El Chilango

Pro’s: 3 fish tacos $ 8 and Fast!
Good, fresh, and very nice guy.
No’s: i thought it said tacos come with cilantro n onion. Mine came with lettuce. No no no. Give me the good stuff. Asked for spicy but it wasn’t.
I will try again because if had it how I wanted it then 5

Not sure why there are two options for this truck, but either way you slice it, it’s awesome. Great al pastor, decent portions, friendly staff — a phenomenal addition to getting a quick bite to eat on the go

This experience has been a wavering between 3 – 3.5 stars. First things first, you see the miniature caboose in its bright yellow façade at the PATH train station or farmer’s market at grove st. Maybe you peeped this truck near the park as you took your dog on a stroll? The smell of meat clearly peaked a curiosity and the friendly faces from the vehicle did you in. You get al pastor tacos each time. Each time you feel they are miniscule with good flavor, just enough crunch, meat a touch too chewy, yet they are like little soft taquitos with a clear upgrade. The darling gem of pineapple in the set of three feels just under a meal. Chicken is solid. Carnitas also solid. You’ve eaten bigger and better tacos but admittedly your craving is quelled for now. Service in afternoon pre-​drunk and plastered meal goers is the more peaceful jaunt. If you must face the peril of yuppified drunken stupor (as likely you are part of this lot), get yourself more food, a smile, some manners, and an unsullied admiration for the staff who have to serve unruly customers at that god awful hour. Depending on the demeanor of the various customers, I’ll give El Chilango a promotion of an extra star just for dealing with the BS that the beligerantly hungry bring.

I hate that I’m using my 200^th review for a 2-​star experience, but alas, this is what I’m in the mood to write about right now.
El Chilango — pretty close to a fail. I should have read between the lines when I asked my Mexican friend if he wanted me to pick him something up from the truck, and he politely said no. He would later go on to explain why and I concur with his analysis. I now understand why this truck, unlike the many others in the area, never has a line outside it.
I can only speak to the spicy beef torta that I ordered. It didn’t taste bad, per se. It just didn’t taste like much of anything. I’m used to the tortas I used to get out in Brooklyn — nice, big, round, crusty, fluffy rolls holding in a stack of delicious ingredients and bursting with flavor in every bite. Not really happening here.
The torpedo roll El Chilango uses is very pedestrian, and narrow in size. It’s incapable of holding that much food, which means you’re getting a lot less value for your money than you might realize. (And you’ll be hungry later.) And the ingredients it does hold when you first get it all start to fall out the second you try and eat it.
Simply stated, this is not a good torta eating experience.
Some have suggested I try other things on the menu, but given how meh the ingredients all tasted on the torta, I can’t really imagine them getting any better in a different assembly or formation.
Sorry, but I can’t recommend this place.

First, I’m spoiled on tacos. I live within a quick walk of the best taqueria out of mexico. But I understand that there are other good tacos in the world, and I plan to eat them all.
These guys are solid. Definitely 3-​star tacos, from my attempted objective viewpoint. A few other tasty menu options, too.
And, they’re cool guys. Which is important because…
They’re open when you’re drunk! I commonly see them on various corners in the grove plaza region up until 1 or later on weeknights and usually much later on weekends. They’re not open all night, but when you’re sitting at the bar and the inevitable taco craving hits you, you know you can run down the street and get your fix. Not many other options for that in the neighborhood, most taco shops are closed by midnight or earlier. And they put up with you, being the aforementioned cool guys that they are.

I needed to grab a *really* quick bite before some long travels, and it had to be generally healthy. I opted for this truck and got all the insides of a taco without the tortillas — lettuce, chicken, guacamole, and hot sauce. I know it wasn’t much of a taco, but I already had low expectations and was still disappointed. I wasn’t feelin’ any of it. The chicken was overly salty with not much other flavor going on, and the guacamole was flat, too. Hmm. I’ll have to try this one again, but it’ll take a lot.

I think this is the first time I’ve rated a food truck on Unilocal,but I wanted to do so because my meal was so good. I got street tacos with rice and beans, and it was delicious. Ingredients were very fresh, the portions were good for the price and I was very pleased with the spice and taste. If you just want to stop by a truck for a good meal, I’d recommend it.

I was sort of hoping for the Indian truck when I got off the Path the other night. But El Chilango was the only truck parked at Grove. Our food truck culture in Jersey City isn’t *quite* there yet, so we’re lucky if one truck shows up at all on a given night, especially early in the week.
I wanted a cheap meal and you can’t beat a $ 5 burrito as a cheap, freshly prepared dinner. Full disclosure: the $ 5 one is the small and it is in fact on the dainty side. To get a full-​sized burrito, it’ll set you back $ 8.
The tacos are not huge as other reviewers have mentioned, but I think they’re pretty standard sized. They come with toppings and whatnot and tend to spill on your lap as you eat them, so what more do you want, people? A butler to come and wipe your chin for you?
Anyway, the guys running this truck are as nice as can be. Give this truck a try. I don’t think you’ll be sorry.

I’m so happy this truck parks so close to my house, delicious tacos, fast friendly service and sometimes they are parked in front of Duane Reade until 3am or later.

After living in Guatemala for a bit and eating fresh tortillas everyday, I’ve become picky with the tortillas here in the states. This place brings me back to my Guate days and satisfies my cravings for authentic tortillas! Each time I have stopped by El Chilango coming out of the Grove Street PATH, I’ve order either 3 tacos x $ 6.50 or the taco plate (3 tacos with rice and beans) for $ 10. The tacos may look small, but they always fill me. They come filled with a meat of choice, lettuce, onion, guacamole, and hot sauce if you choose. The rice and beans are tasty as well. (The workers are very friendly too!)

This is the best Mexican food I’ve had on the East coast. I had three carne asada tacos, for around $ 7.25. Even though the portion was a little small, this was a bargain by East coast standards. I reminded me of taco trucks in California that I used to frequent.
The owner/​chef is from Mexico and takes pride in the food. They are clean, friendly and professional.

I feel totally ripped off. I created this account just to submit a review.
Having missed the Farmer’s Market across the street by a mere 15 minutes, I decided to try out one of the taco trucks. After a quick Unilocal search, I decided upon this one. It definitely wasn’t worth it. For 5 dollars (plus a 2 dollar tip), I ordered 2 tacos — fish and steak. I was a bit surprised at how quickly the food was prepared because the guy manning the truck seemed to take his time preparing the orders of the two people ahead of me. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized that I had been had.
The steak taco was just a small taco with a tiny bit of (tasteless) steak on it. That was it. No toppings at all. What I saw before me looked nothing like the pictures uploaded on Unilocal.
The fish taco was well prepared and that’s the only reason why I’m giving this any stars at all. But I won’t be returning for seconds any time soon. There is nothing I hate more than dishonesty.

I am always happy to see new offerings in JC, but I tried a taco platter from here and was amazed at how little food I got for 10 dollars. The tiny amount of meat in the already small tacos was pathetic! I felt totally ripped off.

Had tacos from these guys at a groove on grove event. Awesome. Glad I finally tried them. Hope they stick around.

Awesome food!!! Next time you see their small yellow cart at the Grove stop give them a try, you won’t regret it. I just wish they had a restaurant somewhere I could go to the rest of the time.

Newest and most authentic taco cart in town. I’ve made myself a Unilocal account right after i tried them i realized they had not being reviewed in Unilocal yet. You have to try their tacos!!! As mexican as it gets. It is operated by a very friendly couple, both of them from mexico and most willing to provide you with a wonderful culinary experience. You can find them in their yellow cart at grove st path train plaza on fridays taking part of creative grove (a weekly arty, crafty & food event), or serving dinner outside the columbus and marin exit of the path train every other weeknights. Also they serve lunch at jc downtown harbourside (hudson @ 2^nd st).
I know im missing lots of important info, but thats why i dont usually write reviews. And im sure it wont take long untill better and more experienced Unilocalers take over and provide a more detailed picture of this beautifull new little cart