Taqueria San Jose

Great ambiance in an old drive in and picnic tables all around! Tried to get the gordita but decided not to because of the 40 minute wait time. Ended up getting the chorizo burrito, chorizo taco, asada taco, barbacoa taco and some horchata. Would definitely recommend all!

They seriously have some of the best Mexican food. Hands down! Taco Cunado and Luna are close but their tamales are by far the best.

Ive been here many times, i loveee their tacos. The best ive had. Once I ordered take out and they screwed up my order so i had to wait longer. The guy was cooking was really nice and said sorry and gave me a free drink. If you go here I recommend ordering over the phone cause they’re always busy.

I’ve been searching GR for the best taco place for years. I think it’s safe to say I’ve found it! I’m a huge sucker for tacos al pastor and these people know how to do it right. Small little hole in the wall kitchen with a drive in diner setup. If you’re a fan of REAL authentic Central American food, I highly suggest Jose. These people genuinely appreciate each and every one of their customers, so you can be assured that your food will be quality.

This is by far the best Mexican restaurant in Grand Rapids. Their chicken burritos are amazing– add beans, rice, and guac! The tacos are really good, I love the carnitas. Their green salsa is the best– put it on everything. Limited seating available inside, so if you’re going with a group, make sure it’s warm out or that you’re bundled up.

As far as West Michigan tacos go, this place is the best around. I take my Mexican food pretty seriously, and i gotta say, seriously, go here.

I love this place so much. I get tacos every time. Sometimes you have to wait a little while but it is totally worth it. Usually I just call ahead and the order is ready when I get there. They keep it simple but delicious. And cheap!

We’ve been here several times now. This is THE authentic place in Grand Rapids. The menu is rather large and I’ve tried six different tacos now and all burst with flavor and are reasonably priced.
If you are looking for chunky, flavorful salsa, this is your place!
The staff is very friendly and each order is made while you wait. and very fresh!

I’ve been a regular at TSJ for the last couple of years, the food has always been good the service has always been horrible! You really need to phone your order in ahead of time because if you think you’re going to go there for lunch or dinner expect a 20 to 30 minute wait just for your meal. That’s an unacceptable wait for a taco stand style facility. There is way too much competition in the neighborhood of really comparable food. Today was my last time I will be heading back to my other favorite authentic Mexican place.

This is by far the best Mexican food in GR and I’ve hit up almost all of them at least once. About as authentic and fresh as it can get. They don’t even fuck around with the flavorless American variations. No orange cheese or or weak ass sauces. Just straight up delicious Mexican tacos, burritos, tortas, gorditas, etc. with lots of cilantro, spice, and plenty of delicious house salsa options. They have ample vegetarian options and are very good about doing vegetarian variations, which can sometimes be a challenge at Mexican restaurants.
This place seriously checks all of my boxes for for authentic Mexican food. I’m not surprised they have such loyal following on here. This place is tiny, yet it’s always packed whenever I’m there, no matter what time or day of the week.
Just be aware this is more of takeout joint than a sit-​in kinda place. While there is some seating (about 5 or 6 small tables on the inside and some outside benches), San Jose looks a little rough overall. But trust me, the lack of ambience and rushed, overtaxed service is worth enduring for the amazing food.

Easily the best Mexican in the Greater GR area, I would recommend the marinated pork, tongue, goat, and chicken tacos. The meat is always juicy and tender, the service is friendly, and it’s very reasonably priced for the quality of food you’re going to get!
The level of authenticity at San Jose is unreal, any mixture of meats and their sauces will blow you away. I can honestly say that I’ve had better tacos at this restaurant in Grand Rapids, than in Mexico.

Disclaimer: I lived in LA for an extensive period and often frequented Mexico so my standards on Mexican food is a little biased.
I got one of everything basically, and nothing super stood out.
Pro: Isn’t Americanized at all, so in a sense is a pretty authentic location. The atmosphere reminds me of East LA and is oddly comforting.
They have a pretty extensive menu so maybe I’ll keep trying until I find something that clicks. I really want to like this place.

No half stars but 3.5 for rating.
I so wanted to like this place. Which I did… just didn’t love it. Too be fair, Metro Detroit has more superb Mexican fare to choose from than GR.
I had bookmarked this place for the next time I was in GR. Wanted to partake in the outdoor seating but it was December. Ate inside on a busy Saturday, so a bit cramped, but I was comfy. Ordered a carne asada/​steak burrito (no lettuce) and taco and a pollo/​chicken taco and a side of guac. Came with homemade stone ground chips which were bueno.
I was disappointed they did not serve carnitas, which is usually my fave at most taquerias.
This is a quaint, much beloved spot and I can understand why. Authentically run. The food was good. The guac was tasty. The chicken meat was the better of the two types I ordered. With a nice grilled taste. While solid, it did not top my Detroit faves. Found the steak a touch bland. Good shells and three tasty sauces to choose from. My friend loves their chicken quesadillas. The burrito was tasty, a bit small though. It did not have beans or rice as most places in the Detroit area for the price. I would go with chicken next time if I did order it.
Three sauces: two red, one green. The reds have a nice kick and taste. Not the best Ive had but better than some. The green was jalapeño and tomatillo based. Wasn’t a fan. Too basic. One of the reds is aribol based, which is the hotter of the two. Forgot my cam to document examples.
Next time I will try the barbacoa everyone raves about in reviews.

I have to update my review and knock it down a star because I got the quesadilla again today and it was definitely not as good as last time. It had about half of the cheese that it did last time, and it was kind of flavorless. The barbacoa was still amazing though! Again, we waited at least 30 minutes for our food (we sat outside at the picnic tables). Next time, I will definitely call in my order ahead of time. I wish it was a little quicker and more consistent.

These tacos are by far the most delicious tacos I’ve tried in Grand Rapids. Barbacoa (beef), birria (goat), al pastor (pork), lengua (tongue), they’re all great! Their fresh sauces are spicy and flavorful and the meat is fall apart tender. Wrap everything up in a double layer of grilled corn tortillas with cilantro and onion.
The restaurant, well more shack than restaurant, is not much to look at or be in quite frankly. But the food’s great and you can take it to go if you prefer. When it’s nice outside, try the red and green picnic tables out front. In the winter grab a seat at one of their five tables inside.
Service is generally hurried so don’t expect an enthusiastic welcome. Wait times are consistently long after ordering too, but trust me it’s worth it.

Looking for authentic Mexican food that is fresh and delicious? This is it! The neighborhood and ambiance is a little rough, but the food is really good.
Had the Asada taco, Pastor, and my boyfriend had the goat, shredded beef, and steak tacos. All were sooo good! Added onion and cilantro for an added charge. The salsa and chips were freshly made and nice and spicy. Had the iced horchata and the tamarind soda… all for nineteen dollars and change. Friendly service and a line of people waiting to place their orders on a Thursday night. Will go again!

Like many Unilocalers, I defer to Unilocal in times of uncertainty and places unknown. I was in Grand Rapids, MI headed to a wedding in Grand Haven and had a few hours to kill (poor planning, long story). Anywho, this would have been a 5-​star review but there was a severe timeliness issue. That aside, everything was great.
I arrived at Taqueria San Jose some time after 11:00am, definitely before the lunch rush. When I got there, there was already a line forming at the door. The line went rather quickly since people already knew what they wanted to order. However, the wait for the food was extremely ridiculous. There were tons of people waiting for their food. I must have waited over an hour for 3 tacos. Your best option is to call ahead and order take out. The take out orders seem to be prioritized here, then the walk-​in orders are prepared. The long wait was not good. Minus one star. (Though, I was pretty entertained by the Latin soap opera on TV).
The food was FANTASTIC! I was really glad that the food was worth the wait. You can’t say this about every place you visit but Taqueria San Jose delivered the goods. I ordered three tacos, each individually filled with barbacoa, al pastor, and lengua (in order of preference). This was the BEST barbacoa taco that I have ever had. In my life. It even rivaled the ones at my favorite taco place in Lansing! That’s a big deal. The al pastor taco was very delicious, though they did not add the pineapple that is typical of this taco. It was still really good though. Lastly, I was disappointed that the lengua did not have much flavor to it. It was also not cooked the way I like– tender and juicy. It was a bit on the firm side, which I don’t tend to like.
I would definitely come here again should I have reason to be in the area. However, I would definitely order take out because the super long wait killed my stomach (I was hungry). Nevertheless, the tacos are totally worth the wait (especially the barbacoa taco) so there’s that to look forward to when you visit.

Great authentic Mexican food. I opted for the chicken burrito (I know, boring) and my husband got some tacos. Both were great! I need to go back and venture outside of my shell a little with the food.
I will say to expect to sit outside in the summer. We went there around 6pm on a Friday and it was getting really busy. Super small and cramped inside. We got there before the rush but still had to wait about 25 minutes for food. That’s what I expect for a Friday evening out though-​longer waits. We’ll be back.

Wow… I seriously don’t know where to start. This was an incredible find, thanks to Unilocal.We were headed out of town and wanted some place that would be quick. Honestly, when we saw the place we almost drove by. But it does get a lot of Unilocal love. I’m SO GLAD we stopped. The staff were very friendly, and it was a nice day so the outdoor seating option worked out fine.
We totally over-​ordered, and it was still under $ 20. They have lots of delicious Mexican sodas in the bottle. We started off with chips and salsa and the salsa was delicious! Very fresh tasting and made us excited for our meal to arrive. We had a chicken quesadilla and it was perfectly crisp and had just the right amount of cheese. But the tacos were the star here! Rated in order of preference: Pastor, Asada, Chicken, Chorizo (told you we over-​ordered). They also bring out 3 different bottled sauces for the tacos. The green (tomatillo) one was my favorite but they were all very good and added a little something special to an already fantastic taco!
I can’t wait to come back to this place. Very authentic. Give it a try, you won’t be sorry!

This tiny place on Division is easy to miss, but don’t! It has some of the best Mexican food in GR — or anywhere else!
The shredded beef tacos are fresh and off-​the-​hook delicious. The chicken tacos are similarly good. I also got a chorizo torta, and I was glad I did — so full of flavor! The homemade sauces are great and the grilled pepper was just spicy enough to make me smile. They even had a cold tamarind soda to wash it down.
Very reasonably priced and friendly staff. I will be back again and again!!! I can eat a lot, but I wish I had an extra stomach for this place!