Taco Libre

Leaving school with a hungry appetite for Mexican food, I set my sights on the restaurant Taco Libre located in Park Merced. Surprisingly, I have never been there before even though it is really close to my apartment.  The restaurant is at a short walking distance on 55 Cambon Drive right next to 19^th street. As my roommate, Katerina and I were walking into Taco Libre, we noticed that there were only two to three employees working. They were responsible for cooking the food in addition to getting all the orders at the register. Even though the restaurant was small, the place was very bright and festive. There were a handful of tables in the seating area with a condiments area in the back. The walls were painted yellow and red with decorations of cartoon wrestling characters as well as a large, colorful menu which was handwritten in chalk.

As I was walking in, I could smell the delicious aroma of the freshly made food. My mouth already began to salivate from just the thought of how the food would taste. Taco Libre has a variety of Mexican food, desserts, and drinks. Their menu consists of burritos, tortas, tacos, soda, alcoholic beverages, and many more. The costs of each meal are reasonably priced, ranging from $1 to $13.  As a college student, the prices were perfect for my budget. After looking at the menu for quite some time, I could not hold my hunger back any longer and ordered a super burrito bowl. My roommate ordered a crispy taco and a regular burrito bowl. A super burrito bowl is exactly the same as the super burrito, which was also on the menu, but without a tortilla. It consists of meat (carnitas), beans (pinto), rice, salsa, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. The only difference between the super burrito and regular burrito bowl is that there is no cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. The crispy taco was made of a hard taco shell, meat (carne asada), cheese, lettuce, sour cream and salsa. Once we placed our orders, my roommate and I waited at one of the tables. From there, we were able to watch our meals being cooked. Once the food was finished cooking, one of the employees delivered the food to our table. In my opinion, I thought the food was delicious! The ingredients tasted fresh and the meats were juicy and perfectly cooked. I look forward to trying out other dishes in the near future. Compared to Yelp’s rating of 3.5 out of 5, I would give this restaurant a 4 based on the great customer service, food, and ambiance.

Today, authentic Mexican restaurants throughout the country maintain their traditions and culture through their food. According to the Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, the maize flat breads or tortillas are a main staple of Mexican cuisines. The tortilla is used in most authentic Mexican dishes such as enchiladas, tacos, tostadas, etc. In Taco Libre, they still make their burritos and tacos with tortillas. Salsa, a popular condiment associated with Mexican food, has been around for centuries. It can be made in a variety of ways using vegetables, peppers, salt and sometimes fruits. In Taco Libre, they served different types of salsa like pico de gallo, salsa verde, and salsa picante. Typically, salsa is served with tortilla chips or as a sauce for an entrée. These traditional dishes are still made and served today in many Mexican restaurants.