El Favorito Taqueria

Nothing spectacular, but good food. The restaurant was clean and well-​maintained. The prices were more than reasonable for the large portions. I got some kind of meat platter, which I enjoyed, but next time I go, I’m getting one of their chimichangas.

Quick service, best quesadilla in town so far (giant quesadilla), good burritos too.

Came across this restaurant while in the area and was craving tacos. This spot probably had the most reviews too, therefore decided to give it a try. Ordered lengua, chicken, and asada tacos. The price for each taco was reasonable, but there were some stuff on the menu that seemed overpriced for what it was. Lots of tables in the inside, just beware of the flies going in the food. While waiting, there’s chips, salsa, and veggies to snack on. Those were pretty good and so were the sauces. The wait took about 5 – 10 minutes, it was not busy at all for a weekend. Out of the three tacos, the chicken was pretty tasty and a favorite, definitely recommend that. This restaurant was ok, but nothing to die for. They do have a private parking lot and tables outside. Keep in mind, there’s no trash can, just leave it on the table and it’ll be picked up.

Never… ever…ever…will I go back.
This place is the exact same as La Fiesta in Folsom… same script in the menu board… in fact, the menu board is a carbon copy of the one there. Having been to La Fiesta at least a hundred times (literally) I expect a similar experience here. Boy… was I mistaken!
I order the same super burrito, chile verde, no beans, extra rice… that I’ve ordered too many times before to count. I drive home (Christmas eve day so no easy fête)…get changed, comfy and open my burrito to find a floppy soggy mess. I take one bite and the 1^st thing I hit is a pinto bean… no mistaking it… you know a bean when you bite it (especially since nothing else in the burrito should have had that same consistency). I look inside and not a single grain of rice to be seen… just goop.
You know a good burrito… it’s the one that’s solid, busting at the seams with delicious goodness (in my case, it’s the extra rice that makes it stand up. This one was like wrapping milk in a tortilla… floppy and sloppy. It was the opposite of even a decent burrito.
So…not normally one to do it, I get back in the car and head on back to exchange it… because this was an absolutely terrible example of Mexican food… but the place is closer than Folsom so I figure they just made a mistake and I’ll give them a chance to fix it. One time is not enough to swear off a place… give them a chance to make it right and I’ll be happy to come back in the future.
I walk in and explain to the young lady at the counter what had happened… it was supposed to be no beans, extra rice and it seemed to be with beans and no rice. I ask if they could just make a new one (I had taken exactly 1 bite out of it…).
She takes it back to the kitchen and comes back a few seconds later to tell me that it didn’t have any beans. I explain that the bean was the first thing I bit into… and there was no rice and it was floppy… all I want is to have them make a new one. She leaves to come back a few seconds later… this time with the burrito I brought back opened up trying to show me that in the mess of goop, that there were no beans. I explained again that I definitely bit into one… and to look at the fact that there’s no rice. She argues that there IS rice. to which I said «that’s extra rice?»…and she actually said that it was. I swear to you that I looked into the sea of goop (mostly sour cream) and couldn’t see a grain of rice. I simply tell her that I’d like them to make me a new one.
Her reply is «well, I can give you your money back if you want». I tell her that I don’t want my money back, what I want is for them to try again. She says again that I can have my money back… since that’s the way they make their burritos and they don’t want me to just bring it back again.
This is a fair argument… to which my reply was simple: If it’s not right this time, I’m simply never coming back. This is 100% true… I am willing to give them another try to make it right but if their «right» is wrong, then there is no hope of me getting the product I expect and I will never come back.
Guess what folks… I’m never going back. What they gave me had no beans… this is for sure… but it did have hardly any rice… plenty of goop… and this time a soaking wet bag from the dripping burrito to go with it.
As others have said below… there are PLENTY of Mexican places to go to… a little hole in the wall just a block down from this place on Folsom that I cant wait to give a try.
Bottom line: This may LOOK like La Fiesta in Folsom… but it is as far from that as you can get. It is cheaper than Folsom and now I know why… you get what you pay for. This place serves crap food for crap prices. If that’s what you’re after, head on in. If you want decent Mexican food… without the attitude… go elsewhere.

This place has great food and quick service. Not too much more you can ask for. When I walked in, it was lunchtime on a Saturday and the line was about 15 people long. I thought about walking out right then but luckily decided to stick it out because they had a salsa bar that I figured I could get in on.
Well, I did have some chips and salsa and to my surprise, less than 10 minutes into a wait that I had assumed would be 20 minutes, here come our plates.
My nachos were great and her burrito was excellent. Both were Carne asada so I can vouch for the good spicing they used on their beef. I will definitely be returning to this restaurant!

This place is so good and they have the best authentic food around rancho cordova. I’ve ordered countless items off the menu and they’ve all been great. If you like grilled chicken then you’ll love this place. I highly recommend this place to everyone. They have a menu for everyone.

What can I say other than this little hole in the wall was great. Nothing fancy just killer grub.
Highly recommended. Wish it was on my side of town.
I ordered the Carnitas Plate. Awesome and huge!
Don’t fill up on chips and salsa unless you want to take a to go box.
I will be back!

A group of us had a soccer tournament at elk grove 2 weeks ago and we stayed at a hotel in Rancho Cordova. We ended up going to this Taqueria 2 nights in a row they had good food, price was fair, comfortable seats and all, the employees handeled us pretty well
(the place was full), they had a great chip & salsa bar, BUT the only negative thing was that i ordered (4 of us actually ordered) Shrimp Coctails witch were good but we all orderd them hot and when we got them they were cold after i got mine last and told the employeees to please make sure atleast mine would be hot, when they handed it to me it wasn’t even hot we were all disapointed about that. idk why they were cold idk if the glass cups they give them in remain cold i would suggest they keep some at room temperature for some warm/​hot soups.

Just moved to Rancho Cordova and this restaurant has delicious ethnic Mexican food!
Highly recommended and they will continue to receive my patronage.

Over the past year I have returned to El Favorito several times for its wonderful sopes, which I rate five stars. The other items I’ve tried (various tacos and nachos) deserved three to four stars. However, If you happen to visit when they are making their fresh homemade tortillas, you are in for a real five– starred treat!
Its salsa bar offers outstanding variety, which in my mind makes up for its uncomfortably Spartan furnishings.
I appreciated its dog-​friendly patio.

Salsa bar and chips were great, but it was all downhill from there. Order the tamales, and they were all masa and no meat. I can cook better Mexican food than these guys!

This is my to go Mexican restaurant in Rancho Cordova. I always get their super burritos because it comes with guacamole! I love guacamole. I usually get the carne asada because that has amazing flavor. This place also has a salsa bar which is always a plus!
The workers are always nice and welcoming. =]

One of the Best Mexican food choice in Rancho Cordova, Best Salsa Bar ! ! ! try a Sope .
Really stop by and give it a try. It’s My Favorito !

I went here for the first time this morning after a long night and just craving some tasty Pozole.
I have been recommended to this place plenty of times, but never really thought about it, so glad I finally got the chance to go.
I like the cute little atmosphere, good vibes, and I love that there’s a lady in the front making home made tortillas (which are phenomenal.)
The Pozole was so amazingly good. Not too spicy, just the right amount of hominy and meat. Most places have barely meat in their Pozole and it just really works here.
Definitely coming back and trying other things.

From Long Beach on the vacay and was really craving some tacos-​searched Unilocal for 15 min and found this place-​yum! Wanted authentic-​not American-​and found it-​not one gringo inside… so knew I found my place! Had the carne asada tacos and the kiddos had asada nachos and a carne asada wet burrito.

Great food and great prices.
It is easy to get the fake Mexican food… but when it comes to authentic food, you want to see what is available.
A variety choices with free chips and salsa.
The food is good.
The service is pretty fast, even with a big order.
Price is on point.

I’ve been coming here for years but it’s been at least one year since I’ve been back. It’s my absolute favorite place to get tacos near my house. The carne asada here is top notch. Best value is the carne asada super quesadilla at only $ 6, which is the same price as 3 tacos but larger with added guac, sour cream, rice, beans, etc. m
There’s a full salsa bar and my absolute thing is their pico. Basically, that’s their major draw for me. It’s awesome. But the one thing I’m docking a star for is that the size of the salsa and chip containers have been getting smaller year after year. They used to come in large baskets, then large paper containers, now they’re tiny paper ones which can hold like 10 chips. It’s just annoying now because I have to keep going back to get more and it’s wasteful. I’m just being whiny, I know.
Still my favorite Mexican place to go whenever I return home. Don’t change!

El Favorito is a fairly average establishment that serves fairly average food in a slightly below average location at a relatively low price. A couple of my buddies rant and rave about this joint, but I’m still trying to figure out why. Honestly, I have been here a couple of times and have had several menu items, all of which were either chincy on the meat or way too salty (carnitas and chicken). The beans and rice are actually pretty good taste wise and the free chips with salsa bar is a nice touch. The location itself is kind of in a bad neighborhood and is a bit on the old side but there is plenty of seating both indoor and outdoor. If taco shops are your thing and you’re in the area, stop by and give it a try.
Pros–
Price
Menu options
Service
Chips
Salsa bar
Beans and rice
Cons–
Dirty
Location
Average taste
Salty
Portions

Very clean, comfortable and welcoming space. You place your order at the counter, get a number and help yourself to chips & salsa at the salsa bar. Delicious & very flavorful food is delivered to your table in minutes. No Sierra Nevada pale ale, but a nice variety of Mexican bottled beers. Fresh fruit drinks made with a juicer while you watch.
We felt like we were in Mexico with soccer on tv, several families lingering over their meals surrounding us & beautiful Mexican street scenes painted murals on the walls.

I’ve been coming here for years. It’s one of very few places in the Rancho Cordova that hits all marks for tasty, quick and affordable. I usually go for a couple tacos or a torta and take advantage of the great self service taco bar. So many tasty options.
If I have little more time I go for one of the soups. The Caldo Res is really tasty. The Carne en su Jugo is one of my favorites. The Pozole is my most favorite. All of the soups take a little extra time as they are prepared to order. They are served very hot and make for a great lunch.
I’ve never had anything less than well prepared freshly and quickly made lunches every time I visit. The customer service is ok not great. Service is mostly always with a smile but often the cashiers are a little reserved. I suspect go to bit of a language barrier.
This isn’t a place with table service. You order and the counter and are handed a number. The food is delivered to your table, in most cases, just about the time ready to make a second trip to the salsa bar and refill my beverage. A little oddity at the end is you don’t bus your table they do. Pretty cool but not what I was accustomed to with this sort of order /​delivery system.
All in all a great place in Rancho for lunch and one of the better spots for this local family of restaurants. El Favorito, La Favorita and La Fiesta all share a common thread in terms of how they operate.