San José has a taqueria on nearly every corner of every street when you set foot off campus.
Typically, the popular choices for students are La Victoria Taqueria, Antojitos El Burrito Crazy and Spartan Taco Truck.
Out of all the seven taquerias and Mexican restaurants that I tried, California Wet Burrito surprisingly topped them all and reigned superior.
California Wet Burrito is a small patio restaurant on East William Street that has been open since 2017.
It is best known for its California burritos smothered in sauce and the tacos are undeniably the best in the area.
At the restaurant, there are people bustling throughout the patio in group settings and the servers were incredibly friendly.
La Victoria Taqueria, however, was more closed off and the customer service was not up to par with my expectations.
I ordered carne asada and al pastor tacos with a side of rice and their “Original 911” salsa verde.
The carne asada sarandero and al pastor street taco bursts with juicy savoriness and is topped plentifully with onions, cilantro, avocado, sour cream and cheese.
Though the tacos are more on the expensive side — averaging to about $10 for the entire meal — the flavor and toppings were unbeatable.
While I enjoyed La Victoria Taqueria’s famous orange sauce, everything else in the carne asada taco and burrito I ordered was dry and flavorless.
The portions were quite large, but the price was not worth the quality of food provided.
California Wet Burrito’s prices are completely reasonable for the amount of food you get and the welcoming environment.
The “Original 911” salsa verde has a smooth and creamy texture blended with avocado and a strong undertone of heat.
La Victoria Taqueria’s salsa options were extremely limited and lacked any spice that I could taste. The orange sauce was the only thing keeping the food edible.
California Wet Burrito’s rice has a traditional Mexican taste that reminded me of my own mom’s rice at home—not to mention the portion being huge.
I wanted to try the rice at La Victoria Taqueria, but it was too expensive in addition to the food I already ordered.
California Wet Burrito is an underrated location for delicious burritos, tacos and other Mexican favorites.
Although La Victoria may be a popular choice for some, it’s not affordable for students needing a quick bite and does not have the flavor or texture that California Wet Burrito nailed down.
