The Original Taco Factory

My family and I have been coming to Tacos al Carbon for years. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner our go to menu item is the breakfast egg loco burrito. When I’m extra hungry, I like adding some carne asada to my burrito. The great food, quick service, and friendly staff will keep us coming back.

Taco tuesdays, it’s a bit packed it seems, I’m guessing more because it’s Tuesday. The tacos were great, particularly the carne asada and al pastor. The carnitas was a bit on the dry side, even after I put plenty of salsa and lime in it. The salsa bar is fairly sizable with a variety of goodies to add to your taco. Very meaty and filling.

With the ratings and the distance from my apartment, I had to try this place out. Came here yesterday around 6:30PM for Taco Tuesday with my roommate and coworkers and it was slowly starting to get packed. Definitely a hole in the wall place, but that didn’t matter because the food was awesome!
The taco Tuesday deal is $ 1.50 per taco and I got 3 of them, Carne Asada, Fish and Al Pastor. They are a pretty decent size and they come with chips. The tacos do come out plain, just tortilla with meat, but they have a huge salsa bar with a decent size cups to pour your sides in, unlike some places with those dinky little cups and you need like a million of them for a few sauce and salsa.
The only reason why I am giving it a 4 is because the Carne Asada was a little dry and the parking was a mess. However, this will not stop me from coming back!

Always on the hunt for the best Taco Tuesday spot, so we decided come here after work. The location is on the corner of Newport and Walnut, really hard to see the sign though. Parking was pretty difficult, I had to make two loops before I found a spot, but you can always park a bit farther and walk over.
Restaurant itself is pretty small, you can order inside and eat in the patio area right next to it. I came for Taco Tuesday, so $ 1.50 per taco (including tax!), you can pick from Asada, Desebrada, Carnitas, Pastor, Pescado, Pollo Desebrado, Pollo Asada. I went with the Asada, Carnitas and Pastor. Food comes pretty quick and each of the tacos comes with some chips, I’m assuming freshly made. There’s a salsa bar inside with pretty much anything you need, cilantro, different pico de gallo salsa (ranging from mild to x-​hot), onions, peppers, etc. I went ham and got everything.
Tacos were good, they definitely don’t skimp you on the meat. The carnitas was a bit dry, asada and pastor were really tender and juicy. I would say the pastor was probably my favorite one. $ 4.50 for a full meal, will definitely be back again for Taco Tuesday.

Unreal Famous Burrito, lovely ambiance and service with a smile!
A hole in the wall that is making a huge dent in Orange County!
Will most certainly be coming back!

This is my go to taco/​burrito/​asada fries place since I moved here. I always get carne asada although I have tried the shredded chicken and fish tacos. The asada is definitely the best bet for your money and most flavorful. Always seasoned and cooked well. Taco Tuesdays can get a little crazy so I would recommend calling in your order and picking it up. They give you a lot of meat for the price I usually fill up on two or three tacos with the free side of chips. If you’re a fan of spice make sure to get the spicy pico de gallo and red sauce at the salsa bar. The service is basically get us your order so we can get you out of here as soon as possible which is what I want for a local taco place. Parking is in the strip mall lot which can get really crowded at lunch and dinner times.

I’ve only ever ordered the carne asada items form here so I can not comment on the other meats, but judging from the carne asada I will definitely explore and try other the other options. The carne asada is flavorful and tender which is something I rarely find as I feel that most places over cook the carne asada to a point of tough chewiness.
Tacos: The tacos here are similar to any other mexican street taco (2 corn tortillas and meat). What sets this place apart is the size of the tacos, they are over twice the size of the average sized taco.
Quesadillas: The quesadillas are massive, they can literally feed a small family. I like that the quesadillas are stuffed to the edges and often spilling with meaty cheesy goodness, but sometimes they can be a bit overwhelming and I fail to make it past the first slice.
Taquitos: I personally dislike taquitos (elementary school lunches) but my friend says theyre pretty good.
Cheese Chips: Regular tortilla chips topped with melted cheese. There was not enough cheese on 75% of the chips which defeats the purpose of cheese chips, also the cheese didn’t stay melted and hardened super quickly.
Other things:
— The complimentary salsa bar is honestly why I choose to come here over other nearby taco places. All of their salsa is freshly made with actual tomatoes and not from a can or jar.
— I also like that they have varying levels of spiciness for their salsa (pico de gallo).
— They have sour cream and guacamole available (extra cost but worth it).
The Bad:
— The parking situation here is atrocious when it is even slightly busy, there are only 3 or 4 spots in front of the shop itself and maybe a total of 10 spots in the shopping center.
— They are not open ²⁴⁄₇ and close pretty early and I usually only want this type of taco at 2am.
— Pretty much to go only.
— They told me it would 81 cents for a salsa container with a lid, honestly this has only happened once and I have no idea if this is an actual policy they have and I wouldn’t mind paying but the salsa is otherwise free and I have received container with lids on several occasions.
— Salsa containers do not have lids.
— No flour tortillas.

Chilaquiles & Chile Rellenos for breakfast? Yes, please!
A little hut located on a busy street, there is some indoor seating and covered outdoor patio seating. All the food here is less than $ 10 for a filling meal plus a great selection at the salsa bar. Service here is also quick and efficient — they know what they are doing behind the counter.
Chile Rellenos are delicious and stuffed with ooey gooey cheesy goodness. The red sauce made the meal! Comes with rice, beans, and tortilla chips. ($ 6.99 for two peppers!) Boyfriend loved the Chilaquiles — topped with an over easy egg so the yolk just soaks through everything.
Looking around, everyone’s meals looked mouth watering. Nothing fancy and overpriced, almost like a home cooked meal. Will come back to try more! (Esp. their carne asada fries!)

Pretty Good tasting nachos & tacos. The salsa was fresh & good. I like the variety of salsa bar & drinks.

My dad sticks to what he knows and rarely … Shall I say. eats outside the box? He loves this place and every time I bring him a burrito from another place, he always compares it to this.
We only get carne asada here whether it be in a burrito, quesadilla, fries. That’s All we get.
Salsa galore. I wish they had a bigger container so I don’t have to grab so much of the plastic thingies but whatever!

GREAT BREAKFAST BURRITOS with great pricing. My fave the is Loco Breakfast Burrito with asado, mainly because it has fries in the burrito (can’t go wrong with that!). The wait time can get long if it is crowded but the food is worth the wait. I love the salsa bar as well which has a great variety of salsas.

This is a good place to find authentic-​style Mexican food.
Everything is great from the tortillas to the meat to the toppings. Nice value as you can get a filling meal and drink for under $ 10!
I’ve had asada tacos and the asada burrito and plan to try something else next time.

Me gusta venir a comer aqui, pero me da ASCO que los mandiles de los trabajadores esten sucios, que entren a la cocina y que el mismo muchacho que limpia saque la basura con su mandil puesto y regrese a cocinar, eso no igienico, tampoco me gusta cuando la joven de cuerpo grueso con Cabello pintado me atiende nunca atiende bien, ea despota y nada amable, los tacos soso, ya todo es ritinario en este lugar

We are a huge fan of local hole in the walls and we recently discovered this great one. You will get huge portions at a very reasonable price. My wife got the chicken burrito and loved it. The kids were pleased with the taquito sand the carne asana fries were AMAZING!
If you are looking for something nice, this is not your place. It is very bare bones and simple. But the food was great and it was clean. We will be back for sure.

Carne asada fries are not good. Served on a plate in a hefty portion and looked nice. Fries were soggy, carne asada wasn’t really flavorful and all the ingredients didn’t really compliment each other.
Do appreciate the selection in their salsa bar though!

I came here for Taco Tuesday! $ 1.50 each which includes tax. I had the carne asada and carnitas. I was very full after! The tacos are huge. It definitely comes with a generous amount of meat. I would have been content with one taco. It also comes with a small portion of chips.
I had the mild salsa and it was delicious… SO FRESH. Grab a bunch to put in your tacos and for the chips. Don’t forget to grab onions, cilantro, limes, carrots, and anything else you want to put in your tacos.
Parking here was hectic. Luckily I was able to find a spot, but the lot was pretty packed. A few cars parked in questionable spots. This place seems very popular for lunch.
They also have orange bang here! I didn’t know until after I ordered, but next time I come I will definitely be getting that.

The Original. The sign outside cannot be missed. Once you see it, You should stop and park and grub on!
Ive been here many times in the past, but now had the chance to Unilocal about it. Its a small but busy mom and pop place on the corner of Newport Ave and Walnut st. They are a well known taco establishment in Tustin.
Staff here is friendly, but quick. There are so many orders, that you should definitely take the time to read the menu and know what you want before you walk up to the counter. The food here is tasty, fresh and delicious. The atmosphere is lively with so many happy and dedicated patrons who enjoy the flavorful carne asada, carnitas, burritos and more. The hubbster and I drive from Costa Mesa to OTF just for tacos and yummy torta’s!
Perks: Great portions for the $. Menu is inviting enough to come back and try other items. Breakfast Menu and Catering available. Roomy outdoor patio area.
OverALL: Mucho Amor! Good food for good times. Totally worth a try in the Tustin area!

Gotta come here for their Taco Tuesdays, but expect the lines to be crazy as well. This place is a popular lunch spot for whomever works nearby, and I can definitely see why. There is plenty of parking in the plaza that its connected to, and plenty of indoor and patio/​outdoor seating. The indoor area is small, but they have most of the wall saved for their salsa and other tasty condiments.
You really can’t go wrong with either getting tacos, burritos, or if you’re really hungry, fries. The portions here are very big and the meats here are well marinated, full of flavor and juicy. I highly recommend trying their California burrito. The burrito is huge, and is full of meat and fries. The sauce included takes it to another level, but its good that they salsa bar has different types of salsa, depending on your spice level, to change up the pace. Overall, you can’t go wrong with anything that you order here.
The service is pretty good here. Expect a little wait as they can get pretty busy around lunch time, especially during Taco Tuesday. The workers there are polite, kind and courteous. Definitely a good lunch spot and would be perfect for late night if it decided to extending their hours to late night.

They have $ 1.39 taco Tuesdays, with tax comes out to be $ 1.50
They have a weird name– on the store it does not say Original Taco Factory, it’s Taco al Carbon, so don’t get scared if you don’t see it at first. You can tell because they advertise their Taco Tuesdays on the wall.
Ordered their asada and their pescado/​fish tacos.
Fish tacos– not deep fried. It’s marinated with some weak sauce to give it flavor rather than have it be plain, but not really a fan of it. Like at all (²⁄₅)
Carne asada– Better. They had soft tacos here and they just put some of the meat in there. It’s a good thing they put big pieces/​a lot in there, otherwise the rating would be even lower. The meat at least tastes good but of course does not do a soft taco justice by itself…
.which brings us to the huge salsa bar they have. Their saving grace. They have 3 sections + an additional section (cilantro, etc). One for mild, medium, and hot. Oh wait. I forget. X-​Hot? Hmmm. But anyways got mild salsa and just put that in the taco.
Meh. Not really a fan.
They do give free chips with your order, so that’s a plus :3
I guess, add and utilize that salsa bar well! Otherwise you’re not gonna be too too happy with your meal :/​
I’d suggest going across the street to Hole Mole.

Great spot for taco Tuesday — go in order, find a table, if it’s for here, the employee will bring your food to you (by calling out your number) assuming you’re outside, if it’s to go, the employee will call out your number inside.
If you go around 12PM it’ll be packed so try to sneak in a little beforehand or wait a little bit after 12PM to snag a seat.
The tacos are not pre-​filled so you’ll have to grab your stuffing from the inside bar (which is actually good if you are picky about certain ingredients).
I usually get the al pastor, it’s tender, juicy, and they’re generous with their meat. What this taco is really missing is some cotija cheese or something salty.
Otherwise great spot to satisfy your Mexican food cravings.

Taco Tuesday on Cinco de Mayo! What timing! I came in on a Tuesday night around 6:15 PM, and this place was pretty packed, though there was plenty of outdoor seating available. The windows of this shop boasts $ 1.39 tacos on Tuesdays. How could I say no? And on Cinco de Mayo no less?
I ended up ordering 3 carne asada tacos and one carnitas taco. The wait was about 15 minutes long, but mind you, this place was pretty packed, so it made sense. My order came out to $ 6 even with tax. Score! There is a $ 5 purchase requirement for credit cards if you do not want to get charged a 50 cent fee. Otherwise, stick with cash.
I tried the carnitas taco first. It was very good, but a little too dry for my taste. The carne asada taco, however was REALLY good! It wasn’t as moist as I would have hoped, but it was well seasoned, big, and packed full of meat. When you added pico de gallo, onions, and cilantro to it, the moisture level was not even an issue anymore. I love that it came with complimentary chips, and you can go crazy at the self serve salsa bar, which had a mild, hot, and super spicy version of the pico de gallo, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, onions, salsa verde, beets, and a bunch of other stuff I never use for my tacos.
They had a lot of other good stuff on the menu that I think I’ll come back for, such as their Famous Burrito (choose your meat), and it was only $ 5.99. They have a small indoor section for eating on bar stools, but you’re better off eating on their outdoor patio. It wasn’t too bad, and the cashiers come out there once in a while too so you don’t miss your number being called.
I would definitely come back here for more Taco Tuesdays and other non-​taco days too!