El Taco Tote

I used to LOVE this place. I was excited to go somewhere that had one, and left disappointed. I ordered carne asada tacos and it was soooo full of gristle it was disgusting. I have it two stars because the sweet tea was fresh and the salsas were still as good as I remembered. (Although not as good as many other places.)

Boo…
Drove through El Paso way back in 2007 on my way to L.A. and ate here. Loved it. Fast forward to 2016, almost ten years later, finally got back here and had it again. No Bueno. I mean, it’s OKAY at best. I mean, this place is RIGHT next to Mexico. I mean, Ciudad Juarez is RIGHT next door. Plenty of better options l.

I hate people who say «I love Mexican Food!!!» and they’re referring to «Mexican Food» like eating at a Taco Bell, Chipotle, Baja Fresh, or Qdoba. Really? That’s like you saying you «LOVE» Chinese Food and eating at Panda Express or munching on Crab Rangoons (no such thing in China) from your Ha Meh Ah Help You Local Golden Dragon Chinese Takeout/​Delivery place. Your ignorance makes me puke.
Enough with the sarcasm
Anyways, El Taco Tote is a Mexican Fast Food Restaurant that serves REAL Mexican Food. Although the first location opened up in EP’s sister city Ciudad Juarez, the headquarters are located in El Paso, Texas but there are about 20 locations around Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and of course Mexico. First time I walked in, I thought it was a sit down family restaurant. Turns out that it’s a Fast Food Restaurant where you order your food at the counter, pay, and they give you a number to put on your table and they bring your food to you when it’s ready.
I got the Tacos Al pastor and Fish Tacos. Both were good not the best but for the price, it was worth it. There are other items on the menu like grilled beef and the usual Mexican favorites. But what impressed me the most was their Self-​Serve ‘Salsa’ and «Tostada Chip’ Bar. Reminded me of Baja Fresh but a much more authentic one. The Salsas are on the spicy/​hot side so if you can’t handle it, go with the Green Guacamole Sauce. There is also a Soda Machine with the usual and one Mexican Apple Soda called Sol (No, it’s not Sidral but tastes similar).
Overall, not a bad place for a quick bite if you want something Mexican but don’t want a sit-​down restaurant and don’t want to step into a Taco Bell (who eat’s there anyways except drunk college kids?)

I Love El Taco Tote. I actually waited 11 years to eat there after my past trip to El Paso
The tacos are top notch! My favorite are the Sirloin and Pork Adobado. the sauces are incredible too!
Please expand to California!

Surprisingly good. Place doesn’t look like much from the inside or outside, but the food was good. Good salsa bar. Fresh made tortillas.

Best tacos I’ve had since I was in Hermosillo Mexico. Will def be stopping here again. Highly recommend the taco plate.

Let me start off by saying this place is a great place to eat I just moved close by and it was my go to spot for a quick snack. But I just went through the drive-​through and when I received my food, The girl that gave me my food had all sorts of scars on her arms not sure what from either shooting up drugs or cutting herself I’m not sure. I hope she gets help because it grosses me out to think she touched my food! I don’t think I’ll be back anytime soon!

The al pastor is just great and the salsa bar was a nice touch. Furthermore, the location was near my hotel. I would eat there everyday whenever I get back to El Paso.

Ugh why is this place over priced! It’s really good but it’s not worth $ 10 for a plate especially when the tacos are small and the give small portions of their rice and beans served on a plastic plate, c’mon really? If they lowered the price by $ 2 or $ 3 I’ll be a loyal customer forever

Finally reopened! They made a few changes to the restaurant, and it looks a bit brighter and more open. They also upgraded the beverage station, so that’s a plus.
To reiterate from my original review, [s]ervice and food here is excellent, though its proximity to UTEP means that the lines can be long on occasion.
The Panchos are a great meal to share, and the tacos come off the grill warm to hot. The salsa bar is well-​stocked, and can get a bit crowded. Keep in mind El Taco Tote offers complimentary corn chips, so your meal starts as soon as you’re done ordering. Try the Cabray salsa for a spicy, yet fresh (and onion-​y) dip.

Way too overpriced for what it is. They are just tacos people. You will find much more value going to a Taco Cabana for the dollars spent.

Rock solid salsas, yes a plethora of them, and killer corn tortillas. But dont ignore the wheat tortillas either, they rock!

Yummy food on the cheap! I was skeptical about coming here because my b-​i-​l described it as an upscale Taco Cabana, which is not my cup of tea so to speak. However, this is way better than that. Eric R. and I split a platter that was half chicken and half barbacoa with grilled onions, and it came with 6 tortillas, 2 sides, a small guacamole, and 2 drinks. He got rice and refried beans as the sides.
While we waited for our meal, we hijacked the salsa bar which has 7 or so different kinds of salsa! I gathered cucumbers, radishes, cilantro, diced onion, lettuce, pickled onions, and key limes in little paper boats and took them to the table. We tried all of the salsas, but my favorites were this medium chunky one with green onions, the salsa verde that I think was medium also, and the mild guacamole green sauce.
Our sizzling platter came out and it was delicious. The tortillas were made in house and really good. The chicken was juicy and flavorful, and we just love barbacoa. The meal got better as we sat there because the barbacoa started to crisp up as it stuck to the hot plate. In the end, it was a bit crunchier and that just made it really taste good. This is a tasty, cheap way to enjoy Mexican food. Wish we had this in Nevada.

Omg, these tacos are amazing! My favorite are their pastor, so juicy, yum! They have a lot of toppings to choose from in the taco bar.
Now, whenever we go to a taco place outside of Texas it gets compared to Taco Tote :)

Location is excellent.
However, the total value and dining experience is lacking.
Food is under-​portioned, bland and expensive. I had 2 tacos and a coke for $ 14.00.
There are too many good Mexican restaraunts — this is not one of them!

I tried Taco Cabana and wasn’t impressed, but loved Taco Tote! The difference: service size and grilled tortilla (taco) shells. I ordered soft flour tacos with fajita chicken, and the grilled taco shells made the flavor outstanding. I also tried the flan and it was great for the price (compared to gross Taco Cabana dessert that I threw out). Yes, it is an upscale Taco Bell, but it is GREAT. A guilty pleasure!

Let me put it this way, my husband (who is Asian) just returned from a yearlong deployment and the first El Paso restaurant he was craving was El Taco Tote! It’s definitely the best fast food restaurant in town. We love the variety of the meats, the free chips and the fresh salsa bar. A great place to have a great inexpensive meal. Highly recommend!

I think the best way I can describe this place is like a Baja Fresh on steroids. Great salsa bar with free chips. I recommend the sirloin with a flour tortilla. They even have cucumbers and fresh cilantro at the salsa bar. Best fast food place I’ve been to in el paso thus far.

After a devastating Sun Bowl loss, my friend and I, red facepaint and all, went in search for food.
Right off the UTEP campus and a quick walk from the football stadium, El Taco Tote is in a pretty unassuming building and if it weren’t for the Unilocal iPhone app, I never would have stopped in.
Waited in line for nearly 10 minutes (post game crowd) and ended up getting two tacos on corn tortillas… one was barbacoa and the other was pork adobado (got the taco tote combo that also came with a baked potato and a fountain soda… like 8 bucks?)
They come individually wrapped in foil, and is essentially the meat all lumped together in a plain corn tortilla shell (which was white in color and totally threw off my friend from Florida, who assumed all corn tortillas were yellow). After adding some marinated onions, cilantro, and salsa from the condiment bar, I dove in.
I have to say, I was pretty impressed. I put in a smooth avocado based salsa and another smoky flavored salsa which worked nicely with the already extremely flavorful barbacoa and pork adobado. The marinated onions were also great.
4 stars for a really good meal that didn’t blow me away
Revisit? I’ll try something else first next time I’m in El Paso

Love love love me some taco tote! I usually get the taco tote pack with the papa asada. The tacos no matter what kind you get are great. Be sure to load up on that delicious green avocado type salsa, burn your lips deliciousness and addicting too. The baked potato is heavenly and worth every carb and calorie.