, I'm not loving it so much anymore.

But I'll return to try the steak or chicken.

I saw a write up on this place some time ago in the New Times.. figured with the sea of Mexican restaurants over on that side of Mesa this would have to be special to stand out. Does it stand out, meh? It's alright.. the food is very fresh and grilled to order as well as the tortillas. They also have a fresh veggie and salsa bar that pretty decent. The avocado salsa is very good as is the pico de gallo.

Just for me the flavors weren't all there on the meat. I had the biztec and the pork adobado.. both were decent enough but the meat for the biztec just seemed not as fresh as it could have been. If I were in the neighborhood I would certainly stop by again but since I rarely venture to this side of town I'm not sure if Ill ever go back.

I think Id like to try another location, the one on 35th ave isnt to far from my work.. plus the service was so friendly and well organized.. its worth another shot!

After spending the early part of the evening at Sun Devil Liquors, my friend and I realized we had not yet eaten dinner. Problem was, it was a little after 10pm and nothing down the street was open - but El Taco Tote was...The first experience for both of us.

We ordered the quatro tacos and the Panchos. There was a salsa bar in the middle of the room, which wasn't a bad discovery. The pico was a little peppery and had good flavor. The panchos were okay - perhaps because it was late at night they were out of nacho cheese. Nachos without nacho cheese are not the same, but they threw some regular cheese on to replace the deficiency. The quatro tacos were small street tacos, and they were fine.

The place was descent - especially after our time at the bar and not having dinner, but I don't think I would choose it over Filberto's if they were side-by-side.

This is the better of the two locations, the west side started skimping on the meat so we switched to this one. Their chicken adobado is amazing, the salsa bar is possibly the greatest thing you'll ever put in your mouth, they have a decent beer selection, and all you can eat homemade chips. Everything is fresh and you get a lot of food for the money. I eat there almost weekly and have never had a bad experience.

Also, if you live near them they deliver now, so you don't even have to make that hellacious drive down Country Club :)

The best!! Whats up with all the haters? This place is the best. I cant believe there are chumps across the parking lot throwing their money away at el pollo loco, when this gem is here.

I got the adobaba and sirloin taco plate. So good and only 5 bucks!! Their horchata is amazing. Salsa bar is awesome. Free chip refills. Great rice and beans. This has to be one of the best mexican restaurants in Mesa.

The atmosphere is not 5 star, but who cares, this is about good authentic mexican food. I will be back again...and again.... and again....

El Taco Tote is good ol fashioned grilled mexican food. The chicken and beef fajitas for a party of 2 or 4 are thier signature dishes served on a hot sizzling skillet(cuidado no te quema's) with handmade corn or flour tortillas and sides of whole beans and rice, and ofcorse the endless salsa bar. The flavor is excellent and worth every penny. The setting is ofcorse of mexican a taco shop persona but the equivalent to something like a dennys or ihop, nothing fancy, not run down, just very casual. AND thats exactly what this restaraunt sets out to deliver.
Restaraunts have to be rated for the food quality and persona they advertise, not by the colors on the wall or the type of people sitting in the booth next to you...Im just sayin.

The lunch special was a great deal when it was 4.99. Unfortunately it went up one dollar. The chicken and pork is hit or miss...some days it's great, but others it seems undercooked and strange tasting in the case of the chicken, or too fatty in the case of the pork.

The salsa is excellent. You can also get a baked potato with your lunch, which is a nice change.

The other meats are pretty good, but more expensive.

aaaaahhhhhh best steak tacos EVER
(fyi chicken was not so great)
and an awesome salsa bar - you can add as much onions and cilantro as you want..

Real good basic Mexican food. Been to this location twice and the flagship in El Paso once. Always go with the same thing with satisfying results......the carne asada platter. The carne comes on a hot plate sizzling with temptation. Also has beans, rice and tortillas. First off, my girlfriend and I told the cashier to hold the guacamole-we're both mildly allergic (a travesty, I know) and he offered to double our tortillas from five to ten. Hell yeah, we're off to a great start!
Next we were off to the salsa bar to load up on the extras-and there are plenty of em. About ten different varieties, along with marinated onions, jalapenos, guacamole, limes, cilantro, etc. Many great choices, along with a helpful explanation of each salsa, its heat level, and what meat it pairs best with. And before we could finish loading up our cornucopia of condiments the order was sizzling at the pickup counter.
After about two more minutes of salsa selection, we're headed back to the table to a still crackling platter surrounded by two individual servings each of beans and rice. The carne asada was a perfect mix of crispy edges paired with tender chunks, atop a layer of marinated onions. The beans were whole, brown, and included the best mix-in of all-bacon! The rice was soft and fluffy, with a perfect smoky seasoning. Tortillas were good quality (we opted for flour), thin and flexible, but with the heft to hold all our stuffings in. All these ingredients made for a great make-your-own taco to be specified to one's own liking.
No real complaints about the food except for the serve yourself tortilla chips that were mostly broken and coldish. Not much atmosphere, but the food is the star here. A game room with about ten video games is tucked away in the southeastern portion of the building to provide some entertainment for the kids if time is needed to settle that stomach. lol. Overall, a great value as the platter ($19.07 after tax) can feed two-three, and there are larger choices. We strive to come back and explore the rest of the menu, but memories of the sizzle have made it hard so far.

I love this place, it's nice, clean, friendly, has afordable prices and most of all the menu is excellent and the salsa bar is awesome! It is good for breakfast, lunch or dinner and there always is something good to eat. I recommend this place a lot to everybody. The steak tacos are my favorite!