Tacos Junior

The food is good, not so much the service or the prices … For being a simple taqueria I think it’s a little pricy today I paid around $ 30 for two hamburgers and two drinks, everything on there menu is a little over priced and every time I go it just gets more expensive I think there are other equally good places that serve authentic Mexican food for lower more reasonable prices I mean part of the taqueria aspect should be that it’s cheap or at least not like i Just had lunch at Olive Garden or something the service is really disappointing there’s one female employee typically always at the register when I go who’s very rude and your required to Clean up after yourself and wipe your table when your finished eating so pretty much, tacos junior is just a place to eat overpriced food that you can get anywhere else nothing too special about it

The food is of the quality that I am used to getting at a Tacos Junior, and that is pretty good. The service was also fine on my visit. My Alambre (a mound of meats, veg and cheese that one puts on tortillas to make tacos) was a somewhat greasy pile of flavor that enjoyed quite a bit. It was quite similar to dishes I have enjoyed while visiting Mexico. The red and green salsas that came with the dish were nice and spicy.
This place does suffer from the location. Parking up front is tight, and I witnessed a couple near misses (both car to car, and car to pedestrian) while I was there. The inside of this restaurant could also be a bit cleaner. Finally, I really do not enjoy being panhandled, especially while I am inside the restaurant trying to order and/​or sitting at my table trying to eat.

Great food, interesting people watching. The tostadas are messy yet so delicious.
Authentic, wide variety, extra parking in the back. Highly recommend it!

Good Place to come into when your drunk, and the food is tasty. Its next to a Carniceria and they have tasty dessert and drink options.
My Steak burrito smothered of course. Was served piping hot and tasty and had some kick to it.
The booths are outdated but it kinda adds to the Tacos Junior name in the weird green color and yellows.
The menu is expansive and easy to read or point too.
The service is fast and friendly.

The Tacos de Pastor are the best. The pineapple with one of the hot salsas is really good. Second I think Tacos de Asadas and then the Barbacoa Tacos. The
Barbacoa was fatty and mushy. I stil need to try something besides tacos maybe.

Addendum to my previous review, 09÷09÷11: My sister and I went to Tacos Junior for lunch, and I should have thought better of it, seriously. We ordered the picaditas, and here’s my question: why should 4 soft corn shells with a little salsa and some Quesos Fresco cost 7 bucks? Furthermore, why does Tacos Junior charge SO MUCH for beverages, when a person can walk through the double-​doors to the «supermarket formerly known as Azteca» and buy their drinks for at least a fourth of the price? Why am I going to eat at Tacos Junior for lunch when I could eat almost anywhere else for less? I swear this to you: I got 4 picaditas, a bottled coke, and a capri sun, and it cost me 10 bucks *without the tip*. Call me crazy, but for 10 bucks, I’ll go to Tacos Y Pupusas or TacoMex and get 8 tacos and a coke. WTH, Tacos Junior???
That said…
Tacos Junior is a wonderful taqueria, and it’s open really late, which I love; I love the fact that it overlooks the Azteca market, and I absolutely adore every dessert I’ve ever had there. Their menu is huge and there’s lots of rarities to choose from, which I love. The place is pretty clean and has good food.
Now here’s the downsides:
The last time I went to Tacos Junior, about a month ago, I paid about 30 dollars for: a Tlacoyo Ranchero, four tacos, 3 jarritos, and a flan. The last time I went to Racine’s, a half-​year ago, we paid about that much. That’s kinda pricey for a taqueria.
Usually, I can get my point across in broken Spanish at a Taqueria, with some English words thrown in when I am really unsure of what I am saying. Consider this in light of the fact that I am a linguist, fluent in French and so I understand a lot more about Spanish and the way it is spoken than your average white American.
This time, I tried about 3 times to make sure everything was right, and yeah, I’m in a place where Spanish is the language of choice for ordering, but it was really much harder to communicate in this place than in others, and note that I’ve hit just about every taqueria on Federal, and never had a problem.
The one other problem I have with Junior is that the service at this location is rather slow, and the lines are quite long most nights. Also, it seems you can’t order desserts from the counter where you order tacos, and you can at other locations.
One thing I also dislike about the Junior chain in general is that there’s no salsa bar.
Other than that, my Tlacoyo was one of the very best things I’ve ever had in a taqueria. It was served on this oblong, thick, white-​corn shell with a heaping of Queso Fresco, Nopales, refried black beans, tomatoes and a host of other goodies.
I also got the small-​cup tres leches flan, and that was so good that I haven’t forgotten it, and I pine for it often.
My husband reported that his tacos were great as well.
So, I’ll keep going to Junior now and then, but I think I am so sold on other taquerias that are twice as good, twice as fast, and half the price (see my review for TacoMex if you’re curious).

Color me disappointed. After seeing all the positive reviews, I thought this would be great street food tacos, but alas I did not encounter great street food tacos on this occasion. Hopefully it was just an off day for the cooks?
I got an order of tacos with the following tacos: al pastor, carnitas, lengua, and pollo. The al pastor was pretty good. The pollo while a bit dry was ok. The lengua and carnitas were… how do I say this and remain polite? I guess that’s all I need to say. The meat on both was completely dry and hugely lacking in seasoning. I’ve never had carnitas this dry, and I’m not sure if they screwed up and gave me the wrong thing or what. Usually when I’ve had it, it’s braised in a sauce, but there was no sauce to be found here. Having now been to a few other taco joints in town with the non-​braised variety, I’m not about to change my opinion of this was just dry, overcooked meat. Not only was the carnitas horribly dry, but the lengua was as well. It also was not seasoned well, and even adding every bit of lime juice to both was not enough to make up for the dryness of the meat. The corn tortillas tasted very fresh and were quite nice, but overall I was hugely disappointed on this day.

Two words, Muy Bueno!
The wife and I stopped in here today for a late lunch. I grew up on this side of town, so I am extremely familiar with this neighborhood. I spent many a night walking these streets as a kid. Not sure I would do that these days, but it still brought back so many memories.
This building used to be a Cleaners for many years, I never had cause to go inside, I didn’t realize just how big it was! TJ is up front facing Colfax and there is a nice Mexican market in the back. Parking in the front of the building is a premium, but we got lucky as we arrived in the middle of the afternoon. The restaurant is clean and the food was wonderful! I had the Carne Asada burro smotherd in Verde chili and the Mrs. had the Chorizo & Papas Impanadas. We also split and order of Flutas del Pollo. This is very authentic Mexican food, and so delicious!
If you want a taste of real Mexico, I suggest you hoof it on down to Moline and Colfax and visit Tacos Junior, you will be glad you did! Oh, just be sure to visit during the day, not sure you want to be down there after dark. =]
–MK

I just had dinner at this Tacos Junior location and it was fabulous. I had their sopes with al pastor, asada and lengua. They were piled high with lettuce and cheese and the plate came with sides of two salsas. I also ordered some fried jalapenos, of course.
My fellow diner had the tacos, and even though my sopes were very tasty I think I’ll get the tacos next time. I made a huge mess! They’re difficult to eat because they’re piled so high. The last one I ate with a fork and skipped the sope base.
The menu is huge, so we sat at a table first to stare at it for awhile. There were quite a few items that had us stumped, but the pictures all looked good. I’ll definitely be back to try some more of the interesting items.
They have a few desserts and some good juices, but save room for the little bakery just outside the door. It’s almost like an indoor mall of Mexican eats. Facing Colfax is the restaurant and bakery with a hallway between them. At the end of the hallway and all the way back to the rear parking lot is a huge grocery store filled with interesting things. They have a huge butcher and even a little deli in the grocery store with yummy, homemade items.
Finding the place can be challenging. Look for Moline, the street directly next to the restaurant. There are parking spaces in front that are just fine unless the place is busy. If it’s busy you might want to park in back and walk through the grocery store to get to the restaurant.
Delish!

Al Pastor at Tacos Junior is nothing short of a wet dream. Never before have I tasted a forbidden fruit as succulent as this. You must try it! Park on the side of the building, walk through the gates of heaven and indulge yourself in the magical journey that is, Tacos Junior.

Hit or miss here for me but 4 stars if you order right. All the fried stuff is very good: hauraches, sopes, picaditas, etc. The chicken and carntias also fantastic. The tortas are good too (except for the bread is like a cheap hamburger bun). The pastor? Not for me. Its OK, and it is usually (but not always) cooked well, but it is way too sweet for my taste (and for proper pastor). They do have tacos arabes (Arab Taco) which is a bunch of pastor with grilled onions wrapped in 2 thin flour tortillas called pan arabe. I love those, but this pastor is pretty average. The carnitas and the chicken are excellent. Oh, and you can park on Moline or in the back! Check out my site where my latest post explains it all…

I haven’t been to this taqueria before even though I’ve tried several times. It was always due to the number of cars parked in the tiny lot out front. Well, I now know that the restaurant fronts a medium sized mex-​grocery and panaderia and that you can also park at the rear. Of the three Taco Juniors I have been to, this is by far the smallest with the smallest menu too. Being too full from eating at the other two taquerias on the Eastside taco tour we already had been to, I went with an ear of corn or elote, dipped in crema and covered with queso fresco and lightly dusted with chile powder. It was sooo tasty and I couldn’t help but gnaw on it like a ravenous beaver. Probably due to food intoxication, I without thinking broke of chunks of it that I had gnawed and pushed it on anyone near me. Mmm, oh good, you must eat, never mind my gnaw marks, sorry guys. It was the heat of the moment and I was faced with certain agony for not being able to finish such deliciousnes. Next time, elotes for all us touristas on… Carrie!
Kidding aside, maybe not the best Junior but decent and hey, it has a market and mex bakery in the same damn building! Just beware the bumper car parking lot…

Stop 3 on the November 7^th 2009 Taco Tour…
This place was interesting… Don’t try to park in front. Very tight spots and there was a little car bumping going on.
I was getting full after 4 tacos so I only got 1 here and it was pretty tasty. I don’t think I’d venture here again though…

Navigating this cramped parking lot is worth the effort. Inside you are greeted with a brightly colored walls and a room filled with windows looking into the neighboring grocery store. The ceiling is airbrushed to emulate the great big blue sky of Denver, CO. The menu is pretty standard for your average taqueria with a few excellent twists such as agua frescas and tortas. OMG, the tortas! I ordered the torta gringa, a combination of pastor, pineapple, ham, and melted cheese pressed in a thin but firm bun. Gooey, savory, and filled with grease, this has got to be one of the best tortas around. The al pastor is well seasoned and combines the appropiate levels of crisp and supple expected from a good al pastor. My only complaint is that the prices are steep compared to their competitors. Well that, and the fact that I’m about to have a heart attack.