El Primo Taqueria

Although the shack is unique the food is unremarkable. Had the taco el primo and it was fairly priced, but seemed to lack any flavor. The red salsa helped to provide some heat, but still lacking taste.

Stopped in on a whim after having this place recommended by friends in the area. It was blazing hot outside, so the very small inside area was packed. We ordered a mix of tacos. The service was a little slow, but friendly. After about 10 minutes the tacos came out. They had green and red hot sauce in bottles to spice up the tacos. After finishing them off, we both agreed they were fresh tacos, but the meats left a bit to be desired. They seemed like they were boiled and lacked flavor. The rest of the taco was great and fresh, but it was hard to overlook the meat. It was a decent stop while in the area in passing, but I doubt I would return.

Our family is visiting from Indiana and we are no rookies to «Mexican» food, trust me. It is rare to find a restaurant with such fresh ingredients and pleasant taste combined with friendly staff. The atmosphere is nothing amazing, but the food sure is. I ordered the tostada and was incredibly surprised at how the picture didn’t do it justice. The salsa was great, chips were even better, and the guacamole was out of this world. I don’t usually write reviews, but I wanted to take the time out of our family vacation to thank this restaurant for such wonderful food.

Ehhh… Acapulco Tropical knocks the socks off this place. Prices are not that great and quality is low. I just didn’t like anything about the food. The food actually borders gross. The only thing I enjoyed was a sip of my husband’s Rice Milk– it tasted like rice pudding in a drink. Not coming back here.

Before I wrote my review I noticed the high scores it got. I really don’t know why. I ordered the combination platter and let me tell you about it.
The beef taco is clearly made from corned beef hash. Their rice is cooked in canned vegetable soup and their tables and bar are dirty. I really don’t have much to say that is positive about it. I did, however like their rice milk. That was good.
My opinion, don’t go if you want decent food. However, if you want corned beef hash on a tortilla then stop on by.

This is small very modest restaurant. I enjoyed the tacos but its décor has alot to be desired. The beef burrito was o.k. and very messy. Would I come here to eat again? Yes :) its a dive restaurant but the lady was sweet and I liked the food. Enjoy

This was a bit surprising. I really wasn’t expecting much, even with the good reviews. I mean, lets face it, this place doesn’t look like much and its in Bradenton.
What a pleasant surprise though. Really extensive menu. The burgers and Mexican thing is a bit weird, but they have a lot of options besides burgers and tacos and its really inexpensive. Multiple options for hot sauces, and a different kind of salsa. Can’t quite explain it — it isn’t a chunky salsa; more like a hot sauce — and has a different flavor then you might be used to. Not sure I loved the salsa, but the tacos didn’t need it. The burrito needed something extra, and the salsa was a nice touch, even if I didn’t love the salsa by itself.
Yes, I got tacos and a burrito. In my defense, (a) I didn’t read the menu to see that I was going to get 2 tacos with my order; I thought I was just getting 1 pork and 1 chicken; (b) I had no idea the burrito was that big; it was less than $ 5; and © I’m a pig.
The tacos were very good. Only come with lime and cilantro — tomatoes and lettuce («American Style») are extra. The beef and bean burrito was, in hindsight, not necessary. But still stuffed full and yummy. You have options for your taco — corn, flour, etc. I got corn. Go with corn.
Still waiting to see how my stomach reacts — so far so good — but my taste buds had a great time.
All in all, I would probably give 3.5 stars. There are better taqueria’s out there, though I don’t know any others in this region. There’s the one on 4^th street in St. Pete — or at least, it was there, but it moved. Still, it’s well deserving of 3.5 stars and if I have to round, then it gets the 4^th.

Excellent and authentic taqueria. No frills. Just as it should be.
They have the usual array of soft tacos, Carne Asada plate, burritos etc.
It’s all simple, tasty and well done.
There are outside, shaded, picnic style seating tables as well so it can accommodate a larger group.
Very nice people working there.
I highly recommend this place for a basic taco fix.

I normally give a place a second or third chance before I leave a negative review. However my experience was awful from the moment I paid for my take out order. I was over charged and when I informed the lady at the register she was rude and loud with me immediately instead of listening. She didn’t want to admit that she over charged me and said «we should be charging extra for the lettuce, tomato and cilantro on the taco because it is extra stuff» even tho they don’t. I was charged extra for «cheese or sour cream» on each taco that I didn’t ask for and she didn’t want to refund the money.
I was hoping at least the food would be worth the bad experience with the employee but was very disappointed. My daughter had the cheeseburger meal and was sick immediately after eating it. My husband, who can eat anything with his steal stomach, could not take more that two bites of his taco before having to throw it away. As for my son and I we also stopped at the first bites of both the hard and soft taco. In conclusion we paid for a meal for our family just to feel sick and throw it away. As for the first employee who took my order, she was nice and polite but the lady at the register who over charged me turned me off to this place immediately. I will never go back! I have had authentic Mexican food plenty of times and this is definitely not it.

Yes 5 stars Wow if you like authentic Mexican this is a no brainier. The beef tacos are soooooo good ground beef with small cubes of potatoes lettuce, tomatoes, awesome cheese, the home made salsa (avoid the bottled brands go for the squeeze bottles of home made) the red is hot so pour it on the green is my favorite the favor is unbelievable. Do not let the outside fool you this is a family owned business where quality is what it’s all about. Everything is home made OMG I can’t wait to try more of this food I read the menu I will be going for the tamales next trip with a few tacos on the side. Stop in and let yourself enjoy a little of Mexico this is not Tex-​Mex.

Great food. Good owners.

Great Mexican food. Try the carnitas tacos. Very tender and spicy pork. Will be back to try the steak.

As a California-​native and being constantly bombarded with amazing and cheap Mexican food, El Primo Taqueria definitely scratches the itch whenever I am craving some quality Mexican grub. It is very authentic and you can even see the ladies cranking out the food nice and fresh if you peak into the kitchen.
I have been to this fine establishment at least half a dozen times and tried out all sorts of items. My favorites include the pork tamales, anything with chicharrones in it, the gorditas, and the horchata. The masa in the tamales tastes fresh and the pork retains its moisture. If you’re a fan of tamales, you will definitely enjoy them. Like many of the items here, they’re not the best I ever had, but they are still quite delicious.
If you love spicy food, then the chicharrones are amazing. They are prepared in a stew-​like fashion and have a strange slimy but firm texture (reminiscent of eating tendon, or a croûton soaked in soup). They are extremely spicy (not quite as hot as habanero hot sauces) but have such a great flavor that I gladly endure the pain.
The gorditas are interesting and should not be confused for the atrocities from Taco Bell. They are little hockey puck-​sized corn cakes that are split open and filled with meat like a taco. They strongly resemble arepas but are filled with things more typical of Mexican cuisine. The first one I tried was filled with chicharrones. =D
And of course, the hallmark of any authentic Mexican restaurant is the presence of horchata. Theirs is made in-​house with rice, sugar, and cinnamon, just the way I like it. They have a good balance of sweetness and usually comes with enough ice to mellow it out if you wait long enough.
I have also tried a great deal of their other meats and they’re all average to above average. I’ve had the picadillo, the carne asada, al pastor, chorizo, and a few others whose names I cannot remember right now. The carne asada and al pastor are not the same as you would expect from a California establishment. They come with a great deal of liquid, sort of like a stew. Something you would expect more from carnitas or barbacoa. However, this does not diminish how flavorful and tasty they are. Just don’t go in expecting dry cubes of grilled beef steak.
In essence, El Primo Taqueria is a cheap and authentic Mexican food joint. It’s the perfect go-​to place for those vagrant taco cravings or for those who miss a real authentic Mexican place. They’re not the greatest Mexican food place in the world, but the value is extremely high. Considering its location in the middle of Bradenton, it is definitely one of the best Mexican places around. But be warned that they close really early every day (6PM on Mon-​Thurs). They do, however, open up really early in the morning in case you manage to stay up all through the night til 6AM.
–C

It was a joyous occasion when I realized how close El Primo Taqueria is to where I work.
Oh, and how awesome the location and food and juices are. The storefront is non-​mobile; has some indoor barstool seating and outside is a shaded picnic table area. The setting is like an old Dairy Queen or car hop shake shack place, mostly reminiscent because of the parking layout. The enchantments are the motherly owner taking your order to the hand-​written menu items posted on the walls.
There are Mexican and Mexican-​American platters from burgers n’ fries to authentic style tacos. The tacos come either American style with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and sour cream to Mexican style on corn tortilla with cilantro and onion. Their tacos are no joke, but will run about $ 2.00 each, compared to other places where they are $ 1.50.
My favorite filling at El Primo is the Pastor— chopped seasoned pork with pineapple, crispy fried on a skillet until the edges are crispy. There are house-​made green and red chili sauces in the cooler to accompany your meal. Aside from the tacos, the Gorditas are quite delicious if you are looking for a Mexican version of a slider burger or Arepa. I also get the Gorditas with pastor inside.
To the right of the register, you will notice jugs of drinks. There are usually three to choose from, depending on the fruit season. But, there is always Horchata; sweet rice milk with spices to cool your palette. During melon season, I am totally smitten by the Cantaloupe juice and cannot get enough. There are pieces of fresh fruit and it is not too sweet.

This is really good authentic Mexican food at a low price. This is a must place to go if you love mexi food.

I was really happy to finally go to El Primo. Good solid family owned place with honest Mexican food. Don’t let the place scare you off. It really is clean, the food is well prepared and so much of it from scratch.