Taco Especial

Been going here for YEARS! Maria is awesome, prices are decent, service is good, nice update to the establishment! However wish the food had a little more taste sometimes! Will come back like I always do (close to my home) restrooms could use an update

Another great place to open a restaurant! Let me explain …
It was 12:35 on a Saturday. Their neon sign was ‘on’. The inside lights were ‘on’. The OPEN sign was in the front window. The kitchen has a window on the front sidewalk … and there were people working in the kitchen. They have a Myspace page that does not reveal their hours. Ditto for their Unilocal page.
The front door was locked. The hours are not listed on the front door. One of the kitchen workers pointed to the OPEN sign in the front/​kitchen window … and waved. I pointed at the front door. He waved again. I tried calling the phone number listed here … ring, no answer.
Anyone know the days & hours that the serve customers?

My fiancé kept bragging about how he loved this place when he was younger, so I gave it a try. The rice was very good, not the dried up kind you usually see. Big portions and decent prices. Also, chip and dip is delicious. I would recommend!

What is with all of these glowing positive reviews for this place, have any of you ate at ANY of the fabulous Mexican restaurants in the metro area?
I have ate at several of the Outstanding, and sometimes infamous Mexican restraunts in the Metro Area. Some well known, others not so much. And have even tried several of the Taco trucks, one of which is now know in our office simply as «THE» Taco Truck.
This is my first review, in fact I created this account because this is the first time in years of use that Unilocal steered me wrong.
A coworker and I found ourselves in the area and decided to give it a try. The waitress came with Chips and Salsa, and the menus. I asked what kind of Tacos they have, after all Taco is in their name. The reply back was Corn or Flour, Strike one. So then I asked more specifically, what meats, «Ground Beef, Chicken, and Beef Chunks» Strike Two. What, no Lomo, Cabeza, Al Pastor, etc!!! This is a taco place right? And whats a «Beef Chunk»
OK, change of plans, I ordered the Enchiladas. time to eat some chips and salsa. The chips were good, obviously sourced from one the local suppliers, I have had the same chips several places. The salsa was OK, but had no Cilantro in it, a little odd, but everyone has a different twist on Salsa…
Well my «Enchiladas» came I am going to quote Wikipedia here, «An enchilada is a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a chili pepper sauce.» What I got was a corn tortilla rolled around a filling covered with cheese, no sauce, just cheese. And lets get to that filling, the Ground beef was hamburger fried with onions, and little if anything else. The Chicken was what looked to be frozen shredded chicken cooked with Cumin, and little if anything else. Maybe it wasn’t frozen, but it certainly wasn’t good.
Is it better than Taco Bell? Maybe, but just like Taco Bell, this aint Mexican food. If your in this area and want Mexican food, try the taco truck down the street, at least it will have some flavor.

I am currently sitting here waiting for the waitress to reappear.
I walk in and am blocked by a line of people trying to pay their bills. there are no signs to seat yourself or wait… so I make my way through and seat myself.
The server comes to my table with chips and salsa. No good. I read mainly positive reviews of this place but there was a bad one that commented on the salsa taste and deep down I had a feeling he was right. He was.
I ordered the lunch special of two steak tacos and rice and beans. The rice looked like it came straight from the «mexican rice» lipton packages. It was also hard :/​the beans were okay.
The steak tacos were in a fried corn tortilla. I was given the option of flour or corn. I took a bite and grease poured out of the bottom. The steak was good but had a similar taste that can be made at home, which is not necessarily bad but something Ive ever had at a mexican restaurant.
All in all; salsa no bueno. Rice no bueno. Everything else okay. Waitress abandoned everyone as soon as her son came in.
I cant believe this place has so many good reviews! Los Arcos market off of Fort and Southfield is sooo much tastier and a lot less money.

Definitely one of the better choices for Mexican food in the downriver area, and by far the nicest staff that use really fresh ingredients with their food. The chicken burrito dinner is absolutely a surefire hit if you have a taste for burritos.

I have to say this is one of the best mexican restaurants I have eaten at. It is a small place with great food and staff. I usually order cheese and jalapeños quesadillas with rice and beans. Their rice is so moist and tasty. I normally don’t eat beans but their beans are so good. I have had the chicken fajitas and would order them again. Very creamy and tasty. If you like Mexican food, I suggest you try here. You will like it. They do not serve alcohol.

I’ve been coming here for over 15 years and it is the best Mexican food in the world! (I’ve been to several places in Mexico lol) I’ve enjoyed everything on the menu and they have the tastiest rice and beans. Staff is friendly and prices are good. The only cons are they don’t serve alcohol, so no margaritas, and they neighborhood is a little rough

I’ve been to Taco Especial several times now. I like ordering different items from the menu. On every occasion the food was nicely presented, plentiful and tasted great. I also like that they don’t put salt on their tortilla chips. They are very tasty. Salsa both mild and hot is excellent. Highly recommended.

They have the best authentic Mexican food in the Down River area! The prices are more than reasonable and you always get your money’s worth, the service is blazing fast, and the employees always friendly!

I have been going to taco e for many years probablly since they opened in the 80“s it has never been a let down the food allways is great it looks more like it was a picture in a magazine. the cooks take pride in preparation and presentation of there food everyone who works there is very nice and they seem to have employeed the same people for many years which makes it even better. the cooks will actually at times bring the food to your table all I have to say is this is a great place with great food and great staff that I am proud to say I eat there.

Great food and excellent customer service. I go here almost every Friday if I can. Have no idea what that other person was talking about from Royal Oak, guess he thinks (like most people who live in Royal Oak or north of Detroit) he is superior because he doesn’t live downriver. Oh, and I have lived several years in Southern California — I know what good Mexican is and this place is one of the best in Michigan. The fact of the matter is this place has authentic & tasty Mexican food (great chips & guacamole too) and I am never disappointed by their fajitas and customer service. Not sure if that Royal Oak person has a low IQ or what but chunks of meat are meat cut up into chunks. Not sure why that is so hard to understand. And yes, they do have cilantro — just ask! :)

Taco Not So Special is what they should call this dump
I cant believe all the raving reviews from the people on here about this place.
But I guess if you live in the Ecorse area, anything is good, especially if you arent getting shot or stabbed during dinner.
I think I would have rather been shot than have to eat here. it was just that bad.
Taco Bell would have been better than this. Thats not saying much since Taco Bell is pretty much garbage in a tortilla.
First sign of it going to be a bad meal was when they brought out the chips and salsa. The chips were stale… not just one of them but the whole basket. I would have asked for new chips if the waitress was more attentive, but that’s another story altogether. The salsa were god awful. I think they must have used the juice from canned tomatoes and put it into a bowl and called it salsa. It was watery and tasteless, sorta like if they put Miley Cyrus in a bowl. The hot wasn’t any better, I didn’t know heat was a flavor, but to them it is. It was just spicy tomato water. I would like some texture to my salsas, not something I should sip through a straw. I wasn’t sure if it was salsas or mini bowl of gazpacho.
The meal was equally as bad. I asked what meat they had for fillings. They said ground beef (should have known it was going down hill after hearing that), chicken, beef chunks and pork chunks. What the hell are chunks? is that a new Mexican cooking technique that hasnt been discovered here, sorta like like Sous Vide, but with chunks? I asked if it was Al Pastor and the waitress looked dumbfounded. She is a Mexican working in a Mexican restaurant. She looked at me like I was speaking mandarin to her. I went with the ground beef, since I couldn’t clearly get a straight answer out of her what the chunks were and how they were cooked.
The meals came and they were nothing more than TacoBell on a huge plate with twice the price. The enchiladas were dry and tasteless. Didn’t they teach the cook what salt is? I asked the waitress again, I thought the enchiladas were covered in a red sauce. She replied back that they were dipped into the sauce. I looked again and wondered… dipped where? I don’t see any sauce. They must have just hovered the tortillas over the sauce and hoped that some flavor would jump on them. It was dry and covered in cheese. I really have a thing against Mexican food that is covered with cheese. Its just not right and it just covers up what flavor the meat (fillings) does have. Dairy products aren’t used in Mexico like they are here.
We waited around for the check, but she never came. I guess she was too busy with all the local yokels who were there getting their regular stuff, since they refused to look at a menu. I guess those people don’t know what good Mexican food is either, when they order the same crap over and over again.
My suggestion is, avoid this place like a leper hemophiliac with HepC and just go down to the taco truck a few blocks down the street. They are cheaper and way more authentic than this place. At least they have Al Pastor and Cabesa. They use cilantro too. something that Taco Especial seems not to know what it is. How can you have real Mexican food and not have cilantro?

The best Mexican food in this area, this restaurant has been here for years & ran by the same family.

I love this place! Definitely the best Mexican food downriver! Great food! Very nice staff. They recently remolded the dining room so everything is nice, bright, and festive. I love ordering their chunky beef burritos or the tostadas. Awesome stuff!

Low price, authentic Mexican. If only they delievered it would be everything I ever wanted.

I’ve/my family have been coming here since I was a little girl! And that was a loooong time ago! Ok not that dang long… but over well over 20yrs. Always has been the real authentic Mexican food!
Usually I just get the corn tacos they are awesome!
Family owned… I’m pleasantly surprised that they’re still in business… I bet they’ve been there for over thirty years!!!
Very nice ppl, nice service, reasonably priced food!
BRAVO Taco Especial!!!

Fantastic Mexican food in a unique and quite dingy and dumpy setting that makes me glad I don’t live nearby b/​c I would eat here all the time.
Chimichangas were some of the best I have ever had…

This is the Mexican food I grew up eating. I still go there when I come back to down. The food is always well prepared. The ingredients are fresh. The food is what I consider authentic Mexican.
It has not changed much in the last 20 years. I normally get take out and haven’t been inside in about 4 years, but when I have ate inside the service has always been good. The time for the take out is always reasonable.
My go to is the burrito grande with chunky beef and cheese. It comes with a side of rice (very good rice) and refried pinto beans. If you are in Ecorse or Lincoln Park and are looking for some good Mexican food then I highly recommend.

My lunch crew had a hankering for Mexican, but the usual locations didn’t interest. OK, Let’s try something different.
Someone suggested Taco Especial in Ecorse. I said that’s a long drive almost down to the river, If we’re doing that kind of driving, why not just go to Xioces. And Ecorse isn’t exactly a garden spot in the area. I expressed my concerns. My lunch crew responded:
Taco Especial. Trust me, you’ll like it
So we headed down Southfield Road and crossed the creek into what looked like a desolate area. Not someplace I would ever travel to for food. Someplace I’d pass through to get elsewhere.
Taco Especial. Trust me, you’ll like it.
As we traveled farther down Southfield, someone recounted the story of the rat infested mobile home park that Wayne County shut down awhile back. Yeah there are the remnants of the park facing Southfield Rd. What a landmark. I’m thinking nothing good can come from this trip. From the back seat I hear.
Taco Especial. Trust me, you’ll like it.
I pulled into the parking lot which hadn’t been plowed in days. There was one derelict car in the back of the lot. On the positive side, the building looked well maintained and freshly painted bright green and red.
Taco Especial. Trust me, you’ll like it.
As I walked into the place at 11:30 am it was empty. Not another sole in the dining room. No sign of a lunch crowd. On the positive side, on the way to the dining room you walk right past the kitchen which is antiquated, but clean.
Taco Especial. Trust me, you’ll like it.
The dining room is a collection of different artifacts. Old pistol-​as and pictures of men with guns wearing bandoleers on the walls. Rattle Snake hides, Sombreros, maracas, even a stuffed smiling red pepper. This stuff looked more like a collection that was cared for, rather than something spewed from Restaurant Decore r Us.
Taco Especial. Trust me, you’ll like it.
Chips and Salsa came quickly and to my surprise and delight the hot salsa was actually hot. Not some gringo interpretation of hot. Next thing I noticed on the menu was that the owners, Mr. & Mrs. Juan Garcia, put their names on the front cover. After we ordered, the owner Juan came out to greet the patrons (by now 3 tables full) with a big proud smile. He seemed to be saying:
Taco Especial. Trust me, you’ll like it.
When the food came, we were all delighted. My 3 Demonico Steak Tacos were very good. Others enjoyed their Enchiladas and Tamales. All in all, my fears were not founded. This is a good restaurant owned by someone who cares and is proud of his place. I will go back.
So if your in the area and like a good meal and support a nice family run business, I can now say:
Taco Especial. Trust me, you’ll like it.