Taqueria Los Altos No 2

Back in my College days, I would eat here. I’d stop over here time after time.
Good mexican food, and a refillable chip bar with some sufficient amount of salsa.
I think it provides a good option for food if you happen to be in the area and if you don’t like «chain» restaurant eatting.

If I could give this place 0 stars, I would. I used to come to this place several years ago for their street tacos and nachos and they were oh so tasty. Fast forward to 2012 and my how things have changed. I don’t know what happened, but something is waaaay off. Let me explain further: when I walked in, something felt off. I don’t know what it was, but it wasn’t right. But I was craving tacos so onward I went. While I was waiting in line, I had the chance to watch the staff preparing the food because of course, why else would you have an open kitchen if you didn’t want people to watch, right? As I was watching, the little voice in my head started screaming «LEAVE, LEAVE NOW!» but my stomach wasn’t willing to concede just yet. Let me tell you what I saw that has that little voice in my head saying «I told you so, you dummy». 1. I noticed the asada meat was held in a metal bin underneath the grill. WHAT!!! Something tells me meat cannot be held at the appropriate refrigeration levels directly underneath a hot stovetop grill — red flag #1. Oh but it gets better. 2. The meat that was in said bin wasn’t red, oh no, it was pink… and BROWN! So that tells me it’s anything but fresh — red flag #2, or should I say PINK flag #2. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, the guy reaches into the bin of meat with his BARE HANDS and tosses it on the grill. Now I’ve seen this before but not from the same hands that also grab your lettuce, tomatoes and onions to put them on top of your finished food!!! — red freakin flag #3!!! Now at this point, I’d already paid for the food but there was no way I was going to eat it. I ended up tossing it out and getting something else. I will never EVER go to this place again. If you value your stomach and your wallets, avoid this place at all costs!!! There are too many other fabulous mexican restuarants to go to in Concord to subject yourselves to this kind of ineptitude food service.

This place used to be great, but now they are very hit-​or-​miss. Apparently, they went through some changes recently, and not for the better. The portion size, which used to be consistent, now varies widely. I used to struggle to eat ¹⁄₃ of their Super Burrito, but the other day I actually finished one. For me, finishing a burrito is pretty much unheard of. And the food is now very greasy. I don’t mind a little grease in my food, but this was really excessive and soaked through the entire tortilla. As if that wasn’t enough, the carnitas in the burrito were barely lukewarm. I would prefer hot, fresh food — thanks.
But probably the most annoying part of my meal was that one of the employees was wearing SO MUCH cologne that when he walked by I could literally *taste* it. And it really lingered. Gross.
I may go back because it’s convenient, but I am actively looking for a new favorite taqueria.

They have a new name, a new menu, less stuff on the walls, and the kid games are gone. Although I asked when they had changed names suddenly no one could answer me and I know they understood what I was saying. The guy cooking has been there for years and I know he speaks English really well.

My fiancé said my reviews are too long; so… for the impatient:
SUMMARY:
Food was okay — tacos had waaaaay too much meat in them (yes, this is possible), meat was seasoned nicely (heavily!!) and carnitas was very, very crispy. I liked that; fiancé was undecided. The salsa (my favorite part of Mex. food) was watery (the red and verde were both watery!!) and neither had much flavor. :(
Price was right for the soft taco but the crunchy ones weren’t a win. There are better places to get authentic tacos (hint: even in the same plaza!!!) but it wasn’t terrible.
($ 17.80 total for lunch for 2).
The End.
EXTENDED REVIEW:
This place was good, but it ranks NO where near the «best taqueria» in the area. Concord has a lot to choose from and while I’d suggest starting on Monument, if Park n Shop is more convenient, the taqueria on the other side of this center (Taqueria La Soledad) is a bit better than this one.
Starting with the salsa, Los Altos has a salsa bar (two red salsas that were similarly flavored, one was just more watery than the other, a weak-​flavored salsa verde, and a pico de gallo that I didn’t even want to try). Limes and pickled carrot/​jalepeno are also available. Chips are complementary with your meal. Bonus :)
It’s usually not a problem for a non-​English speaker to take my order in a taqueria. In fact, I generally prefer this as I believe there is a direct correlation to the taco quality. Two Spanglish speakers can usually communicate, even if it’s labored. We posed a question to the girl at the register about crispy tacos (since they’re not on the menu) and I’m not sure she understood anything we said. Each time she turned around and said something to the man that was cooking, in Spanish!
Regardless, we each ordered two crispy carnitas tacos ($ 3)(pictured). I added a ‘taco regular’ ($ 1.80) with pollo asada to mine, and since they didn’t have bottled Coke, we settled for bottled strawberry Jarritos ($ 2.00)
I consider $ 3 on the high side for a crispy taco a la carte. This one did come with a TON of meat plus lettuce, tomato, guacamole, and a teeny bit of shredded cheese. The shell was fried there and fresh but very airy and crumbled to pieces with the first bite. I had to remove half the meat. Or more. While this is common for me to do, my fiancé agreed that it was waaaay too much meat and took some off too. I’ve never seen him do this. :)
They mistakenly brought me a crispy chicken and a crispy carnitas, but when I went to the counter the girl motioned that she understood the mistake already and shortly thereafter she brought me a crispy carnitas and soft regular taco with chicken. That was actually really, really good. The soft shell they use was super fresh and it wasn’t overloaded with meat. It was topped with a nice salsa. Nothing like the options on the watery salsa bar. However, the chicken had an off taste to it… or maybe was just much less seasoned than the carnitas.
If a friend was stopping here to pick up food I would absolutely order the tacos regular again. The crispy taco I’d probably pass on. It wasn’t bad, but would’ve been better served with a fork… to a serious carnivore. ($ 17.80 total for lunch).

probably the best Taqueria in the concord, walnut creek martinez, antioch/​pittsburg eastbay area. love how there carnitas is crispy. good food, pretty cheap too, and the salsa bar. been going here for at least 10 yrs. by the way some of the reviews must have this place mixed up with somewhere else, they don’t have margaritas here only a few types beer.

Stay with the Carne Asada tacos, they are ok (not great). But you’ll get your moneys worth.
Tortas are better than the tacos. But if you really want to make the most of your money, get a carne asada quesadilla, they are absurdly big and tasty.

This is one of the best taquerias in Concord, Contra Costa area. Their chips salsa is delicious with chips and with the burrito! I come to this place often and enjoy it. If you’re in Concord area and looking for good Mexican check this place out!

I ate so many chips here the roof of my mouth hurts. I don’t normally frequent Concord, but when I do, it’s for the Fry’s electronics down the street, and this place for some yummy Mexican. I felt like I was back in Socal eating here!

So I cheated on my taqueria with this joint. Full of regrets and sorrow. Food was meh and extremely pricey. Huge disappointment cause I was so hungry!

By far, the best taqueria I have found in a while. I am addicted to coming here and have brought about 10 of my friends here to show them how good it is. The pricing is great.
It got a great atmosphere, TV’s in spanish and english, and jukebox with great selection, and even some video games to keep the kids busy. The people working there are always really friendly, and the food is ready fast. The salsa and chip bar is the best idea ever! It is so delcious! Not to mention the horchata is amazing, plus free refills! What a deal. This has offcially become my favorite place to go. I drive 20 minutes from my house to come eat here, that good!

Disappointing. I have had a chicken burrito and a veggie burrito from this place. The only flavor in the chicken was salt, and the chicken was a bit dry. The cheese in the veggie burrito was barely melted, and it didn’t taste very good. The overall flavor of the burrito was blah.
The chips were good, and the place seemed clean, but I’m surprised it has such high ratings.

BOMB chips and salsa. It’s self serve so I usually gorge myself on limes and chips doused in salsa. (and lots of water) +1 star.
Their caldo de pollo is decent, not the best, just decent.
I LOVE that the chicken in the soup has the bones and skin on it in the soup. +1 star.
Great service. Girl at the front is always friendly and the chef in the back always smiles at me. I’ve orded 1 meal for dine in, one to go. They made the to go order right when we were leaving so it was piping hot. +1 star.
There are 3 TVs (all tuned into different spanish sports channels) and a juke box and it’s always SUPER busy. It gets really loud. –1 star (but there area always lots of kids and babies there.)
Used an Entertainment Book coupon for a buy one entrée, get one free (this isn’t the first time I’ve eaten there). For:
1 super nachos with beef
1 caldo de pollo
All you can eat chips and salsa bar.
$ 6.00 even after coupon. Um, hello. RIDICULOUSLY great deal.

I ordered $ 35 worth of tacos here one day =X I’ve tried the carnitas (my favorite), lengua, carne asada, and tripas tacos and I absolutely think that they make the best tacos in the area! I give 2 thumbs and 2 big toes up for their tacos!
The lines are never long, the employees are friendly and they serve the food fast. A perfect place to dine in during your hour lunch break. The tortilla chips are self served and they have a good selection of condiments. (I love their salsa! Especially the «green stuff» not sure what that stuff is called, but it’s good!)
The only thing that drives me nuts is their dining tables. They seriously need new ones! If you plan on bringing your significant other here, you can kiss the game of footsies goodbye. There is no leg room whatsoever… speaking of which, the tables don’t even have legs. They look more like tree stumps.
Other than that, the place is clean, the food quality is superb, excellent service, and it’s cheap! Highly recommended.

I’ve found my replacement for Taqueria Los Gallos (for whom I still shed a tear): Los Altos No 2.
This is proof that just because it’s a cheap taco joint doesn’t mean it can’t be clean, with friendly employees, great quality food, and excellent customer service. THANK YOU Taqueria Los Altos 2 for meeting all those criteria.
I was losing the faith after Taqueria El Farolito 6 (
). Maybe I was expecting too much from a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant? Maybe I had had lost my «street cred»? (*muffled laugh*)
But no, this place was great. On to the food! I ordered the two taco plate and so did my partner. Between us we tried three meat options, and here they are in order of preference:
#1: carnitas
#2: al pastor
#3: carne asada
Additionally, the pickled vegetables (found by the salsa bar) were *excellent*: nicely vinegary. Mmmm.
Small details: upon arriving at 2:30ish last Sunday, there was a line and it was busy. I was pleased — that was a good sign. As we stood in line, an employee came around the counter and started taking orders from people in line. Hooray — that’s awesome and beyond what I’d expect.
She was friendly and patient with us, as we switched our order around a bit.
The guy behind the counter who rang us up greeted us with a big smile and was friendly. OMG Los Altos have great customer service going on!
Dammit, I didn’t get a receipt, I forgot amidst all the friendly vibes emanating from the staff. It came to something like $ 8.30 (definitely under $ 8.50).
We choose a table near the front by the TVs and arcade machines. A waitress was wiping down tables, and tidying chairs; she wiped ours down. Great, clearly this business values a clean environment for its customers.
We enjoyed the salsa bar. Oh, and they have a big ice bucket filled with beers — just grab and pay! I love those.
A fun place — great paired with a movie at CineArts nearby.

Las Montanas down the plaza may get more publicity and shout outs than this little outfit, but let me tell you this: it aint worth the hootin’.
Taqueria Los Altos 2 (that’s «dos,» for my spanish-​speaking brethren), is much better, much faster, and much cheaper. Believe me, I am Mexican, meaning I cannot lie and know mexican food.
Although the prices may look about the same at first glance, Los Altos serves better food and larger portions. I am not just talking about giving you two gallons of enchilada sauce instead of one, but more rice, beans, and quality ingredients. They probably are able to add more good stuff to their platters because the inside is pretty austere – it looks a lot like a Mexified McDonald’s, the old sketchy ones, not the new revamped ones.
All in all, this is probably one of the best mexican joints in Concord, and that is saying a lot since there are about 20 mexican restaurants per square mile in this city. I did the math.
Tagline: Dos cervezas, por favor.

Ok… time to update my review.
Los Altos gets another star from me.
That aforementioned «soggy burrito» I had endured was one of those once in a blue moon deals. I have gone back several times afterwards and haven’t had a soggy burrito since.
So go forth and eat burritos at Los Altos and be merry!

Cheap Mexican, Tasty food. Been coming here for years. We enjoy the Taqueria tacos with rice and beans! My favorite is the pork Al Pastor tacos. These are tasty and have a great «Al Pastor» seasoning. I love that you can request grilled, green onions on request for a minimal charge. Yum, they use the kinds that have the big, bulb on the bottom. They come a bit greasy since they douse them in oil, before grilling, but that is OK with me. The 2 taco plate portion size is a bit small, when it comes to the rice and beans, but tasty. The tacos themselves are average in size. They serve free chips with your order and can choose some tasty sides on their salsa bar such as marinated jalapenos and carrots and onions… my fave. I usually dig out the carrots since i like them best. Oh, don’t forget the radishes! We also enjoy the carne asada tacos.
The décor is simple. I feel as if I am in Mexico itself, with the music blaring from the coin-​fed player, and the soccer in Spanish that always seems to be playing on the tv’s. Not the cleanest place, but not gross. You have to bring wipes for the plastic high chairs they provide… ick. And sometime the bathrooms are a bit ripe. But Hey, no kids, no need to use the potty and you got 6 bucks to spend? Not bad. This place usually seems to have people in it at all times! Especially lunch.

You need not look any further for bombin’ Mexican food. Well, vegetarians may want to keep hunting because this place is definitely not for veggie lovers. Again, it’s located in Park N Shop (or is it Shop N Save??) next to the Mexican market. You know this place is legit because three different Mexican soap operas are playing on the TVs while loud music is pounding through the jukebox. Plus, I could only decipher about three of the eight to ten meat options on the menu.
I opted for the carnitas taco plate with beans and cheese and the bf got the carnitas quesadilla. All I can say is it was deeeelicious. In addition, there was a salsa bar with tons of salsa options plus things like limes and radishes (for what, I have no idea.)
Go eat here. You may want to walk instead of drive though, because this food will for sure clog those arteries.

For a few years now, I’ve heard rumblings of super authentic Mexican food along Monument Blvd. in Concord. Don’t ask me why, but I still haven’t made it out there so I’ve been burrito-​less in the east bay for years now. Imagine my surprise when I noticed a taqueria right in the heart of the Park ‘N Shop center.
As soon as we walked in and saw the menu, I knew it was going to be great. $ 1.75 tacos, super quesadilla suiza, super burritos, carnitas, carne asada, chile verde, etc. A salsa bar with four types of red and green salsa to go with your basket of chips. Horchata, strawberry and cantaloupe agua frescas are on tap. Just like my favorite Mission burrito joints, but better cause it’s close to home!
Telenovelas blare from the tv attached to the ceiling, which is great for brushing up on your Spanish (though subtitles are also in Spanish, which doesn’t help much), and they’ve the same leather chairs that brought back happy memories of Guadalajara when I was nine.
The flavors of the tacos definitely stand out, but everything we tried was just so delicious. I can’t even convey how happy I am to have found this place.