La Vaquita II

I just had a terrible experience at this place. First, it’s dirty. I’m surprised to have seen a 90.5 sanitation rating, because it certainly does not deserve that from what I saw. There was crap all over the kitchen floor. Second, I ordered three tacos carnitas, which was advertised to come with beans and rice, and a side of queso dip. All of this cost close to $ 14. When I (eventually) arrived home, there was no rice, nor beans. $ 14 for three very small tacos and a half pint of cheese sauce is a rip-​off. Last, I had ordered to go, and it took more than half an hour for them to get my food to me. Dirty, incredibly slow, and a rip-​off? Never going back.

Tamales, pupusas, and posole are all top notch here. There’s nothing here I haven’t liked — carne asada, tacos al pastor, guacamole, even the chips and salsas are good. And it’s dirt cheap!

Located in the end of a strip mall is La Vaquita restaurant. Plenty of parking in a private lot. From the outside it just looks like another small restaurant. Once you enter you wonder what the heck you have gotten yourself into! The place is well worn looking and there are pieces of paper taped up all over the counter area with specials. Then there are the beers and other drinks on top of that which have been there so long that there is dust on them. You pay at the counter when you order, then they bring the food.
The menu is full of specials and you can order other items as well. I got lunch combo #5 which was 2 tacos and a chicken quesadilla, with guacamole. By the time I got a drink and paid tax it was $ 11. Not exactly cheap. The only drinks you can get are in bottle or can. The food came out in a few minutes and was hot and fresh tasting. Talk about super authentic. These were the best tacos I have had in some time. The guacamole was obviously freshly made with plenty of avocado and was definitely good. The tacos were soft tacos with grilled steak, they had a great taste. The quesadilla was packed with chicken and cheese and was good too, but the tacos were the star. Next time I will just get the beef tacos. They are the bomb.
This place is so authentic its like your stepping right into Mexico. That being said its about as clean as Mexico. If this place were cleaned up and remodeled it would be hands down the best Mexican restaurant around. The food already is.

Eww. Just ew. Craving authentic Mexican and found this with the help of my handy Unilocal app. It’s tucked into a corner of an unobtrusive strip mall, and the interior is equally as uninspiring I was tempted to walk out upon entering, finding the volume of the TV hard way too high with reality cr*p and contrasting with the rock en espanol, but decided to place an order with the grumpy face cashier. I ordered a 3 pack of shrimp tacos and a bright, and was surprised at the tone came to $ 14. Can of soda was $ 2.50 alone. I was the only customer, so I was perplexed to why the wait took so long. 10 minutes of waiting, I realized that I could not handle the volume of the TV and radio and asked for my order be made to go. Ended up driving to a nearby park and realized they gave me fish tacos that did not taste so fresh. The rice and beans were nothing to rave about either. There are better Mexican restaurants in the Triad.

Pros:
I loved my food (Lunch plate #1 with a asada and chorizo taco, rice & beans.) I thought the meat was seasoned and cooked wonderfully. The flour tortillas didn’t taste store bought but maybe I’m just easy to please. And beware that they’re topped with cilantro and raw onions (delicious but unexpected… although I don’t know WHAT I was expecting…) The price was great, $ 5.50 and it’s very close for lunch.
Cons:
Not a lot of thought was put into the décor but that didn’t bother me as much as the INCHES of dust I saw on the terra cotta tiles above the cash register leading into the kitchen. The rice and beans were good but nothing special.
That being said, I will definitely return here for lunch!

Best Mexican in Durham (and entire RTP region) hands down.
Fantastic tacos. Chorizo tacos are wonderful

Very simple, small place with lots of specials. Went for lunch and had the tamale plate. Comes with yellow rice, refried beans, salad with queso and crema. Great chips and salsa to start. Big, fluffy tamale with juicy chicken filling. What a tasty deal!

The fajitas were the best I have ever had. Lunch menu is very good. Try the sauces they put on the table. Wish we lived here.
The Unilocal reviews are right on. I love the Latin feel of the place.

We discovered this gem while traveling and every time we drive through Durham, we’re sure to stop. The food is simple and authentic. Not to be missed

Good, authentic Mexican food. I got the al pastor torta and it was one of the most delicious tortas I’ve ever had. My husband got the Asada tacos with beans and rice and it was really good too. The only thing that was a little bad was the wait. They’re making things fresh, so it takes a while for the food to come out. Would totally recommend this place.

I eat at La Vaquitas so much, you might think I need some help.
If you’re familiar with the location on Chapel Hill Road, this location is the exact same thing, except this one has indoor seating and the staff is really nice. I would also say this one has a little bit better torta Cubana.
The following items have made me come here multiple days in a row or twice in a day: torta Cubana, tamales, beef cheek burrito, enchiladas rojas (can’t wait to try the enchiladas verdes), sopes, and gorditas. All of the meats I’ve had, including the carnitas, pastor, chorizo, language, are all great.
Try the red salsa, the guacamole, and the salsa verde with the avocado blended in with it. Their regular salsa verde is ok, but not my favorite.

I’ve been here three times now. It’s kind of a small spot, but there is still typically room. The people that work here are friendly, but maybe a little slow. The food is consistently good and I love Mexican coke. I’ll certainly be back for more of this goodness!

Awesome spot; highly recommend. Food is amazing. Restaurant… well, it’s more like a collection of four tops under fluorescent lights, so I prefer picking up and eating at home. But if you don’t care and just want a place to sit and enjoy a casual meal, by all means, this place is low key. And you can catch some telenovelas.

Stopped in for dinner. This is somewhere in between a food stand and a sit down restaurant. The chips and salsa were good and the carne asada seasoned very well. My wife enjoyed the chicken mole.
We will have to return for the tacos, which I surmise are their strong point.

Really friendly service with basic taco mexican food. I wish there are more traditional plates but overall, i would love to come back and have another bite

Delicious tacos, warm service. Try the lengua

Tried the taco salad — bland steak with Taco Bell-​esque toppings.
I really expected more from La Vaquita considering the quality of Unilocal reviews. Maybe I ordered the wrong dish, but judging from the review photos the tacos don’t look anywhere near as appetizing as those from Chubby’s a few minutes away.

A restaurant that doesn’t serve iced tea in the South won’t last long! I had the «steak» taco salad which was pretty void of any meat. The taste was good but where’s the beef? The refried beans in the salad were very soupy. Don’t know if I’ll be back.

Girlfriend and I needed to make a quick pitstop on the way from Charlotte to Richmond. Pulled in around 20:00 on a Friday night and did not leave until 21:15 because of slow service — poor kitchen management made me give it three stars, even though food was very good.
We ordered the tacos plate (pastor, pollo, and carnitas), a quesadilla with asada, guacamole, and platanos fritos ($ 25 total). Also tried the horchata. Food was great, though guac was more like a smashed avocado than actual guac (fine for us as we like it that way). The waitress was a bit frazzled, and the guy next to us actually walked out without paying the bill while she was in the kitchen.
Would recommend more highly if service was faster! Good Mexican option in Durham for cheap!

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant close to where I live! It’s close to Kroger, great parking spot, amazing food and reasonable price too. It’s a very casual place and the staff have been so nice. I got the 3 tacos special (Barbacoa, asado, and this marinated pork) so good that I got the same one when I came back!