TACO TUESDAYS: I Heart Juanita

THE PLACE:  Juanita's Tepatitlan

290 North Coast Highway 101
Encinitas, California 92024
(760) 943-9612

THE VIBE:  Locals, surfers, young dudes, occasional bikers

THE COST:  Cheap

There seems to always be a line at Juanita's.

They have a giant bucket with Mexican carrots and jalapenos, take as much as you want.

I know, Juanita's has bars on its windows and there's news of occasional fights and mayhem now and then.  And yes, I know that in the past Juanita's hasn't always passed the health food grade (can't win them all), but when you want carnitas in North County, is there a better place? 

The $2.20 taco was packed full of succulent and tender carnitas. The flavor was exactly spot on, flavorful and seasoned well.  No boiling in a crock pot here .

The taco comes with some guacamole and salsa fresca.  I squirted some of the tomatillo green sauce on it, too.  Look, rolled tacos!  Let's see how these are.

The guacamole was a bit runny and not a big fan of cheddar cheese on top, but I do like that they put a scoop of salsa fresca with it.  These cost $2.60 with guac.

After the delicious carnitas, the rolled taco was a bit of a letdown.  They're not bad, just not as good as Roberto's.  So the carnitas is great, the rolled tacos, well, just OK.

FINAL REPORT CARD:  

Carnitas Taco:  A+

Rolled Tacos:  B

Final Grade:  A-

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