Taqueria La Esmeralda

Once again I go to the South O spot… they still hate white people. Sad, I give them multiple opportunities and still same result. Just because I don’t speak SPANISH doesn’t mean be rude as hell

Wonderful service, great food, easy parking late at night.
This is one of the few establishments open past 9pm on this Tuesday.
I found it here on Unilocal,and it’s located just off the highway coming back from the airport so it was convenient.
They have a simple menu, with all the standards
I ordered the chicken burrito with guacamole and a steak torta.
The person before me was having he torta and it looked amazing.
Service by the woman was very friendly and welcoming.
They do serve beer here along with the agua Fresca. I ordered the melon and it was very nice. Not too sweet, just enough flavor.
I’d definitely come back if in the area.
They have 2 doors, you enter on the left and it’s partitioned to control the flow of the line.
Next time i would like to try the cubana or the Milanese.

This place has very ancient Mexican foods. I really enjoy going there. Last time I bought nachos with steak and chicken. It was alright except they put too much nacho cheese on it, which I didn’t like. Other than that I would recommend this place.

It’s an «experience».
The best damn Cubano in Omaha. Unreal.
It is a Mexican diner style, not a wait staff type place. It is out of the way, but worth the extra mile.

Went in pretty late in the night. There was no one else. Just the cook and one lady. Got 3 chicken tacos. I was skeptical if it would be enough based on the size. They actually filled me up pretty well. The cleanliness could be improved a bit, but its a taqueria, so cant expect more. Good sauces along with the tacos and decent selection of beers.

Girlfriend and myself went here after a football game downtown and let’s just it was the best decision to end our evening! They have the BEST chicken tacos in Omaha! Absolutely great service, we asked if they could add cheese; not only did they accommodate but even asked what kind AND at no extra charge! When we received our meal after it was made to order, we asked for extra limes but they did one better; they brought a whole bowl! This restaurant is a MUST go, especially since it is open 24 hours!

4 sober people and one drunk walk into this place and I don’t have a clever punchline for this. It was post concert Attack of the Hunger Force Mega Zord 2014: Tokyo Drift. This place was decided on because we had all eaten there before so I’ll base this review off this experience.
We showed up in waves and put them to work. Wave 1 was a friend and I. He must be pregnant or just all fun’d after having played a pretty killer show. He got a steak quesadilla, rice and beans, chips and salsa, and chips and guacamole. That was his order… preggers. I simply ordered a Cubano torta to slobber on. Tack on 2 horchatas and you had two happy kids. The next wave had 4 steak tacos and something I stopped paying attention to since within 7 minutes my torta showed up. The last wave had a plate of I could give zero frakks because Torta.
I did notice all the food came out quick and looked great and I heard no complaints over my loud chewing noises. So let’s talk about me. Me. Me. Me. Mine! As I said the food came quick and it was why I always order it. Perfectly toast bread, overflowing with the best ways to cook an animal. Steak and ham bits getting all hawt and moist in my mouth with egg and mayo and a bit of bite from the jalapeños that kept jumping at me. Oh my Glob… I’m having a moment just writing this. Hold on sec…
(5 minutes of uncomfortable silence later)
Ok…I’m back. Had to floss the leftovers out my teeth so I could chew the flavor out of them. Yup… that’s what I did. So to say this place is more than just a late night «why not» place is an understatement. It’s good on all fronts. But it can be pricey. Pregger’s order alone was $ 21. The portions are there but some people may see that as steep and a mild deterrent. I can say you get what you pay for and that rings true here. It measures up. I say it does. I’m Hispanic, I’m legit. And I have an Ex-​Wife eating T-​Rex, named D’Brickashaw. Come at me!!! Put this in your facehole! Eat up, Minions!!!

I was hankerin’ some tacos, but in the winter months I choose warmth over trucks and sought out an indoor taco situation. Based on the reviews, I decided to give this spot a go.
Walking in I was momentarily confused. Do I order at the counter? Sit and wait for wait service? Oh wait… either works, depending on if you’re take-​away or dine-​in. Started with salsa and (thick) chips, followed by Coctel de Camarones, and tacos with chicken (one), carne asada (two) and pork cheek (one).
One waitress. One chef. Slow service. Coctel with generous shrimp was oddly sweet but octopus was a bit on the chewy side. Chicken taco was a no-​go as it was a bit flavorless and pale. Carne asada taco a bit better. Pork cheek taco was yum.
All said, under $ 20, but overall, not my fav option for my taco fix.

We stopped here on the way back to Arizona because of the reviews on Unilocal.They are ACCURATE. GREAT tacos and the horchata was very good. I’m glad we stopped here, even though the area isn’t exactly thriving and there wasn’t much to look at. Some of the customers were a bit sketchy. No offense to any Unilocalers ;)

Got tacos al pastor and some barbacoa tacos along with some horchata. Good Mexican food for Omaha — al pastor was done right (with the pineapple) and was juicy, moist and flavorful. The barbacoa was moist but could afford more flavor. The horchata tasted like it came from a powdered mix.
I’d come back for the tacos al pastor.

This was stop 5 on the 2013 Tour. There were supposed to be six stops but we collectively threw in the towel at stop 5.
I had my fill of tacos before here so I went with Coctel de Camarones (with octopus) and it was outstanding. The reason for the three star rating is the others who went the taco route were not that excited about them and my past experience with tacos here was less than stellar.
The service was good, restaurant was hot & the beer was semi cold.

I had the lengua (beef tongue) and my fiancée had the chicken enchilada. Both were great, large portions with rice and beans. The chips and salsa are free. You get red and green salsa and the green is fantastic (very spicy too). The lengua was served with a ton of small corn tortillas, sliced avocad, diced onion and a heap of cilantro. I was unable to finish the entire plate.
This place offers take out or dine in. Authentic, fast, delicious. The food isn’t expensive, but maybe a bit above the expectation for the atmosphere, but I would go again.

Good authentic Mexican food. Love the tacos de lengua, my fave kind growing up.

It was ok.

I’ve been eating here for years and the food is just as good as the first time! Chips n salsa, lengua, carne asada, barbacoa, chorizo, horchata… all are phenomenal! Tacos n tortas are usually the way i go. If you’re lucky enough to be there for karaōke, you’re in for a treat. Otherwise, just enjoy the novellas!

Overall ⁸⁄₁₀
Taste (⁷⁄₁₀)
Price (⁷⁄₁₀)
Location (⁷⁄₁₀)
Hours (¹⁰⁄₁₀) ²⁴⁄₇ yeeeee
My place for late night munchies in Omaha. Personally, I like the taste of Taqueria Tijuana more. HOWEVER (and this is a big however) I don’t speak Spanish well, and Tijuana doesn’t speak English at all, so it is hard to communicate really. La Esmeralda is also open 24 hours a day, and I can easily order anything. Here is my suggestion:
Go here when it’s late. It’s friendly, English speaking, and fast. Nothing soaks up that beer like tacos!
However, if you can manage a little bit of Spanish, feel like being a little adventurous (for you Omaha locals) try Tijuana or some of the many taco trucks along 24^th in south O. It’s safe, friendly, and best of all, tasty.
Will I be back?
YES
— Happy eating

This place is really yummy! I often crave Mexican food and this is one of the places my husband brought me to one day. I got the chicken burritos here. They were amazing! They were not only the perfect size, but they also had the perfect flavor as well. Not too spicy like some commercial Mexican places. I think one of the best things about this place is their hours! I believe this is the location that is open 24 hours, so if you need to have Mexican food in the middle of the night. Go here :)

We came in on New Years Eve for a low key bite with our daughter and discovered some delicious burritos. First time here, but have been wanting to try for a while. We were needing a new taqueria place since Los Compayes went in the crapper. I think we found it with La Esmeralda.
Each ordered burritos, I had the barbacoa, my husband had the cuban style. Both were fantastic! Meats were flavorful and moist, stuffed with rice, beans, lettuce, tomato, avocado AND jalapenos! Great homemade salsas to compliment the meal. Unlike other taco joints they DO have a liquor license so we could enjoy a beer with our meal… ahhhh Negra Modello.
Now that I know this place is 24hrs, I can guarantee I will be back!

24 hour authentic mexican food! Yummm! We were the only non-​hispanics in the packed place (always a good sign of a restaurants authenticity), and they burst out into Spanish karaōke and it was the most fantastic sight. Two tacos autenticos with carne asada for $ 3.50, and the free chips and salsa are limitless and delicious. They even have a giant basket of sweets from Mexico for 50 cents! I wish it wasn’t so far out of the way for me, but I definitely will be returning.

Not great, but they have three things going for them. One, they are open late. Two, they take bank cards. Most Mexican joints are $ only. Three, they serve Omaha’s biggest, best burrito.
$ 6 may seem like an expensive burrito, until you get one. They are huge. Hungry? Order a cachete burrito and smother it with with salsa verde. About 800 million times better than Alvarado’s, which seems to be Omaha’s go-​to burrito joint.