Great Mexican in Sacramento

by Elissa

We recently spent the holidays with my family in Sacramento, California. As a Californian who lives on the east coast, I have some serious Mexican food cravings that are just not satisfied by the options in Washington, DC (although if any of you know of any DC-area gems, speak up in the comments!). So whenever I go home, I make Mexican food one of my priorities.

This trip I found a new favorite: Taqueria Los Compadres.

{photo credit: restaurant.com}

It may not look like much, but the best Mexican places rarely look fancy, right? I had a carnitas burrito that I'm still dreaming about, my sister loved her chicken burrito, and my husband's tacos were similarly excellent. The salsa bar was great, the staff was friendly, and the food was ready quickly. Plus, it's really convenient to my parents' house. I think this will be my new go-to Mexican place. (Located at 2550 Fair Oaks Blvd.)

My mom introduced me to another place that was very good: Rey Azteca Taqueria.

{photo credit: yahoo.com}

I had another very good burrito, and the Mexican-style tacos (served on fresh corn tortillas with onion and fresh cilantro) were worth writing about. Located in Carmichael at 6140 Fair Oaks Blvd.

My usual Mexican stand-by in Sacramento is Nopalitos Southwest Cafe. It has a really nice feel to it and is a small family-run business that is only open for breakfast and lunch on weekdays, which makes it a little harder to visit.

{photo credit: nopalitos.com}

All the Mexican standards are delicious and authentic, and they have fabulous soups and salads. It's a little closer to downtown at 5530 H St.

Writing this post has made me very depressed about waiting until my next trip to California to get some really good Mexican. Any of you ex-pats have tricks for getting a Mexican fix on the east coast?

Comments

[Holly]

Aw, I love it! All of these are in my neighborhood :) Obviously I have no suggestions about East Coast Eats but I can totally sympathize: when I was thinking about taking a job up in Seattle a number of my California friends living there said "Remember, Seattle is closer to Asia than Mexico. And the cuisine reflects that." LOL I don't know what I would do with out multiple good mexican food options! :) Anyway, didn't realize your family was in my neck of the woods. Cool!

[jonniker]

Not helpful, but people don't often realize that Florida --- particularly the West Coast -- has excellent Mexican food as well. Authentic Mexican tacos EVERYWHERE. I miss it so much.

[Katherine]

Have you ever tried making your own carnitas? I haven't yet, but I've been eyeing David Lebovitz's recipe for a while: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/09/carnitas/. If he can do it in Paris, I'm sure you can pull it off in DC!