El Fogon

On our first visit, my wife and I had assorted tacos and verde enchiladas, respectively. The flavors were delicious, varied and balanced. (The enchiladas could have been a bit hotter — not spicier, but hotter.)The verde sauce had a nice kick. Service was fast and friendly. The atmosphere is a little odd, but it was comfortable and we had everything we needed. This is a half-​service place, by which I mean that you order at pay at the counter, but your food is delivered to your table. We had half expected paper or styrofoam plates and plastic forks, but got proper plates and silverware. The salsa bar wasn’t as well-​stocked when we visited as the pictures show, but the meals as served didn’t really need anything more (though we sampled the three salsas that were out and enjoyed them). We’re looking forward to visiting again and trying more from their menu.

Legit tacos. Takes me back to living in California. Honestly it gives me so much nostalgia I’m probably not being very objective in this review, but I don’t care. If you want legit tacos in Longmont, this is the spot to go to.

So far I’ve had the pastor, carne asada, and lengua tacos here, and they’re all fantastic! They pay some extra attention to plating, the salsa bar boasts some fantastic flavors (to the left of the ordering window), and there is a friendly, cheerful, family atmosphere here that I really enjoy. I will be heading back to this place regularly.

This place is a genuine Mexican eatery that is family operated by … true Spanish speaking Hispanics. For all you culturally challenged gringos out there, have no fear, they do speak English. Also there are local Hispanic families that patronize the place. So if you like genuine Mexican dishes, El Fogon is a good option compared to the other «Mexican» restaurants in town who likes to smother cheese on their «Mexican» food.
I have had both the al pastor tacos and burrito. The meat is distinctly flavorful, especially with a little squeeze of lime. The best taco I had was back in 1990 at a remote cantina in the middle of nowhere in the Yucantan on the way to Chichén Itzá in Mexico. All the flavor was in the meat and the al pastor at El Fogon reminds me of those tacos long ago.
They also serve the Mexican coke with real cane sugar!

I love tacos, and I love the tacos Pastor here! I haven’t found a place that can quite compare yet. The only thing I’ve ever ordered are the tacos so I can’t speak to anything else on the menu. I’ve been here about 10 times over the last 3 years or so.
Hard to beat the price at $ 5.40 for 3 tacos!
I have had a few times where the cashier doesn’t speak much English and I don’t speak much Spanish so asking a lot of questions could be challenging at times.
I am talking about the location at 2333 Main St. At the North end of Longmont, that also has the Fogon Market Mexican grocery store attached.
(I’m not too sure about the bright green location in the middle of Longmont on Main St. I didn’t like it much there.)

I have now tried both the tacos al pastor and the carne asada smothered burrito and both dishes were excellent. The meat is cooked and seasoned perfectly and the portions are great for the price. If you are in the area and enjoy traditional Mexican cuisine give tacos el fogon a try I promise you will not be disappointed.

My buddy and I have been searching Boulder and Longmont for the best Tacos
Current Ranking: # 6 out of 9
Food: Great Tacos! I had the Pastor and the Asada tacos and they were both great. The price was also awesome! They also had a great spread of salsas.
Service: Quick and friendly that’s all I ask for — check!
Atmosphere: Nothing fancy or special here, just a couple of tables and chairs and the mandatory tv in the corner playing telenovelas :)

Note the recent name change… Now called El Fogon tacos… the atmosphere is basic and campy but genuine. Divey but clean. The folks who work here are very pleasant and helpful. The salsa bar is well-​stocked and a plate of four soft tacos will run around $ 7. I ordered sides of pintos and of avocados to supplement the taco plate, which, with a Diet Coke, ran just over $ 10 total. The tacos al pastor (diced pork with pineapple) had pork that was nearly all a little too dry and a couple pieces had enough gristle to exceed my standards for pleasant mastication (napkin please?). The lime green salsa had a kick and was a great way to mask the dryness of the meat. I also enjoyed the whole jalapeños from the salsa bar. I would definitely come here again but next time I would probably not order one plate that had all the same kind of tacos.

We went there when it was just opening, so hopefully things have improved.
The food was terrible. Inedible. The staff knew it and seemed embarrassed at serving it. I told them it was awful, and they agreed. Wow.

Very good authentic tacos. Excellent al Pastor and salsas.

We recently moved to Longmont and have been excitedly checking out our new local restaurants. My wife and I decided to try Taqueria el Fogoncito this week, as it was close to home and errands.
As we walked in about Noon, we were struck by how quiet it was, at least in terms of customers. The television was blaring Univision. In fact, there were no other customers inside when we arrived. Looking at the menuboard, our hopes started to rise. Great sounding options and a very authentic feel helped us overlook the fact that the prices weren’t in keeping with our past experiences in this sort of taqueria.
I opted for 4 tacos al pastor (my go to test for a new place) and my wife ordered 2 lengua and 2 camarones tacos. Since there was no fountain option, my wife got a can of diet Pepsi and I a bottle of Jarritos Mandarina. Our total was nearly $ 20. Wow.
After ordering and paying, we took our seats. A quick trip to the salsa bar to get some salsas showed a nice selection and they had pickled carrots and peppers… which I usually love. Then we waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
While we waited, I snacked on the carrots which were… unimpressive. Nicely enough spiced, but limp and not crisp at all.
Eventually (actually 10 minutes, but remember, we were still the ONLY customers) our food arrived. My wife started with the lengua and it was lengua. Now I always think lengua is dry and hers lived up to my (low) expectations. She wasn’t that impressed either. My pastor was also dry, which made me sad. I usually expect carnitas to be dry, but good pastor isn’t and, sadly, this was. Some salsa kept the meal from abject failure. My wife’s camarones were, by her account, better, but not stellar. She didn’t share any with me, which I’ll take as verification that it was the best thing we ordered.
So, bottom line. Slow. Expensive. Not great. We’ll keep looking for a good Longmont taqueria.

second time here and the place is great. Tacos, smotherd Burrito were great. People and service is very friendly. I tried four different meats in the tacos and the langua and al Pastor was excellent. My kids had shredded pork and loved it.
Bottom line is excellent traditional food at a great price and friendly folks running the place. Our new favorite

Just had the Tacos al Pastor to go. Talk about crunchy burnt ends and flat top grilled pineapple. And 4 tacos for 6 bucks. Wow !!!
If I lived here I would eat here regularly.
Also, the meat market next door has well cut meats, marinated meat and especially clean and hygenic.
Wonderful find. Longmont, Taste the pineapple !!

Just hit this place today and I’ll be back again for more tacos al pastor. I live in Louisville and there is no place to get a good traditional taco anywhere in town (note to aspiring restaurateurs…).
I tried a variety of their tacos and if you ask me the best was, by far, the al pastor. Why do I even stray? I know it’s all I want.
Next time I’ll grab the tongue tacos and let you know how those are.

As a Gringo, I have to say that I REALLY like the food at this joint. Probably my favorite Mexican food haunt in all the world. The Meat on the Cone that you see spinning, that is «Al Pastor», it is Shepard style Pork (Kinda cooked like a Greek Gyro), and it is Incredible when it is perfect, and still damn good when it’s not. Also their Esada meat (Seasoned beef) is very very good.
The menu is in Spanish, but it’s all pretty self explanatory with the pictures. A good option for a first timer would be a Quesadilla Al Pastor, and a couple Asada Tacos with Cilantro and Onions along with a Bottle of Coke (Coke is served here ’50’s style in a glass bottle). Or a burrito Al Pastor and a Coke. The light green Salsa is the best.
The interior is a bit of an eyesore as far as the decoration, but seems resonably clean, also the food prep area looks clean and well kept.
Give it a shot.

This place has very good authentic Mexican food and is worth going to. Prices are inexpensive and the food is good. The restaurant has a little salsa bar type thing which their salsas are very tasty but the down side of that is that there were several flies that also liked the salsa bar as well. Yuk. If you are a gringo like me and don’t go to these types (meaning mainly Hispanic people as being the customer base which of course is not a bad thing but you experience a different culture authentically and may take some adjusting) of places that much you may (or have the feeling of) being stared at by people… customers mainly. If you really want the food though you will ignore all of that and have their truly enjoyable tortas.

I somehow have it in my mind that any taqueria attached to a carniceria or panaderia is going to be at least okay if not good eats and Fogoncito seems to follow that train of thought for me. I tried an al pastor, barbacoa, asada, and carnita taco there and enjoyed them all but I give the al pastor the edge for tastiness (I like crispy). I’m afraid I’m the guy that always asks for the butt of the prime rib, burnt ends at a BBQ joint, and always gets the burnt part tossed on my plate whenever it’s available from someone else’s dinner. Color me caramel-eyes’d I guess. I probably would have given them a three+ star rating had it not been for me finding the pig molcajete I’d been looking for in their attached market. That bumped it up to the four. Que bueno.

Checked out this taqueria a bit on the north, northside, as an option for when I can’t score the goods from Denver.
Had carnitas and al pastor tacos both were ok, but lacking. Carnitas was too soggy and no crisp, some decent fattiness, but flavor overall wasn’t all there. Al pastor was too dry and chewy and almost burnt on outside. My friend also had asada, which he thought was fine — not terrible and not great.
Salsa bar decent, but def a bit limited; pico was quite hot with abundant spicy peppers. All salsas were at least mildly hot. I’m no expert, but Horchata tasted different than the 6 good ones I’ve had in my life, so my guess is it could be from a mix?
Atmosphere is clean, bright, but basic fast-​food booths rules the setting — think chucky cheese colors? Not for date night. Around 6:30 this weeknight, non-​latinos were in the majority. Based on just one visit, since I only had tacos, Fogoncito’s OK for a quick bite, but I think I’ll try a different Longmont taqueria next.

I’ve eaten at Taqueria el Fogoncito three or four times now, and I really like it.
You order at the counter then come back up to get your food on a tray when they call your number. What you get is hot, fresh and very tasty. Portions are appropriately generous. I’ve always been the only gringo in the place when I’ve visited, which I see as a good testament to the authenticity of the food.
They have a salsa bar with 4 or 5 salsas, all very good, along with sliced radishes and nopalitos that you can help yourself to. (I’m an unrepentant salsa slut, as it turns out, and their salsa bar gives me what I need.)
They just opened a Mexican market in the space adjacent to the restaurant, complete with a bakery, the usual packaged goods, a decent selection of produce, an honest-​to-​goodness cheese counter and the best Mexican butcher shop I’ve come across! (They even have goat — ‘chivo’ — which I’ve been trying to find.) The guy at the meat counter was unbelieveably friendly, and I look forward to shopping there soon.

I visited this place for the first time over the weekend and ordered some tacos. They were great! As Jen K. said, this is the real deal — authentically Mexican. We were the only non-​Latinos in the joint, which was a great sign. It can be a little intimidating if you aren’t Spanish-​speaking, but the woman working the counter when we went was fluent in English as well. They are definitely catering to the large Longmont Hispanic population.
We had the al pastor and carnitas tacos. Delicious. Everything else that came out of the kitchen looked really great too. The salsa bar was full of yumminess. We’re definitely going back.
Seems like a good place to get take-​out as the atmosphere is not so great — sort of like an 80s McDonald’s vibe maybe.
If your idea of great Mexican food is Juanita’s, I don’t know if you’ll be into this. But if you want something more authentic. Try El Fogoncito.