Taqueria El Festival (Downtown edition)

The Location: Taqueria El Festival. 906 J St, Sacramento

The Taco: Super Taco (1 carnitas, 1 pollo)

The Price: $3.10 / each

The Verdict: I had just stopped in at El Festival's other location on Folsom Blvd only two reviews back and had left wanting more, so when I found myself downtown with some time kill today I decided to make a return trip to see if their new spot on J lived up to the same high standards. All in the name of science, you understand.

This time I ordered two of their Super Tacos, one each of carnitas and chicken. The super comes loaded up with meat, cheese, cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo. These tacos live up to their "super" name with all the toppings being piled high, making them a delicious drippy mess to eat. Just as on my visit to Folsom Blvd, the carnitas was moist and flavorful with just a little chewy crunchy crust. The chicken was well marinated and had a good flavor.

All in all not much new to say here that hasn't already been covered, the line at this one was also out the door by the time the lunch rush was in full swing.  It's always good to see that a separate location is living up to the reputation of its sibling.

The Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)

Taqueria El Festival

The Location: El Festival. 8345 Folsom Blvd, Sacramento

The Taco:  Taco plate - two tacos, rice and beans.

The Price: $5.99

The Verdict: Having found myself nearby, I acted on a recommendation from reader David and headed down Folsom Blvd. to check out El Festival.  The restaurant was nearly empty when I walked in just before noon although the jukebox was going strong blaring out some spanish-language tunes.

I ordered the taco plate with two carnitas tacos.  The food arrived quickly and was hot but not scalding - perfect.  The carnitas was juicy and flavorful with just a hint of chewy pan-roasted crust.  The toppings were minimal and traditional — salsa, onions and cilantro.  There's not really much to say about these, they tasted good and were exactly as described on the menu.  All taquerias should be so lucky!  The sides of beans and rice were nothing remarkable (the rice was oddly neon), but they were a fine complement to the meal and certainly nothing to complain about.

Overall, my feelings about this restaurant can probably be summed up in a couple of sentences:  I liked the taste of the food so much that by the time I finished my meal I wanted to go back and order some more items just to sample them.  Unfortunately, by then there was a line out the door!  Clearly I'm not the only one that thinks the food here is worth stopping for.

The Rating: ★★★★  (out of 5)