A friend took me here for lunch raving about the food. I had the shrimp tacos which were fabulous! I really loved that the salsa was fresh, packed with flavor and with a little kick, too. I will definitely recommend this place to friends! It's a casual, family atmosphere and our waitress was a delight.
I had a really great experience at Taco's El Caporal. Not only was the food absolutely delicious but it was affordable too. I was easily able to find vegetarian options and there were options for my non-vegetarian boyfriend too. I ended up getting the tostadas which were really fresh and I also got some horchata which balanced the meal out well. The only annoying thing was that there were people sitting down to be served and also people waiting in line so it was unclear what to do but I definitely plan on going back. It was worth the 10 minute drive outside of downtown.
While in Gramd Rapids on a business trip I found myself craving authentic mexican fare. After searching on Urban Spoon for "just the right place" I ce across this place. The previous reviews were not wrong. The food was fantastic! When I first arrived I was greeted by a young, and might I say, quite cute waitress. She was gleaming with a smile that melted my heart. Unfortunately, for me anyway, she had on a wedding ring : (. I ordered what I knew was too much food but couldn't help it for I wanted to try everything. I had two asada tacos and a pastor taco with corn tortillas. I also ordered two tamales. Again, this was too much food but consumed it all. They were OUTSTANDING!!!!! I will be back to try other dishes the next time I am in town.
I loveeeeeeeeeeee this place they have they best food ib michigan by far i just wish they had people that apeak a little better. Engishi i ununderstan . Its there second languag. .....wich mmake. It understandable the food makez up fr it
Grub 'n' Brew In Da Zoo
+4.5
Yup. My twitter buddy, @swmichdining, has been RAVING about a place on Division called Taqueria San Jose. So, we used our latest family outing to Grand Rapids to check it out. Unfortunately, he forgot to mention (and, to be fair, I forgot to ask), Taqueria San Jose is, pretty much, a take-out only joint (a small handful of tables, but not enough to accommodate my family of 5). So, we were off to find another suitable destination for tacos.
Lo and behold, Urbanspoon points us here -- Tacos El Caporal. Perfect. A sit down/takeout restaurant which, as it turned out, served up some truly outstanding Mexican food. There are the complimentary chips (although, no salsa, only hot sauce) which were decent, although nothing to write home about. But the rest of it was PHENOMENAL. I got a lot of food here, so I'll just take it in order.
The al pastor tostada was very good; if I had it to do over again (which I will next time I'm in GR), I'd get the al pastor on the tacos instead of the tostada, but the tostada shell, beans, and related accouterments complimented the very, very good al pastor. Except for the al pastor served at the now-closed La Mexicana in Kalamazoo, this was, without question, the best al pastor I've had in Michigan -- meaty, flavorful, well seasoned and slightly sweet without being buried under an avalanche of pineapple. Really terrific.
The tamale was also reasonably good; although the pork needed a little more something. The cornmeal was great. Throw some hot sauce on it and muy bueno.
The tacos diablo -- four shredded beef tacos on homemade, lightly fried corn toritillas -- were really the star here. Although they too benefited from the addition of a little hot sauce, it's hard to find tacos prepared this way in the midwest, and I was ecstatic to find them here. Next time, I might try it with a little carne asada instead to see how that is, but as is, they were great.
All told, this was one of the best Mexican meals we've had in GR and we highly recommend it.
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Good food, sketchy service and atmosphere. This place has all the charm of a dirty Mexican bus station. Walk in and you can either sit down and wait for a waitress, or order at the counter for takeout. This distinction is not exactly immediately clear upon entering. I ordered takeout at the counter, and waited so long to get my food, I ended up just taking a booth and eating it there, which felt a little weird, as there was a waitress/counter girl waiting on other customers at their tables around me. It was a bit of a madhouse, with people hanging around waiting for orders, some impatiently as the wait time was very long, and I witnessed at least two incorrect orders that had to be corrected, and some takeout orders that sat on a shelf for a LONG time with no-one claiming them. In that situation, the staff did seem very apologetic and attempted to satisfy the somewhat irate lady who was really disappointed that they were out of tamales.
The food was great. I ordered a carne asada taco, and a pork gordita- both very tasty, though I could have used more cilantro. I was unsure if the takeout would come with the plate of radishes, limes, jalapenos and onions that I saw the dine-in customers getting, so I was happily surprised when I got a foil packet full. The roasted jalapenos were VERY hot, and they kind of overdid it with too much of these tasty garnishes for just two items.
One review stated there are only 10 tables here, but there is a second room that has more tables.
Overall, great food, I would definitely put up with the lousy, albeit slightly entertaining atmosphere to eat here again.
Awesome...authentic...taco bus
sit down style..the REAL thing
...
Fast, cheap, tasty tacos. Pairs well with beer.
Good food steak taco's at 2bucks apeace nachos burritos 5-6 bucks .big bag of torritilla for 2$ all around good food.
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TRY 'EM!. This place cranks-out some really excellent mexican food. Their cuisine has to be considered near the top of the list of all tex-mex joints in SW Michigan.
Only about 10 tables; We lucked out, sat down right away on a Saturday afternoon, and watched as a line began to form for tableservice. BUSY place; Much of their business is take-out.
The room has the ambiance of a diner w/styrofoam cups, paper plates and plastic utensils but the quality of what they serve-up here more than makes-up for all that. You can watch the cooks do their thing and they're in non-stop motion. The waitresses were pleasant and provided everything we wanted.
The complementary homemade chips & salsa were excellent with the salsa (green & red) being served in squirt bottles. I had some really tasty Tacos Carnitas and Tacos Al Pastor. With your entree comes a plate of fresh sliced lime, sliced radishes, jalapeno peppers, and grilled baby green onions. My wife enjoyed the beef/chicken dish she ordered and that I forgot the name of...
If you're wanting some really good mexican chow and don't need serapes and sombreros hanging off the walls, then try Tacos El Caporal.
We will be back...
The service was perfect. The workers were very kind and pleasant. The food was very tasty and delicious. Good portions for lunch. The atmosphere is diner style so not extravagant but good for lunch dining. I hear they're opening a brand new restaurant so I look forward to that!
The food is pretty good it’s authentic and it’s very cheap so it’s not bad. This restaurant wants you to seat yourself and wait for a server and then once you’re done you go to the front and pay for your meal. I don’t really mind it but for some they might. I wish the menu had a better description of the ingredients in the menu items for example it only said tamale but there are many different types of meats and salsa to put into a tamale. I’d go again though because it was pretty good for a group of me and my friends.
Read a lot about not clean or bad service but I didn't experience either. My first time here and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Friendly staff (super busy) and great food that came out quickly and correctly. To top it all off, it was really inexpensive
I had the steak torta and a tamale and both were fantastic. Will be returning soon
Delicious food. Amazing service. Only wish is they had a salsa but they just have a traditional red and green. The grilled onions are a treat. Highly recommended.
Seriously great food every Single TIME. Good environment. Tacos have onions, cilantro, perfectly seasoned proteins. Corn tortillas. Most entrees served with a side of grilled whole green onions, and jalapeños. Love love love. Best in GR.
The BEST authentic Mexican restaurant around! It seriously does not get any better than this. Our go to is the Alambre (with shrimp!). Served with corn tortillas and a plate of roasted onions/jalapenos. One order is large enough for the two of us.. especially since they deliver a basket of fresh chips and salsa as soon as your seated. The service is always fantastic and the food is phenomenal. Easily one of our favorite restaurants in the area!
This is my favorite place to get a real taco. Nice friendly staff. Order comes up quickly. I also get the refried beans with cheese, guacamole and chips. They have the best chips thank you Tacos El Caporal!!!*
The food is always good here. They messed up my moms order but gladly fixed it no issue. You can count on a returning client forsure.
Good place for Mexican. The food was fresh and the service was quick. The food seems very authentic, well as authentic as you would want. The grill they cook on is visible while you pay or depending on where you sit. They go through a lot of meat and onions. The food being cooked looks very fresh and healthy. I would definitely eat there again.
The taco combo came with a side dish of assorted vegetables. The onions were delicious!
The food is great for your Hispanic or Latino people like me; the food is taken from some parts of Central and South America, and the people there are nice!
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