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Taqueria La Bamba 2 (Mexican cuisine)  $

 9
JaT Rating

152 Castro Street, Mountain View, 94041  (Directions)


650-965-4753


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Legendary Mountain View establishment opens up a second location


Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 992
Reviewed: 4/2/2008
Rating: 9
My photo gallery 		Ahhh, the memories I've had with Taqueria La Bamba. It's been one of my oldest most visited taquerias in the bay area. It was the 1st taqueria that I thoroughly enjoyed when I moved up here 7 years ago. After reviewing LOTS of Mexican food joints around the area, I'd like to boldly say, I've had my fair share of burritos and tacos.

Over the last couple of months, there have been some news the old location on Middlefield experiencing zoning problems and even reports of a downward spiral on the food level. They removed a lot of the seats and there was never any parking. Was this the end of an era for dominating the Burrito Triangle?

Taqueria La Bamba answered big with the opening of the Castro Street location. There are many parking lots off Castro and seating inside is uber-huge. They even added a salsa bar, alcohol bar, and even a bigger menu. Now you're probably thinking, dive taqueria turns itself 180 degrees, did they just jump the shark? Well, with a big appetite in hand, we ventured out to the Mountain View where Jatbar all began.

We found a spot right across from Taqueria La Bamba. You can spot the taqueria with the gold and red banner where you can experience the difference. There was a small line at the counter and ordering is faster when the lady takes your pre-order (yup she's the same lady from the original location). You'll even notice the addition of the San Franciscan taqueria style counter; sneeze guard where you can watch them roll your burritos.

Food ----------> it tastes the same.

To get a good comparison with the meats, I went with 3 tacos.

carnitas (image 9) - Crunchy, tiny bit salty, and lots of it. Probably the best thing on the menu. their carnitas is what I compare other taquerias to. Do I need to say anything more? Rated 9.5

carne asada (image 10) - I've never been a fan of their carne asada but today's version was pretty good. Rated 8. I have yet to find the awesomo taqueria style carne asada that just blows me away. My current favorite is Las Muchachas in Mountain View for carne asada.

pollo azado (image 11) - My 2nd favorite item on the menu. It's nearly unstoppable when done right. I'd say nearly better than the carnitas. If you get the chicken in taco format, it's hold much more crispier than inside the burrito cousin.

It's the exact same food as the Middlefield location but the taqueria is cleaner, large seating capacity, more food options, and more parking. I sampled 2 of the salsas at the bar and they were overwatered. Call it a bad batch, it happens.

I said the food was the same as the original location but the score is much much higher? I've been eating at La Bamba for years and I think their magical recipe has evolved into something that's a bit different that what it used to be. If you refer to my original pictures from 2004-05, you'll notice the burrito tortilla looks like the pancake tortilla I fell in love with. The tortilla they use today is more white and isn't held on the grill long enough. They use to load up on the meat and nowadays it's jam packed with rice and beans.

And how can you forget the original burrito roller?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ba_i_uXGNPY

Although I didn't issue a 9.5, Taqueria La Bamba is still one of my favorite taquerias in the bay area. As the banner says, "Experience the Difference", and it holds true for me, what a difference makes when you eat at 150+ restaurants and still remember your 1st bite from Taqueria La Bamba.
 


Reviewer: Terry
Total Reviews: 724
Reviewed: 4/2/2008
Rating: 9
My photo gallery 		I went into the restaurant with low expectations - well not low, but not 10 rating expectations. I expected it to be above average, but since it was a new location I wasn't expecting solid gold here.

Turns out I was pleasantly surprised. The place is good. Prices are a bit higher, and the place loses the charm of the original location, but there are a few of the employees transplanted from the original, so you know they are keeping the standards up.

My veggie burrito was every bit as good as the original location. Perhaps the ingredient mixture was not up to the same exact level, but it was darn close. The tortilla was spot on. While the place feels less authentic overall (with the flashy Castro-Street-ready bar at the back and the glitzy decorations) its all forgivable because the part that really counts - the food- is still king here - and it is great.

Next time I am going to get my La Bamba fix, I will be going to the original location because of the tradition for me - but if I find myself on the Castro and looking for lunch, those other restaurants better be at the top of their game, because the new headmaster is on the watch and won't be letting any Castro restaurant get away with less than stellar food.
 
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