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Tres Potrillos Taqueria
(Mexican cuisine)
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9
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408-735-8657
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| Clean taqueria joint with a large menu and tasty specials. |
Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1040
Reviewed: 4/27/2005
Rating: 9.5
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I prayed to the Carnitas god this afternoon and pig god delivered Tres Potrillos Taqueria to me. I know you must think I have a obsession with Carnitas anything and you're absolutely right. Maybe because its sooo bad for you? Maybe its the crunchiness? Or maybe its just the damm feelling when the meat melts in your mouth igniting your taste sensations.
When the guy behind the counter asked me what I wanted for lunch, I was torn between a 2 taco place and burrito. It wasnt until the last second that I spotted the Carnitas Bowl. What the hell is this? I have managed to hit over 100 mexican restaurants in the bay area and have not heard or seen this dish. I think its too good to be true so I ordered it with a glass of water.
While eating their excellent chips and salsa, prompt service brought this big black bowl of something with a packet of foil something. It wasnt exactly a bowl but a large deep dish plate. OH MY GAWD...it was a giant plate layered with rice, black beans, pico de gallo, shredded carnitas, avocado, and tomato slices. The packet had 5 or so steamy corn tortillas. There was enough food here for 2 adults and for $6 this was a steal. I havent even tasted it and I knew it was going to be a 9 or higher just by looking at it. Deep brown crunchy edges with a light brown meat.
black beans - small black beans that almost had snap to it. They werent undercooked but firm. I kept wondering why the heck these beans tasted so good, maybe it had to do with the carnitas fat dripping on top of them....hmmmm....
rice - moist and probably cooked with chicken tomato broth. The mix of pico de gallo and the carnitas drippings made this rice memorable
tortillas - came out steamy hot, too hot to handle, you gotta love that
pico de gallo - excellent addition to the meal. Wasnt too hot but it added moisture to the everything around it.
carnitas - ok, this is a Hall of Famer. I dont know if it was a fluke day for Tres potrillos Taqueria or the planets were aligned in our solar system but this is clearly one of the best carnitas I have had this year. This stuff is on a par with La Bamba and possibly better.
Now the thing is, when you mix that bowl up and make your own tacos the way you want it, the Carnitas Bowl is an unbeatable order. The portions are MONSTEROUS with enough stuff to make 5 large soft tacos. I couldnt even finish the entire thing and took it back to work.
Tres Potrillos Taqueria is the real deal and Im quite happy to add it to my favorite carnitas list. I will be back to confirm that this was not a one time deal. Regardless, the Carnitas Bowl was the best lunch order I have had in the last 4 months.
****Update 04.29.05****
Thanks for Randall for pointing this out. It appears theres a bug with google maps. It cannot tell the difference between North and South Fair Oaks. It incorrectly directs you to South. The restaurant is on the North side closest to the 101.
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RETURN VISIT for Jason! 6/27/2006 - 9.5 Rating: I've lost count how many times I've eaten here. The CARNITAS is a Hall of Famer. I ordered the carnitas burrito with guacamole and completely satisfied. They grill their tortillas, rice moist, beans are pinto, and carnitas tender yet crunchy. Burrito was amazing. If you're visiting for the 1st time, go straight for the Carnitas Bowl.
The Carnitas Bowl is on my top 10 things to order in the Bay Area. |
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RETURN VISIT for Jason! 8/13/2007 - 8 Rating: It feels like I'm writing an obituary letter for one of my favorite friends. Tres Potrillos Taqueria has been one of my all time top spots for carnitas, particularly the carnitas bowl. It's been nearly 2 years and still remember my first bowl at $6. I would visit off and on every so couple of months.
Dan one of our agents made a trip recently and said the carnitas disappointed. We had suspicion the carnitas has dropped since we did the carnitas shootout a couple of months back. Did they dare change their 9.5 rated carnitas? Terry and I made the trek after the nerd visit to Fry's Electronics. I went with my standard order Carnitas Bowl, $8.
As usual, they bring out this bowl filled to the rim with beans, rice, avocados, carnitas, and SINCE WHEN IN THE HELL DID THEY ADD SOUR CREAM?? And what happened to the non-existent Pico de Gallo!!! Omg, I'm dying inside as my meal has been changed. It only gets worse, the carnitas is in large chunks and only 1 piece is crunchy. The flavoring is different as the pork doesn't taste quite the same.
It doesn't mean that their carnitas sucks, it's still better than 90% of the taqueria hacks out there. If you've visited in the past, don't expect that 9.5 rated goodness. Rated between 8 to 8.5
Maybe Tres Potrillos got a new cook? new supplier of Pork? different recipe? Who knows and it really doesn't matter, I cried myself to sleep. |
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Reviewer: Terry
Total Reviews: 738
Reviewed: 4/27/2005
Rating: 9
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Woohoo, my ship has come in!
Tres Potrillos was an amazing experience. From the moment we drove up, we knew this had to be legit. The white sign atop the place with blue letters harkens to the burrito powerhouses of East Palo Alto. We enter and the place is quite clean, and there is a picture-menu on the wall. Another good sign.
I see the wet burrito and my choice is made. I go for the Wet Super Veggie burrito and a small Jamaica drink. The burrito was a little over $5, but come on, its wet. No complaints on pricing at Tres Potrillos.
We got some complimentary chips and salsa while waiting for the burrito. The chips were super flaky and completely full of flavor. No greasy wetness to them, but not dry at all. Perfect! The 2 salsas I sampled were the red salsa (medium hotness, with chopped onions in it ,etc) and the green guacamole salsa. The red salsa was just OK. I only tried a little of it. The gauc salsa was incredible! I completely OD'd on this. Some of the best salsa I've had.
The plate arrives and I feel like collapsing right there. This thing is HUGE. There is no question of whether or not I will finish it. No matter how big it was, I would finish it. It brought back memories of Los Charros in Mtn View. From the presentation to the burrito size.
The burrito wasn't the best. The ingredients didn't pop out at me as being over the top like I would experience at La Bamba. The mixture was above average for sure, but what made the whole thing for me was the size and the wet burrito sauce and cheese. I've only had a wet burrito this good at Los Charros.
So I highly recommend Tres Potrillos for their chips and gauc salsa. And for their wet burritos. Excellente!
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RETURN VISIT for Terry! 6/27/2006 - 9 Rating: Visited here again with Jason, on our 'day off'. It was a bit busy today, what with the World Cup in progress. Still managed to order and get our food quickly though. I went with the Veggie Burrito, Wet again.
I almost forgot how massive this was. And how tasty it was. This edges out Garcias in my book for Sunnyvale Veggie Burritos. The size is larger than Mountain View's Los Charros as well. All around a winner. It was so good, but I had to finish it all. An inhuman task to say the least, but well satisfying to the last bite.
The chips today were a little on the stale side, but the green salsa again, is a real winner. Glad to report Tres Potrillos as continuing on Jatbar as a 9-rated restaurant. |
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Reviewer: ne00
Total Reviews: 187
Reviewed: 8/27/2005
Rating: 8
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Tres Potrillos Taqueria is located between Chavez market and Velaro gas station. If it wasnt for Velaro, this place would be hard to spot as its very run down. My friend and I arrived around 1pm on Saturday and this place has a decent lunch time crowd. As we walked in, a TV tuned into a Spanish network channel was playing. Several patrons were eating their food while watching TV. We waited to order our food up front. My friend ordered two Asada super tacos and a small drink and I ordered an Al Pastor Super burrito and a Carnitas super taco and a small drink. Her meal totaled a little over five dollars and mine a little over eight dollars.
As we waited for our food we noticed they had a chips and salsa station where customers can just go and help themselves to some chips and home made salsa and sauces. The chips were not piping hot but warm and still crispy. The sauces and salsas were interesting as there were no name tags so I was no sure which ones were spicy hot and which ones were mild. I poured some green sauce, which looked like creamy guacamole and some fresh salsa. The guacamole sauce was very tasty and an obvious popular choice as by the time I went for some more the sauce was gone. Upon request, the staff quickly filled all the condiments. My friend mentioned that we could just order the regular burrito without the sour cream, guacamole, and cheese and just use the creamy guacamole sauce to pour into our burrito.
There was a steady flow of customers coming in for take out food and dine in food. Most of the foods ordered were combinations and dinner plates. The plates were filled with large portions of food, at 7.95 a plate it sure seems like a good deal.
Even though youre given a number when you place and pay for your order, the server still brings out your food based on the number you have on your receipt. When our food came I was amazed at the portion size. My burrito was HUGE, a lot bigger than the burritos at La Bamba. My Super taco looked big as well, only because the tortilla was small, but a heaping pile of meat, fresh salsa, sour cream and guacamole was lathered on. This is one of the few tacos that I needed a fork to eat as everything kept falling off my tortillas. The Carnitas was crispy on the outside but not as moist as the Carnitas at La Bamba but still tasted good.
My Al Pastor super burrito did not taste as impressive. The size was HUGE and the price was only 4.65 for my brick of a burrito, but the taste was just OK. I think I should have gone with Carnitas as my choice of meat for the burrito. The burrito had just the right amount of spiciness from the fresh salsa, but the ingredients were not mixed together. It just seemed like the beans and rice was on one side and the sour cream and guacamole were all clumped in the middle and the meat hugging the edge of the tortilla. I couldnt finish this burrito so I asked for a box to take to work for dinner later.
Pluses: Free chips and condiments, free refills on sodas, free help yourself water, good value (cost vs. portion), accepts credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Amex), plenty of parking, good responsive service.
Minuses: Kind of dirty and feels a bit unclean within the chips and condiments area.
Extra: Would recommend the soft tacos, dinner plates, and combo plates. Not sure why the Jumbo burrito (same as super but with lettuce and tomatoes) cost 0.45 more than the super burrito just for additional lettuce and tomatoes. You get a lot of authentic Taqueria food for cheap.
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Reviewer: jsatre
Total Reviews: 75
Reviewed: 5/31/2006
Rating: 9
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Tres Portillos is in the same center as the Valero Gas Station can be easily missed. The large shopping center sign doesnt even list them and is in rickety, unreadable shape. Look for the small blue and white sign.
Being a Carne Asada purist, it was hard to pull myself to ordering the carnitas at Tres Portillos, but when I see a ‘wow from Jason, its worth giving a try! I do like carnitas, but my expectation of shredded meats at taquerias is to get plenty of grizzle. At least thats been my experience.
Nope, the carnitas bowl is not on the wall menu, but IS on the menus under the glass tables. Look under the dinner menu for “bowl”. At $6.99 its a steal…. I skipped breakfast in anticipation and whoa, I couldnt finish the whole thing!
I arrived at 1:40, after the lunch crowds and the floor and salsa bar looked like a tornado had hit. Ah well, maybe they havent had time to pick up? During my lunch the cashier did to a quick pick-up at the salsa bar.
I ordered a med soda and my carnitas bowl… $9.19 with tax. In the meanwhile I browse the free chips and salsa selections and choose to mix things up a bit. I added some pico de gallo to their red salsa. This made for a tasty mix and a nice tang of heat. The chips were under a heat lamp and some were a bit chewy in the center. Maybe those few chips needed a little more time in the fryer? The rest were great, and fresh tasting. It's nice to get homemade chips instead of the bagged variety.
Food was up quickly and delivered to my table. MAN, this thing is BIG. It arrived with a basket of foiled wrapped corn tortillas. So hot I had to let them cool to touch. The meat was perfect, savory, delectable and yup, a tad greasy, but not grizzly. And thats what made the whole thing taste so darn good. Each bite of black beans, Spanish rice, cheese, sliced of fresh tomato and avocado, a heaping dollop of sour cream and plenty of pico was divine. I made my own tacos and poured on my salsa creation… Wow, I must have looked like a starving pig. Truly a memorable experience.
Another patron asked me what I had ordered and I said “a friend” recommended the bowl. Choose a meat and enjoy. She said she wished shed known! Thanks Jason, were passing on secret!
I do recommend avoiding their since restroom. Along the lines of super tiny gas station bad. Not super filthy, but even with the strong scent of pine sol, not too pleasant.
The food is an absolute must try in my book. And I am fortunate enough to work close by. Ill be trying the carne asada soon and I imagine it will be just as tasty.
Yes, the Carnitas Gods are certainly at work at Tres Portillos.
****Update 6/27***
My husband finally relented and I took him for dinner (we both worked late) at Tres Portillos last night. He ordered the chicken flautas plate, I ordered the carne asada bowl.. My carne was very good, tender, well marinated but diced up rather small. Minor complaint. The carne asada was tasty but I have to say that the carnitas there edges it out. My hubby said the flautas were one of the best he's ever had. I tasted his refried beans and man, those were good! The hot salsa also gets my two thumbs up... I've converted a few folks now! Work people too. Great spot... Great food, excellent prices... Just doesn't get much better than that! Oh, and Brazil won over Ghana last night! Yippee....
Updated rating 9/10 |
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Reviewer: Dan
Total Reviews: 84
Reviewed: 4/26/2007
Rating: 9
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This was the first restaurant I discovered through Jatbar and what a great find! The name means “3 little colts.” One co-worker jokes that a restaurant referring to horses is a bad idea, but I have no reservations about the food here. I was so blown away after my first visit that I have been back here many times. Its also one of the few places Ive found in the bay area with green chile sauce (as opposed to green tomatillo sauce).
I have to say I prefer Tres Potrillos to La Bamba. I know that is akin to heresy on this site, but I have my reasons: The burritos are just as good, but you can get them wet (not at La Bamba), the carnitas are better than La Bamba, the menu has a much wider variety, there is more room to sit down, the parking situation is MUCH better, and Tres Potrillos provides an excellent chip/salsa bar that is INCLUDED (not at La Bamba). That said, La Bamba is much speedier and is a good place to go if you are getting your meal on the run.
Heres a summary of some of my favorite meals at Tres Potrillos:
Green chile plate (off specials board). – Wow. Tender chunks of pork in green chile sauce, plus healthy portions of beans, rice, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa fresca. Spicier than I expected: a slow burn that was enough to make me break into a light sweat. The pork was relatively lean. The beans were delicious, if a tad cold. The rice was moist with a nice flavor. Guacamole was a little thinner than I like, but tasty.
Regular chicken burrito, wet style – A large burrito stuffed with chicken, beans, rice and salsa. The chicken inside was moist, tender, flavorful and absolutely perfect! The beans and were rice good. Plenty of beans and not too much rice. The salsa inside tasted like it was made within the hour. The tortilla was super fresh and a slightly chewy. All this was covered in what appeared to be a mix of green and red chile sauces. This sauce was outstanding and had a hefty kick to it. And what a deal! Total cost was $5.30.
Carnitas Tacos – Holy pork bits Batman! These carnitas are good. Crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, with great flavor. I dont normally eat carnitas and wasnt very hungry, but I scraped my plate clean. Not a huge portion, but it was only $5.50 total, so no complaints. Ill be getting this again!
After you order, grab some chips and salsa from their chip bar. Schwing! The chips are thickly cut, dry, not greasy, and are some of the best Ive had. I asked them if they used lard and they said no, just vegetable oil. I have no idea why these taste so good, but I could eat these all day. Good salsa as well, especially the green with avocado in it. After eating, I have toyed with the idea of taking a doggy bag of chips, even though Im usually stuffed by that point.
My only complaint with Tres Potrillos is with the spotty service and the sometimes crowded conditions. Sometimes the person behind the counter is friendly and will answer questions, other times not (they just want your order). That, and the crowds on my last visit were so bad that I had no place to sit and was forced to do takeout. Unless you getting food to go, try to avoid peak lunch hour on Thursday or Friday.
Pros: Great food at good prices; large portions; awesome carnitas, complimentary chip/salsa bar; large menu
Cons: Counter service could be more helpful. Can get crowded at times. |
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Reviewer: pyunnyhana
Total Reviews: 47
Reviewed: 4/21/2007
Rating: 8
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My friend and I went hiking in Los Altos this morning and after our trek, we were starving! During the entire 2 and half hours, all I could think about were tacos and immediately I thought of La Bamba.
What sucks about La Bamba is the parking. No spaces in sight, so I randomly chose Tres Potrillos Taqueria off the list of food places in my GPS.
My friend ordered the chicken enchilada plate (~$10) and I had the regular carnitas burrito (~$5. Always regular. Not fond of cheese, guac, or sour cream in my burrito). My burrito came out first. My first impression of the first bite was, 'This tastes sour.' Then I realized it was just lime already squeezed in. I then noticed that my carnitas was actually crunchy. I've never had carnitas THIS crunchy before. Needless to say, it was sinfully good. Compared to La Bamba's, this burrito had a lot more meat packed in (I still prefer LB a bit more). I noticed on the table the restaurant had set up tabasco sauce and a squeeze bottle of red stuff. Curious, and half hoping it'd be somewhat like orange sauce from La Vic's, I squirted a good amount on my already lovely burrito and took a bite. It was sweet, a little sour... and was an awesome combination with the burrito. A second later I realized that the red stuff was actually plain ketchup. LOL Who knew!?
I had a taste of my friend's enchiladas and it was very good. The chicken inside was hearty and the corn tortillas held its shape amidst the sauce. I've never liked enchiladas because of the fact it is drenched in sauce, but Tres Potrillos had a good balance.
I didn't notice the chips and salsa bar =[ Didn't get any.
TPT is recommended =] |
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Reviewer: wchane
Total Reviews: 148
Reviewed: 9/22/2006
Rating: 8
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Who could resist a jatbar hall of famer. I met jsatre here for lunch earlier this week and ordered the mandatory carnitas bowl. Rumor has it that this bowl shrunk, jsatre says the diameter definitely has decreased but the depth had deepened. Our conclusion is that it's just rearranged.
I don't have much to add to the main reviews except that I never had dry fried carnitas before and I'm so glad I was introduced to this place. Nicely pulled and drained, I did not know they were fried until I was told. If you never had dry fried carnitas I'm going to recommend you do.
The 'wet' carnitas seems dull to me now.
Well done.
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