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    The Taco Stand

    4.5 (950 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Closed 10:00 am - 10:00 pm

    The Taco Stand Photos

    THE TACO STAND ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - The Taco Stand

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    baja and asada taco
    Alondra A.

    been here a couple times food is excellent every time! i tried something different this time and had the mushroom taco it was exquisite!!! The cashier Alex was fabulous super lovely and funny . I made a couple purchases and Alex said good to see you again everytime and we just laughed The guys who call out your name for the orders are also super lovely!!

    Carne Asade, El Pastor, and Pollo
    Rich T.

    The name does not do justice to the food. I have to say the chicken taco and corn were a winner and hits my list of crave-able food. The lines can be intimidating but if you have the time I would recommend checking it out.

    Narrow counter seating facing the kitchen.
    Chris A.

    The Taco Stand a small footprint, super casual eatery in a busy target shopping center and you should be off of Alicia Parkway. It's like driving straight over the border and grabbing street tacos in Tijuana! Positives are you can literally watch them making the corn tortillas by hand and cooking some of the meat on a stick and the other made to order as you go. The servings are large and if there's not enough tables, there is a counter facing the kitchen, you can sit at. And all food is made to order. The salsa is OK nothing brilliant. The meat products used for the tacos, I had chicken and fish the first time, were OK but not exceptional. Because the food is made to order it does take longer to receive. And the restaurant always feels a little bit on the grungy side versus clean. Overall, this is an OK taco shop in an area that doesn't have a lot of taco shop options. I will eat here if I need to, but I don't particularly want to go back here for tacos.

    Secret menu
    Mona A.

    Came to this little shopping center for Dave's and ended up getting distracted by the taco stand because the line was crazy. My cousin and I had to see what all that was about. Very glad we did. The line was long but moved fast. Counter service. Easy. Everyone was also so sweet and smiling. Food came out pretty quickly too, especially for how busy they were. We got two things off the secret menu: the al pastor volcan and the mar y tierra taco. We also got the al pastor burrito which had a subtle sweetness from the pineapple. Soooo good. If you sit at the bar, you can watch them making everything right in front of you. Good food and something to look at. So fun. Also loved the sauces. The salsa verde and cilantro salsa were both so good. Very much added the cilantro sauce to everything: it complimented the shrimp especially well. Also!!! I saw that they're opening up their first location in LA soon, Beverly glen. So excited. It was definitely worth the wait. This is our new go to casual late night dinner spot. We're already planning on coming back next week

    Trina D.

    Growing up in SoCal, I really have an affinity for tacos. My favorite tacos are the TJ style tacos with house made tortillas. The Taco Stand does not disappoint. I saw that they just opened a location in Costa Mesa but wait, there's one just 3 miles from my house?! Shut up! As soon as the realization hit me, I dragged my husband down the street to the Taco Stand in Mission Viejo. We opted to get 2 of the carne asada and 2 al pastor tacos, along with a serving of churros. I love the salsa & condiment bar they have. The pickled onions and jalapenos were on point. The super spicy salsa was diabolically spicy. For a weekday evening in Mission Viejo, this spot was busy. All of the seats were taken by patrons and we had to wait for a table after ordering. We found seats at the bar so we could watch the staff cook and fulfill orders. The food was glorious. My husband and I loved trying both the carne and al pastor tacos. It was hard to pick a favorite since both were immensely flavorful. He liked that they cut the flank steaks into chunks. I loved the habanero salsa as well. The creamy salsa on the al pastor highlighted by the pineapple chunks were so good too. The churros were served with some condensed milk but did not need it. My husband liked it even though he's trying not to eat sweets. We want to try their burritos now. If you are a taco connoisseur or just plain appreciate a good meal, check out the Taco Stand, at any of their locations for your next fix. We will be back! Hasta la proxima vez!

    Breakfast burrito + carne asada
    Ver S.

    Garlic hooked it up for breakfast! Two breakfast burritos one bacon one steak and all good! Service here is always impeccable and I can't wait for them to open more locations like out in the Great Park Irvine! The shop is nice and feels like a great place to grub. If I could eat tacos and burritos forever, I would hear.

    Mar y Tierra burrito
    Kristen S.

    -- Big Flavor, Big Portions, Worth the Wait The Taco Stand absolutely lives up to the hype. The food is packed with flavor, and the portions are generous--you definitely get your money's worth here! Be prepared for a lively atmosphere. The meat is being cooked right there in the building, so it gets a bit loud, and with how busy it is, there's definitely a lot of chatter. It adds to the energy, but it's not the place for a quiet meal. Fair warning: this place gets busy. Seating is limited, and during peak hours you'll likely find yourself waiting outside in line. That said, the line moves pretty quickly, so it's not as intimidating as it looks. If you can, try coming during off-hours for a more relaxed experience. One tip: I'd skip the chips and guac. The guacamole was pretty underwhelming--more like plain mashed avocado without much seasoning. Overall, the tacos and main items are the real stars here, and I'll definitely be back for those.

    Jen A.

    Tasty tacos and burritos! We also enjoy getting the churros for dessert. It's nice to see vegetarian options, we love the mushroom tacos but will also get the cali burrito without meat and it's delicious! The salsa options are also great, highly recommend. Customer service is always lovely too.

    Carneasada, Baja, Camaron
    Andy P.

    While this is not SD or TJ tacos by any means, along with the establishment being a chain, it's quite good compared to the "ertos" offerings. I would much prefer this place over the "ertos" chains. Food is made hot and fresh which is always a win. When it comes to flavors, its delicious when consumed within reasonable time. Love their fish and camaron (shrimp) tacos. Pair that with their crema sauce and hot sauce from the bar, it's a quick throwdown to the finish line. Some of the locations ive been to are on the smaller size in terms of space. This paticular one has decent amount of seating and along the bar. Because the nature of the cuisine, tables should turn pretty quick. You'll just need to keep an eye out for the needed space. Love that the tables have bottle holders for your beverages! so genius! Overall, great food, comfy, and clean. All wins! Great job team for keeping the standards!

    Ashley N.

    The Al pastor was the best taco I've ever had in my entire existence. And I'm from Santa Ana area, so I've had tried a LOT of the taco spots in OC. The pork was melt in your mouth yummy and it was so juicy, there was literally juice dripping down my ARM. I usually drown my tacos in sauce but this taco required NO SAUCE. I love the peppered pickled red onions at the sauce bar, that was the only thing I added to the taco. I also got the asada+shrimp+cheese+avocado taco that was on the secret menu. It was also delicious!!!! But very heavy so just order 1. I was so full after 2 tacos but I got a 3rd asada taco. I took it home and heat up in the airfryer, it was also so yum. The sauce reminded me of the puesto filet mignon taco which is triple the price of this taco. The puesto sauce is a pistachio Serrano Crema (not sure if that's what taco stand uses) but it tasted exactly the same. I will def be returning

    Carne asada fries
    Lucy H.

    We love the Al pastor tacos here and the carne asada fries! The churros are also amazing and the corn! Staff are friendly and the salsa bar is always stocked and clean. Cons: Parking is horrible, line is typically long, not enough accommodations inside.

    Al pastor taco ($3.99)
    Brian F.

    The Taco Stand is a casual Mexican restaurant inspired by Baja-style taco stands. They have multiple locations across the country with the majority of them in the Southern California region. This location is in a busy plaza in Mission Viejo. The California burrito ($10.49) is one of the better ones I've had in Orange County. I liked the meat of the al pastor taco ($3.99). The mar y tierra fries ($11.99) had good portions of shrimp and beef, although I'm not the biggest fan of the nacho cheese (I prefer shredded). The churros ($4) absolutely surprised me; I knew they were popular but they were so soft and I bit right through them. I don't eat a lot of churros but these were delicious. When I arrived there was a long line out of the door so if you can I'd recommend making an order ahead of time for pickup. I was able to stock up on salsas at their salsa station while I waited; I liked that they had a variety ranging from mild to very spicy. The workers moved fast and like an assembly line. The line took a bit of time and the food also took some time but seeing my tortillas being made fresh and in real-time was worth the wait.

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    1 month ago

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    24 days ago

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    27 days ago

    I love the food quality and service at this store. It's hard to find good Mexican food in South OC

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    4 hours ago

    Best churros ever! Made fresh in front of me! The shrimp and steak burrito is also beyond amazing.

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    12 days ago

    Delicious fresh tacos, clean sauce bar (huge plus) and great service! Cashier is very nice

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    18 days ago

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    5 days ago

    Alex was so kind, such amazing service. Been here multiple times and the food has always been good.

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    10 days ago

    Alex is always a pleasure to get to come here and take my order. makes the experience extremely pleasant! thank you again for all the times.

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    The Taco Stand Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - The Taco Stand

    Do they serve breakfast burritos all day?

    Checked online and this is what it read: Breakfast burritos are served at The Taco Stand from 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM on weekdays and 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM on weekends. Hope this helps. I’ve had their chorizo burrito, it was fairly good.

    Who came first, this place or Los Tacos No 1? Because one of y'all definitely copied the other's entire restaurant design

    Both started in 2013. Similar story. The Taco Stand was started by two San Diego friends who visited Tijuana regularly to eat tacos. While Los Tacos No. 1 was started by 3 San Diego friends who visited Tijuana regularly to eat tacos too. The Taco… Read more

    Do they sell gift cards?

    They do on their website. Would assume they also do that on site.

    Do they do a taco Tuesday deal?

    They don't but their tacos are a good size and already cheap for the quality.

    Do they sell nachos, I only see carne asada fries on the menu?

    They sell chips & guac and they sell bags of chips but no nachos.

    Is there a public restroom?

    Yes they have a bathroom inside the restaurant

    Can you order over the phone?

    Yes

    Is there Taco Tuesday?

    Yes

    View All 14 Questions

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    I come here every month or so with my wife and kids. The food and margaritas are delicious. The…read moreservice is great, they are very friendly and there's no hesitation to fix any mistakes. My favorite Mexican food in Orange County. I love this place!

    My sister and our pups went to eat at this wonderful little restaurant after a great hike with our…read morepups Kobie-Star and Willow . We sat outside in their outdoor patio where they had a couple of TV's -one with the basketball playoffs going on ( my favorite)! The staff was just amazing and welcomed us and our pups and brought out water for both pups without us even having to ask for it , love that . They have lots of food to choose from but we stuck with the traditional combo plate : Cheese enchilada and carnitas taco - mine was a crunchy and hers was soft taco ( both were delicious). I also ordered a delicious blended strawberry margarita and it didn't disappoint. Our servers were : Enrique and Alfonso both were great . They brought us extra bean mixture dip for the chips as their dips and chips are AMAZING as is their food . If you haven't tried this place, you must try this place as not only is the food great , the people that work here are really amazing and that made our time here even better . We checked their hours and found they are open ALL DAY something like 8AM for breakfast -10 PM like what ??? Not everyday but most days , this isn't fast food either ... You have to try this place and for those who want to eat inside it's nice inside or sit at their bar or sit outside at the really big outdoor eating area , you can't go wrong ... Stop by after a Target run it's near by !! Thank you to you all for helping us and our pups - Enrique and Alfonso we will be back for sure !! Thank you again ! Prices very reasonable! Location corner in center - plenty of parking Margarita $$

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    Hola! On your marks! Get set! Calo!!…read more This place is a hoot. I got a tamarindo sour and my girlfriend got a pineapple margarita. After one drink, she had to physically restrain me from getting up on a table to dance and sing "did you know that there's a tunnel under ocean boulevard". I'll tell you why. The server Nick, suggested the burrito- with one tweak- steak. Yup, that's right. You heard me right. It was so good, my girlfriend was worried I'd get targeted by a three lettered dark money government agency because I basically broke through the matrix. The flavor of the steak quite literally realigned my chakras. Nick, served us the time we were here prior. He's truly an excellent server, my girlfriend and I have a collective work history of 30 years in the restaurant industry. We're not unc though. and as the kids say... clock it- he was standing on business or something. Aura. Really though, this place is great vibes, great food and portions, great drinks. Did I mention complimentary chips, salsa and eans...We'll be back!

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    So I can see why Adolfo's has such high reviews!…read more 5/5 stars Friendly/Helpful Customer service 5/5 Food Taste 4.5/5 Variety of Menu (They only have large tortillas so they can only do large size tacos - not the traditional street tacos aka mini tacos - and Also if you order a burrito for your kids it's going to be big adult size - they also don't have kids meals you need to order a la carte) But they do have a lot of menu options 5/5 stars Cleanliness 5/5 Free&Easy parking (located off the 5fwy at El Toro) 4/5 Ambiance - for what it is, it is nice and clean = there are 4 booths and 2 tables you can sit at inside. Obviously not expecting high end here (Also it is order and dine in only = NO drive thru) Favorite things: -The Carnitas is amazing! Crispy outside and flavorful inside. I just wish they had mini tacos (only large tortillas) and next time I'll ask for only cilantro & onions since I prefer street tacos over the ones with guacamole & everything....) -Service! I've never had service so nice at one of these fast casual Mexican restaurants!

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    The Taco Stand - mexican - Updated June 2026

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