Offsite Mexican Food in Anaheim (with car)

[elaine amj]

I was thinking of having an early dinner at a Mexican joint since we don't get good Mexican food where I live. Any suggestions? I'd love a "chow"-ish style "cheap eats" type place. My husband is a little dubious and specified that it has to be clean. He's not big on Mexican food but I think he will like it if I can find a good place. He did like the Mexican restaurant I dragged him to in Arizona (enough that he asked to return the next day lol). It will be preferable if they have something my kids will eat. They are not very familiar with Mexican food but will likely eat something plain like a fajita or a cheese quesadilla.

On our first day (next Wednesday), we will arrive in Anaheim around 2ish (driving from Sequoia National Park to avoid traffic later in the evening). We will have our rental car (hoping to return it just before the rental place closes at 6pm near Gardenwalk. If we don't, we'll just keep the car overnight and return the next day).

We will have a car so can go a little further afield than walking distance (we will be stuck to walking distance only for the following week at DLR as we are staying at the Fairfield Inn with no car). Don't want to go too far though since I have heard endless horror stories about LA traffic.

If there's any suggestions of things to do in Anaheim that afternoon, that would be great too. If not, we'll just rest in the hotel or something.

 

[maltdizzy]

Little Caboose Taco Shop
Taqueria Los Gueros
Rigobertos Brothers Taqueria

Quite a few actually.

Just know that taquerias in So. Cal are vary greatly from the Tex-Mex found through most of the U.S. Baja has a much larger influence in California, especially tacos, and there are plenty of Oaxaca sit-downs.

 

[elaine amj]

Some great places to check out

And, I know I sound completely ignorant, but from what I gather from your last sentence, I should expect the Mexican food to be very different from what I am used to? (LOL - I have no clue what a taqueria is or what type of food is in an Oaxaca sit-down) That's not entirely a bad thing...I'm open to trying new things. If there is nothing my kids will eat, I'll just grab them something from somewhere else.

Any suggestions on what to try?

 

[maltdizzy]

Some great places to check out

And, I know I sound completely ignorant, but from what I gather from your last sentence, I should expect the Mexican food to be very different from what I am used to? (LOL - I have no clue what a taqueria is or what type of food is in an Oaxaca sit-down) That's not entirely a bad thing...I'm open to trying new things. If there is nothing my kids will eat, I'll just grab them something from somewhere else.

Any suggestions on what to try?

"Taqueria" is little more than the name for a taco shop. And in California, tacos are often baja style...shredded meat with some pickled onions and cilantro in a (double) soft corn tortilla. THey'll still offer burritos and quesadillas and such. "Oaxaca" is a region of Mexico, it's cooking is more based around mole sauces. In California you have your choice everything from Taco Bell (or the more popular Del Taco...nothing says Mexican like crinkle-cut chili-cheese fries) to the El Torito chain (think "Chi-Chi's") to lots and lots of taqueria stands. I only warn you that one man's favorite Mexican, or what is considered authentic by others, or whatever...may not be exactly what you expect.

 

[elaine amj]

Thanks - that helps a lot! I've also been reading menus and trying to remember what everything translates to LOL!

I researched the 3 places you recommended and I think the Little Caboose Taco Shop will fit perfectly into what we are looking for. It helps that they have burgers if they have absolutely nothing else my kids will eat! They're just unfamiliar with Mexican food, its textures and flavors. If they can make a plain taco with just meat in it, my kids would enjoy that. They just haven't learned to eat salsa, sour cream, etc yet.

On the good side, my DH is nuts about cilantro so he will LOVE the tons of cilantro I see loaded into tacos.

 

[GoBears 1980]

If they can make a plain taco with just meat in it, my kids would enjoy that. They just haven't learned to eat salsa, sour cream, etc yet.

The key is what meat is it. In the more authentic (a word I hate, but that is a different discussion) Mexican restaurants and taquerias you are going to encounter meats (parts of a cow & pig) that Americans don't eat generally.

I might look at some of the wait staff (sit down) restaurants like Cabo's Mexican Restaurant, Mi Casa and La Casa Garcia. You can toe dip into these spots before jumping into Oaxacan, Yucatan, DF styles, etc.

 

[Baklava]

Will they eat beans? Beans vary from region to region, but pretty much every Mexican place will have beans of some sort.

And I'd encourage the kids to try something new. You might discover they love sour cream, or pico de gallo. I'm not saying feed them cabeza or anything, but a little experimentation can be fun.

 

[elaine amj]

I've been encouraging them to try new foods so hoping they might like the flavor. Unlikely about the beans though - they have not liked any beans they have tried. They don't even eat chilli (I know - they are odd). A little of our own fault - we rarely eat Mexican food (I like it but DH is kinda blah about it) and they just never even really got within tasting distance of any of the flavor profiles until they were older.

Oh well, like I said - their loss. They'll be fed at some point

I'll check out some of the table service places mentioned so we have some options.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I really enjoyed this place. It's on Harbor Blvd, but down the way a bit:

http://thematador.com/

 

[Iceman93]

How about the taqueria quick-service window outside of Tortilla Jo's? It's right there in DTD, has good food, and is reasonably-priced.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

Most Mexican food in southern California is good, especially if it's not from a chain. The hole-in-the-wall places are the best and oddly enough, I prefer a place with a B-rating to an A because the food seems to taste better. I won't make jokes as to why, but my point is not to be afraid of the smaller, more run-down looking places. My favorite is Taqueria Escalante, but of course, everyone's tastes are different. If you're adventurous and go to one of the smaller places, don't be afraid to try the lengua and other organ meats (though I'd personally stay away from the tripe). Vallarta supermarket is also amazing. They have a taqueria inside that makes pretty much everything fresh. They also have an agua frescas bar and are a grocery store, so if you need to buy anything for your stay, you can do that there, too. The perk of Vallarta is you can order something like a chicken leg with Mexican rice, which is basic enough that your kids might eat it but it's not standard "American" food. The downside is that depending on who's working, you may get called gringo once or twice.

If you don't feel like venturing out (there will be city-like traffic which can be hard if you're not used to it), Tortilla Jo's is acceptable (and more mainstream) and the places in the theme parks are actually pretty good, too.

 

[elaine amj]

Thanks so much for all the suggestions! We will see how adventurous of a mood we are in on that day. The supermarket sounds interesting.
It's so great to have so many options.

We were very impressed with the Mexican food we had in Arizona so I have high hopes for California.

 

[offwithyourhead]

There's this place called the Anaheim Indoor Marketplace that seems to be primarily run by people of Mexican/Hispanic heritage, and they had some food stalls in the back area, so I can bet everything is as authentic as you can get.

http://anaheimindoormarketplace.com/

I know nothing about Mexican food but what's pictured there looks tasty and cheap! If you're going to eat in, they also had a vast variety of drinks in big containers:

AND CHURROS! $1 each when I was there, just as good as Disneyland's.

 

[maltdizzy]

Thanks so much for all the suggestions! We will see how adventurous of a mood we are in on that day. The supermarket sounds interesting.
It's so great to have so many options.

We were very impressed with the Mexican food we had in Arizona so I have high hopes for California.

There is a reason people who leave California quit eating Mexican food altogether...nothing anywhere else compares to it. As much as Texans may complain that about Mexican food outside of Texas, Tex-Mex are far better represented throughout the rest of the country than Cal-Mex.

 

[elaine amj]

There's this place called the Anaheim Indoor Marketplace that seems to be primarily run by people of Mexican/Hispanic heritage, and they had some food stalls in the back area, so I can bet everything is as authentic as you can get.

AND CHURROS! $1 each when I was there, just as good as Disneyland's.

OMG - This is an AWESOME suggestion!! I adore swap meets. I was just reading the reviews slamming the place...and man, it sounds right up my alley Our local swap meet isn't much fun and I have fond memories of the fabulous swap meet in Fort Lauderdale.

I love that it is close to Disneyland so we shouldn't have too much bother with traffic. We will have a few hours to kill in the afternoon after we get to Anaheim and this will check off ALL the boxes.

I was on their FB page and it was a hoot how I had to hit "translate" on practically every post. This place sounds like a blast.

 

[GoBears 1980]

I like Northgate Markets much better than Vallarta. Northgate has the taco bars, the fresh tortilleria and they feel cleaner than Vallarta.

https://goo.gl/maps/623Zf

And I am not sure the OP is ready for buche, sesos, lengua, birria de chivo, etc yet.... baby steps. Maybe some al pastor or carnitas to toe dip in.

 

[maltdizzy]

I was on their FB page and it was a hoot how I had to hit "translate" on practically every post. This place sounds like a blast.

It is refreshing to see someone who is actually excited to step outside the parks into the rest of everyday California. So many here seem intimidated, if not outright appalled, at the idea of stepping outside of what they call the "Disney bubble." People do live, work, and play in So. Cal. everyday just like anywhere else (probably more than anywhere else).

 

[elaine amj]

And I am not sure the OP is ready for buche, sesos, lengua, birria de chivo, etc yet.... baby steps. Maybe some al pastor or carnitas to toe dip in.

oh boy...those are a whole lot of unfamiliar words! I'm still figuring out al pastor! Baby steps (as I gingerly dip a toe in...)

It is refreshing to see someone who is actually excited to step outside the parks into the rest of everyday California. So many here seem intimidated, if not outright appalled, at the idea of stepping outside of what they call the "Disney bubble." People do live, work, and play in So. Cal. everyday just like anywhere else (probably more than anywhere else).

I love my Disney bubble as much as the next person....but I CANNOT be all the way in California and not at least have a taste of a local specialty That's of course based on if I can manage to keep my husband away from yet another Thai/Vietnamese restaurant. He's funny - but he somehow manages to spot a Thai restaurant everywhere we go and starts salivating...even in Switzerland! It was hard to resist when I read that LA also has awesome Thai/Vietnamese food. I am refusing to look them up because we get great Asian food near me but nothing at all like Cal-Mex.

 

[GoBears 1980]

oh boy...those are a whole lot of unfamiliar words! I'm still figuring out al pastor! Baby steps (as I gingerly dip a toe in...)

I love my Disney bubble as much as the next person....but I CANNOT be all the way in California and not at least have a taste of a local specialty That's of course based on if I can manage to keep my husband away from yet another Thai/Vietnamese restaurant. He's funny - but he somehow manages to spot a Thai restaurant everywhere we go and starts salivating...even in Switzerland! It was hard to resist when I read that LA also has awesome Thai/Vietnamese food. I am refusing to look them up because we get great Asian food near me but nothing at all like Cal-Mex.

Al pastor is Mexican shawarma, brought to Mexico many moons ago by Lebanese immigrants.

Carnitas is Mexican pulled pork, but yummier.

And I wouldn't rule out Vietnamese. Garden Grove, part of which is in the Anaheim Resort District, has the largest Vietnamese population in the U.S. and some of the very best Vietnamese restaurants in North America. Look at Broddard Restaurants and Quan Hy. They are both truly outstanding.

 

[elaine amj]

And I wouldn't rule out Vietnamese. Garden Grove, part of which is in the Anaheim Resort District, has the largest Vietnamese population in the U.S. and some of the very best Vietnamese restaurants in North America. Look at Broddard Restaurants and Quan Hy. They are both truly outstanding.

You are NOT helping. I am reading menus and salivating (I like a good Vietnamese restaurant as much as DH). And Vietnamese fruit smoothies (we call them shakes here)...mmmmmm. Condensed milk makes everything better.

So many places to eat, such limited tummy space!