Metro Balderas 1

Pros:
— generous portions of meat
— good selection of meats
— nice ambiance with outdoor seating
Cons:
— meat lacks flavor
— lacks a punch/“wow” factor
— parking is terrible
I had the carne asada and al pastor tacos. Best way to sum them both up is aight. The tortillas are warm and soft, but they are just there to hold the rest of the taco together; they aren’t seasoned or flavorful by themselves. The carne asada was charred for a bit of flavor, but dry. The al pastor was just lacking in flavor though it was tender. The salsa by itself was decent, but it didn’t bring the tacos to a higher level – just a good component.
Bottom Line: good tacos but not the best by a long shot

Iffy neighborhood.
Super small & narrow corner taco spot with a few tables indoors and open outdoor table seating. I always opt for outdoor seating because it’s roomier and you won’t have the smell of food on your clothes!
It’s a little awkward walking into the restaurant since you’re immediately faced with a counter with no menus whatsoever. Don’t worry, because a nice waiter/​waitress will immediately ask you if you’re dining in or taking out! Since we were dining in, they let us pick whatever table we wanted and they came out with the menus and a basket of tortilla chips + spicy salsa.
We only came here for the tacos which are only $ 1.85 each. Good deal, especially for special meats such as buche (pork stomach) & tripitas (tripe/​special beef).
We ordered two of everything.
(comes with chopped onions + cilantro)
Buche/​pork stomach –soft & delish!
Pastor/​marinated pork –well seasoned, most popular
Tripitas/​special beef –normally our fav, but it was a little chewy today
Cabeza/​beef head –super fatty goodness
Chorizo/​mexican sausage –tasty!
Chicharron Prensado/​pressed pork cracklings –this was super dry.pass.
They’re pretty generous with their meat portions and I love how their tortillas are made of yellow corn. They also bring out a cool guacamole sauce + spicy chili pepper sauce to drizzle over your tacos.
The service was great as well, the waiter came out plenty of times to check on us and for refills.

By far best al pastor tacos I’ve had since moving to San Jose. All my cheat days will be here now

Best tacos downtown! Living here surrounded by Mex food places left and right that only let me down sucks, alas this little hole in the wall! Yes this is specifically towards the tacos, i haven’t had anything else.

Best tacos ever !!! I’ve never seeing this place or even heard about even do I’ve being living in the Bay Area for 12 years now. But once I came here I couldn’t stop coming for more. I just wished the parking lot was a lot bigger that’s the only sucky thing about it.

Ordered the asada tacos from here the other day and I was really surprised how good they were. Plenty of meat inside that is well cooked, fresh avocado, home made salsa, and delicious tortillas makes for a damn good meal. A big mistake I made was coming here just after lunch hour. It was flooded with people inside and parking was just awful, I didn’t want to wait to find a spot so I just parked around the corner. Service here is generally good, but they did forget to add sour cream on my tacos. Not really a big deal, but I would check your order before you leave just in case.

Came here to try their tacos.
The place itself is always busy so you need to wait awhile to sit down either outside or inside. 10 mins tops.
The tacos were great, meat cooked well and a small section of sauces.
I’m assuming also that you can get extra grilled onions to add on.
It’s a popular place among locals so if you’re traveling or live far away, don’t be surprised by how many families come here every evening.

One of the better Mexican places to grab chicken tacos at, although if you have squeamish friends they’ll probably be sketched out by the area as you drive by it ten times trying to find parking.
I love coming here because the prices are great and the food is consistently amazing. After living in downtown San Jose for 4+ years, a lot of places get by with some really mediocre quality food, especially tacos. –1 for the parking and neighborhood, I low key will change into pants from shorts before coming here.
My friends who eat red meat swear their al pastor tacos are a gift from God, and my friend who is a butcher out at a fancy ass Napa restaurant makes me take him here each time he visits. The hype is real.

Cheap, authentic tasting tacos!
Spicy salsas, and generous portion of meat!
Had the lengua, asada, and al pastor, delish!

The menudo sucks here no meat the meat is over cooked no flavor I needed to squeeze like five lemons totally disappointed

I have had the tacos al pastor and asada and loved them. Outside seating and open late. Everything here looks so delicious.
Parking can be tough, and the neighborhood is a little run down, but would move there to walk to get these tacos they are so good.
The is a must stop on my visits to San Jose!

This place is very good. I still need to come back at night when they have the trompo going as they don’t during lunch.
I had the pastor tacos along with the asada tacos. Both were very good. I would give it 5 stars if it was directly off the trumpo. I’ll save that last star for when I try this place for dinner.
Parking is rough so be prepared to look around the block.
Definitely the closest thing to tacos from Mexico city.

The brisket tacos are amazing! Every time I come here, I say I’m going to try something new but then I end ordering the brisket tacos again. I want to roll in them, they are so good.
Parking can be difficult, especially now that the mini-​mart that shares the building is enforcing their right to some of the parking slots.

I rarely, RARELY, give reviews, but I feel like it’s my duty to let everyone know how bomb this place is!!! Al Pastor is the best I’ve had in San Jose, HANDS DOWN! Try this place and you will not regret it. Only thing that sucks is the parking, but the food makes up for it!

Ordered the al pastor (marinated pork), pressed pork crackling and chicken tacos. Was alittle disappointed as the the tacos were too try the meat was not very well cooked and the sauces did not blend well with the meat. Also ordered the horchata milk tea which was a little too bland for my liking.

This is what we talk about when we talk about tacos.
As a Mexico City native (a.k.a. chilanga), it is my opinion that Metro Balderas (1) is the most authentic and satisfying place for tacos in the Bay.
Metro Balderas (named after a busy subway station in Mexico’s capital) serves tacos ‘Mexico City style.’ I was not aware that there was such a ‘style’; but basically it means a simple, mouth-​watering, straightforward taco: corn tortillas, meat (or other filling), optional onion and cilantro, and hot salsa. The speciality is tacos al pastor (pork cooked on a spit); these are usually served with a small slice of pineapple and lime juice. They are perfect.
I also like their huarache (like a long sope): a thick oblong tortilla covered with beans, fresh cheese, lettuce, and your favorite meat (chorizo or pastor are traditional). They serve it with a freshly grilled nopal (cactus), which is nice. I have no idea where they find such tasty nopales but they’re really great. The huarache is huge; sharing is a good idea.
Parking at the front is very limited and the restaurant itself is small; I recommend calling ahead to place your order and picking it up to enjoy at home.

I’ve been coming to this hole in the wall for the past 10 years and it is by far the best Mexican food in San Jose. The ingredients are always fresh and everything is made to order. They have some of the best tripas on San Jose. The prices are affordable and the portions are perfect.

It’s just ok! Not that great overall. The Al pastor taco did not have the roasted pineapple but tasted good. The chicken taco and the chicken tostada were average.
For me if I would get a takeout if you sit inside there are a whole lot of flies.

The word «AUTHENTIC» is really over used!?!
~~~BEST Authentic Mexican food in SAN JOSE~~~
***Hands Down***Mouth Open***Rub Belly***Food Coma***
I don’t know why the food here taste different from other Mexican taquerias but it just does. I’ve tried quesadillas from La Vics, Chalateco, Mi Pueblo, Chavez, etc… but Metro has perfected it!?!
Carne Asada Flour Quesadilla
— Quality meat not dry like other places but thick and juicy
— The flour tortilla so soft and taste like it’s fresh out of the oven
— Side of Lettuce and Sour Cream
Chorizo Tacos
— Spicy
— Quality Meat
Now the parking is limited for this place (3 spots) so you might need to park around the neighborhoods, but the food is worth it. Seating inside is limited but they just built an outdoor patio with plenty of seating. This is my new go to spot for Mexican food, this place is not in the best of neighborhoods but the food is so worth it. Big thanks to my fellow Unilocaler Tram «…wait for it…» N for introducing me to this place. Bye Bye La Vics Quesdilla, Hello Metro Carne Asada Quesdilla… soooooooooo goooooodz!?!

El 03/​24/​2014 viajamos desde San Francisco, CA a San José, CA exclusivamente para probar estos tacos xk nos habían comentado que relax eran estilo DF, la primer sorpresa fue que tiene nuevo horario y los lunes esta cerrado en esta sucursal así que nos mandaron a la de la calle Willow cuando llegamos no había clientes éramos los únicos, ordenamos, no tenían tacos de cabeza, el servicio fue pésimo la mesera estaba de malhumor, solo nos llevo la orden y nunca más regreso para ver si se nos ofrecía algo, la carne de los tacos no tenia nada de sabor ni sal, las tortillas se pusieron duras como rocas no se podían ni morder, el pambazo que ordeñó mi esposo no tenía casi relleno parecía que era vegetariano pues tenía mucha lechuga, el agua de horchata no tenia nada de sabor, la mesa nunca la limpiaron al final tuvimos que ir a la caja para pagar xk ni siquiera nos llevaron la cuenta terminamos comiendo en la Taqueria La Victoria la cual tiene una salsa que se llama Orange riquísima de las recomiendo muchísimo.
Cabe mencionar que no soy muy afecta a poner mis comentarios pero esta vez lo creí necesario xk la comida no esta para nada rica, el servicio pésimo y el precio razonable pero no vale para nada la pena.

Been in a search for some good authentic Mexican tacos and found this place after searching on Unilocal.
Looked through their menu and decided to try out their tacos. Got pastor, cabeza, asada and chorizo and a horchata. Every single one of the tacos was well-​prepared. I liked the Cabeza best of all. It was absolutely heavenly and I was so happy they offered it. I would return in a heartbeat for more of those cabeza tacos.
The staff was ultra-​friendly. brought over two kinds of chili sauce. It’s a small place with lots of warmth. Many families were dining here and having a great time. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. We got seated before ordering. You can get take-​outs, too. They accept all major credit cards.