taco haven

nice restaurant and bar serving above average tex-mex. kind of a sports bar environment. servers are polite and service is quick. the dining room is clean and this place has the capacity to handle large groups.goodpeople servinggoodfood for a reasonable price. thumbs up! enjoy!

some of the best tacos i've ever had!goodpeople.goodvibe. great find in san antonio.

eaten there 10+ times. gets busy on the weekends but well worth the wait!goodauthentic mexican food atgoodprices. menu is extensive, place is clean and the service is good. i'm a local and this mexican restaurant is a gem!

didn't think it could be done. i really didn't think it was possible, but i have found bad mexican food in san antonio. realistically it wasn't all bad, but enough to not come back. here is what i ordered. queso flameado, pork chop taco, moncilla (sp?) taco, carne asada taco, chicken fajita taco. first let me state for the record that i ate half of each taco. i had never been here before, and there were a lot of choices! and, let me give credit where credit is due. the staff here was great. my waitress was friendly and at least two other staff said hi and checked on me during my visit. the tortillas are really good- thick and fluffy. green sauce was fantastic, the red sauce had unique flavor with just a touch of sweetness,. the pork chop taco was decent. but now for the bad- 1. queso flameado was about 90% chorizo and 10% cheese. it should be the other way around. i had enough cheese for two tacos. 2. i'm not sure what moncilla is, and neither was the waitress. she asked two other people and the best way they could describe it was "black sausage". it was simply gross. when my waitress brought my check she asked if i liked it, and i said no. she replied that she didn't like it either. 3. carne asada- bland/ flavorless. 4. chicken fajita- bland/ flavorless. 5. the menu said pork chop taco. it was a pork chop, still on the bone, with a tortilla wrapped around it. it was really not a major ordeal to take it out and cut it, but at this point, everything else sucked so bad, it was just one more thing to add to the list. i am sure that taco haven will continue to dogoodbusiness. they seem to be very popular and there are numerous glowing reviews out there. but, i just don't get it.

play it again quetzalcoatl. as busy for lunch as it is for breakfast on the weekend. managed to get a table for two immediately though in the back adjacent to the bar. if you like those old velvet paintings that were ubiquitous in market places along the mexican border, you're going to love the bigger than life aztec or mayan wall murals in vivid colors over the bar and around the restaurant.

may want to stick with a cold beer to go with you mexican food as the margaritas on the rocks are a bit weak and the fruity margaritas refreshing but weak as well. bean and cheese nachos were made from tasty refrieds and mild cheese. beef and cheese enchiladas had all the right stufff, but the enchilada gravy had an unsual seasoning that i did not care for - almost like lawry's season salt. great puffy taco though the corn masa shell was so soft that it had a bottom blow-out as soon as i attempted to lift it. hate it when that happens! the thin slice of carne asada was served with a dollop of garlicky guacamole on top. now that makes agoodtaco if you are of a mind. frijoles a la charra were chuck full of bacon. couldn't finish 'em, but not to worry. they came home and will rise again as refrieds for some homemade breakfast tacos using the excellent flour tortillas that made the togo styro as well.

liked the lunch here but love the breakfast. definitely my breakfast taco haven.


-----07 dec, 2012-----

line up for great tacos. now you're talking - breakfast tacos that is. pillowy tortillas and wonderful meats and ingredients to fill them with. you will find this place wildly popular for a weekend breakfast .. . lines out the door so be prepared to wait. amazingly enough we had a table within 5 minutes after arrival. must be that we had a party of 2 when everyone else seemed to come with enough relatives for a small family reunion. needless to say, we received a few scowls when we were escorted past the line and to a table.

sitting there you feel a bit transported in time back to the 1940's. the building is at least that old and reminds one of a cafeteria during that era - sub-way tiles, industrial ceiling .. . just wonderful. the decor is plain, simple and o-l-d. that's what gives it its identity and i wouldn't have it any other way.

tables are close. close enough to hear exactly what your neighbor is ordering as well as other tidbits of info and life's little dramas that you would rather not be privy to.
just hope that you are not seated next to one of those little old senoras that wear the cloyingly sweet little old lady perfume . . . you know the ones . . . they will pass you in the grocery store and you have to hold your breath while you sprint to a far away isle! with this kind of proximity, your olfactory glands would have a melt down.

then the tacos came. now these are some of the best i have had. just wish i did not live on the other side of town; or maybe i do to keep me from weighing 300 lbs!

request the puffy tacos filled with pork carnitas. very good! also enjoyed shrimp tacos. charro beans are slow cooked with verygoodflavor.

i have praised this place for awesome mexican food before. i finally tried the 26. tommy’s carne de puerco en chile colorado. the best i have had! just take your fresh homemade tortilla tear off a piece and scoop up a piece with sauce and enjoy! it melts in your mouth the meat is so tender and the sauce is rich and flavorful!


-----22 aug, 2011-----

lunchtime favorite. i go here for lunch with coworkers on average 2-3 times a month. they recently updated the inside. service isgoodand i have a hard time resisting getting the cheese enchiladas, i think it is the sauce they are just so good. the ralphies special is alwaysgoodas is any thing i have ever ordered there. they fill up at lunch and it can be a little noisy, but is part of the ambience.

atmosphere andgoodfood!. taco haven is a southtown institution -- friendly, family atmosphere andgoodfood -- complete with the requisite mural of a buxom maiden in the arms of an aztec warrior. menu standouts -- ralphie's tacos: chicken taco with shredded cabbage; flautas: all white meat and not at all greasy.

barbacoa induced bliss. tth is great, if but only for the no. 1 reggies special. this is barbacoa induced bliss of the highest order. with the papas con chile and the quesadillas its over the top. plan to take a nap immedietly afterward. i've had othergooddishes there too like the isabel's special. homemade corn tortillas are delish.

ralphie's special. the service is notgoodand the chips could be better. the breakfast tacos are good. i like to order the ralphie's special for lunch. it is 3 chicken tacos topped with cabbage, lettuce, tomato, and lemon.