From my 12 year old son:…read more I mean come on!!! This place has some of the most beautiful, amazing, and authentic Mexican foood THEY HAVE TAMLES!!!! TMALES!!!!! Oh, and special thanks to He was just soooooo! Friendly and you definitely get the bang for your buck THIS PLACE BELONGS IN HEAVEN!!!!!!

Awesome little restaurant. Don't sleep on it either, it's a small location and I never see any cars…read morethere. They seem to get slammed with online orders and take out. I had an Asada burrito and a Taco. Both were flavorful and excellent in taste, just like I would find in West Texas. Super friendly service also.

I had the loaded fries with Birria and it was amazing. The staff were really nice and service was…read morefast. It's a cute spot for a chill meal. Very colorful. Not fast food vibes but not a fancy sit down vibe either.

This restaurant is located in a shopping plaza with several other businesses. Shared parking is…read moreavailable in the lot out front. There are several tables and a bar inside. There is a self serve area to get additional toppings such as onions, salsa, cilantro & limes for your food. The cashier was pleasant. After placing my order I got my food very quickly. I got a carnitas taco, an al pastor taco, and queso with tortilla chips. The chips were good and were seasoned. The queso and carnitas taco was also good. The tacos are filled with a nice portion of meat. Unfortunately the al pastor meat was a little burned.

Esmeralda Grill is a very authentic local Mexican spot that does a lot of things right, especially…read morewhen it comes to classic comfort dishes. I usually rotate between the tacos, enchiladas, and molcajetes, and while the tacos themselves are just okay, the overall experience is solid. The fresh chips are easily some of the best I've had at a Mexican restaurant (warm and crisp). Add queso to those chips and it really seals the deal. They more than make up for the tacos being a bit underwhelming and are honestly reason enough to come back. This is a great neighborhood spot if you're looking for authentic flavors, generous portions, and excellent chips and dips (biggest downside is no liquor aka no margaritas). Not every dish is a knockout, but the highlights keep it comfortably in 4-star territory.

Esmeralda Grill absolutely rocks, and it was almost a restaurant that I considered avoiding because…read moreI ordered the wrong thing. I was really one mayonnaise filled torta away from missing out on my favorite Mexican restaurant of Cary. The food is some of the freshest and most authentic in the area, and is consistently spot on. Forget heavy burritos or overly sauced enchiladas, this place is the real deal. When you come to Esmeralda Grill, you should really focus on the meat heavy dishes, whether it be via land or sea. There are so many different options to choose from, from both categories. When thinking seafood, expect the full fish. If you find yourself with the fresh grilled tilapia, you will receive a delicious whole fish that tastes as if it was caught that morning. It is such a fantastic option. I also appreciate the camarones a la diabla, or Diablo shrimp. The shrimp are plump and juicy, the spice of the dish is excites your taste buds and is a great dish. My favorite entrees are the land meat dishes though. El Trio Perfecto is my go-to order, it is grilled steak, chicken and pork all on one plate with rice, beans, salad, and tortillas. The Mexican spice rub on the meats is absolutely mouth watering, the flavors are so bold and tasty. The meats are all cooked to perfection and the portions are gigantic. You can make different tacos with the various meats, it is seriously one of my favorite Mexican dishes. I would highly recommend this! Additionally, Esmeralda Grill has so many other wonderful dishes for different flavor profiles. My grandparents are pretty particular about empanadas, but simply cannot get enough of Esmeralda's version. They also make some killer tacos, and some very affordable ones if you were to come on Tuesday! The moral of the story? Don't base your opinion of a restaurant after a single visit. You don't come across a fantastic hole in the wall every day, Esmeralda Grill is one that every Mexican food lover should know!

Tried this place out after shopping at Trader Joe's next door and had a great and quick meal! I got…read more3 quesabirria tacos. The tacos came with rice & beans and 2 salsas for $12.99. The food came out within 5 minutes of ordering, probably less, and tasted fresh and hot. The tacos hit the spot and I have no complaints. This was probably the fastest I've ever gotten my food anywhere. There's plenty of seating inside, a bar to order cocktails if you want, and a salsa/toppings bar for your tacos. The host was kind and the menu features various taco, quesadilla, burrito, and rice bowl options. I would come back!

I highly recommend eating here!!! I knew I wanted an Al…read morePastor taco and I was eyeballing the picture of this Quesabirria on their menu! Well, a taco is a taco and of course my Al Pastor was delicious but I loved the Quesabirria! It's a fried taco with shedded steak and gooey cheese and a dipping sauce. It's great with or without the sauce! And they make a kick @ss margarita, too!

I love this place…read more They never disappoint. Good solid Mexican food for a reasonable price. The quesadillas are my favorite. I rotate between the carnitas and the carne asada. I love that they have crema and queso fresco crumbled on top with the onions and cilantro. Fresh made tortillas. They're basically a huge taco. The pulpo tostada was yummy! they have a little salsa bar with the spicy pickled carrots , onions and jalapeños. A few different salsas, cabbage salad , and more. If you want real authentic Mexican food. Give them a shot!

Excellent Tacos! The restaurant is an average storefront Tacqueria but don't let appearances fool…read moreyou! They have a very large selection of tacos, and there is definitely something for everyone who's a taco lover. I got al pastor, carne asada and pollo tacos and all are excellent. All the tacos are stuffed full into two soft corn tortillas, and yes FULL! Order at the counter, and they'll give you a container for the condiment bar and some small cups for salsa. The condiment bar had chopped onions, cilantro, pico de gallo and jalapeño, also pickled onion and sliced radishes as well as lime wedges. Also four different salsas, all really good and with decent spice levels. The tacos are $3.50 each, definitely worth the price. Rancho Grande is kind of what Chubby's used to be before they got impressed with themselves Good food, reasonable prices and friendly folks at the counter, how can any taco-lover not like this?

This is a food truck. Excellent! Best Mexican food I've had in a while. Authentic, fresh & very…read morefavorable. Service was fast & friendly.

Very good food and great people very friendly... I get the chicken tacos with everything they come…read morewith. The people behind the window are quick at getting your food.

Tonight Valentines Day there will be a live band! Mario the owner is super, super nice and staff…read moreare also! Food is great! Show some love to all of them, go grab a yummy meal and delicious beverage ya'll

Stopped in for a quick mid-day snack. Was quickly greeted upon entry and seated. We only had wagter…read moreto drink so no bar order. There is a full bar with seating and several monitors to watch sports. Chips and salsa was brought with our waters. The salsa was good, not spicy. We ordered three fish tacos and a side of beans. Our order came out in reasonable time. The taco ingredients included large pieces of fried fish, lettuce/cabbage with lemon wedges. We felt the beans had good flavor with cheese on top. Our table had a wood top and there was a good size chunk/hole which could collect food particles. Also went to the restroom which did not impress me. It was dirty and entire interior needed some attention. Could not find plaqured with health department rating.

Hands down the best tacos I've had in North Carolina. Just wow. The food is phenomenal and comes…read moreout really fast. They've expanded into a bigger space so there's a lot more seating available which is much needed because it's always packed. The line moves quickly and the staff works efficiently. They are pros. If you love tacos, try this place.

Stopped by Taqueria El Toro last week after a few people had recommended this place. I'll admit my…read moreexpectations may be shaped by having a lot of Tex Mex style food in Texas, but I wanted to give this a try. When you arrive, there is plenty of parking around the building, and entrances in the front and on the right side. Once inside, you'll walk up to counter and place your order. Your then given a order number and it's open seating. Your number will be called out in Spanish when your food is ready and you'll pick it up at the counter. I ordered an al pastor taco which unfortunately was not good. It came out extremely cold and needed a lot of salsa for it to have any flavor. I also ordered a steak burrito which was much better and was served with melted cheese on the top. There were fatty pieces throughout the burrito but this was far better than the taco. Lastly, I ordered a horchata but it tasted like grainy and wasn't great. If I'm in the area again I may give this a try but I'd definitely stick with a burrito so your food is hot.

I LOVE the carne asada torta! My girls get burritos and quesadillas…read more Best food truck in town

Sushi Tacos was the best! My first time trying it and you should be trying it…read more Whenever we want to have mexican food this is our go-to place. Staff is always great! Awesome customer service! They will be also opening another truck on Raleigh, you should check it out!!! **try the sushi taco!! It's bomb!! Super delicious!! Best taco truck or mexican truck in the area. Worth to try!

The place blends in with the strip, for sure. However my friend had gone there before and explained…read morethere were different flags on the menu. So I agreed. It is a small place for sure. Parking could go either way, I would assume better during off lunch, early dinner hours. We were greeted as soon as we arrived and to my surprise, the menu is extensive! Wow. We opted for ASADA tacos and Revueltas Pupusas. They serve beer. If you eat in, there a bar for toppings. It was very, very good. We enjoyed both options and if around, I would definitely go back. Small, quiet and good.

Affordable Latin American eats…read more While not my favorite place to order tacos and pupusas, this joint won't rock the bank like some of the other places I ate. This place is frequented by construction and other blue color workers, so you know it's gotta be bussin for the value. I ordered a variety of different tacos; pollo, asada, Al pastor, lingua and loroco pupusa. The chicken is very bland, the safe option for people with low spice tolerance. The other meats have decent flavor but tend to be on the dry and chewy side. The pupusas are lovely and I always enjoy watching them assemble and fry on the griddle. The cortido is a nice crunch and if you want other options, they have a salsa bar to tack on more. The staff speak Spanish and will try to explain what an item is, but it's best to study before hand. They're really nice and patient and will try to describe something if you didn't prepare ;) Easy lunch and quick dinner option.