Los Altos Taqueria
Mountain View, CA
| Overall Score based on 12 reviews |
7.9 recommended |
Editorial Reviews (2)
Chris's Score: 8.5 / 10 full review...
On the opposite corner from a couple of burrito legends sits Los Altos. Can anyone survive beside not one but two pillars of the burrito world? Not only does it survive, but it might be even better.
Dan's Score: 8.5 / 10 full review...
It took some guts to open up a taqueria less than three hundred feet from the legendary La Costena, and moxie to make it less than a Michael Johnson sprint from the heavyweights at Taqueria La Bamba, but the people at Los Altos Taqueria have the brass balls and fantastic food to survive at Mountain View's most taqueriffic intersection. The place is small, with seating for about thirty people, but it feels bigger. Bright decorations and a huge menu dominate the room, and the burritos live up to any expectation.
User Reviews (10)
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Showing 1-10 of 10 (most recent reviews shown first)
Score: 8 / 10 Reviewed by: burritomtb
This place is consistently good. We go there as often as possible. My favorite is the wet burrito with bbq chicken, black bean on whole wheat tortilla....washed down with a Mexican beer... Atmosphere is very informal. Place is always clean and well maintained. Everything is good, including the flan if you have room...
Score: 7 / 10 Reviewed by: dRoast
I woule love this place a whole lot more if the carnitas would be consistent.
I have had them when they are buttery tender and delicious, but then hard and dry at others. I need consistency for my eager tastebuds. Everything else about the burrito is pretty good - rice/beans/guac, etc.
Note: do not order the quesadilla - it is greasy and not in a good way.
Good street tacos.
Score: 8.5 / 10 Reviewed by: burritoeater
Any taqueria with a kitchen-facing bar has something going for it, but Los Altos Taqueria has a hell of a lot more up its sleeve than that.
Today's super al pastor burrito dunch was the right call at the right place. Other than a set of refried beans that could have maintained a higher profile throughout, we had no truck with anything going on here. The pork was tasty (and mightily sauced), the tortilla had done hard time on the grill and boasted the scars and fragrance to prove it, and the whole ensemble -- from refined Spanish rice to hellacious amounts of all-melted-all-the-time jack (or perhaps even Oaxaca) cheese -- brought the entire performance into seamless focus. It was a very fine burrito. Those were good times at the taqueria bar.
I did not dig into any of Los Altos' delicious flan, but I did score a second horchata for the road. You know, Los Altos' horchata is all-pro.
And the wall menu provides subtle comedy, if you know where to look.
Score: 9 / 10 Reviewed by: PedroReynaldo (San Mateo, CA)
I've finally taken all the data I need and mulled it over. Thought about it, although the decision was clear cut. I've carefully evaluated the three burrito parlors at the corner of Rengstorff and Old Middlefield Way in Mountain View. Without a doubt, the best of the three is los Altos.
The burritos are just superb, even by the stiff standards of the SF Bay Area. I've tried them all, all of the fillings. Well, of course, not that one, the one each has that seems to be made from parts unknown to a graduate anatomist. In this case, "Lengua". Okay, tongue in English. I've eaten at least a couple of each of the others and never been disappointed. Lot's of tasty meat in each burrito. Well assembled. Full of well-spiced fillings. A great, large meal.
The place is very well run, especially noteworthy as it is so busy. No sooner do you take a not-always-easy-to-find seat, than someone rushes up with a generous bowl of chips and a red salsa. NO EXTRA CHARGE. They have a bright, easy-to-read wall menu displaying a broad selection besides burritos. Prices are typical /reasonable for the area. Soda pops as well as authentic Mexican-style fruit and vegetable drinks.
And, what an eclectic crowd. Guys from the nearby National Guard base. Cubicle rats. Latinos. Working people. Suits. All in noisy harmony scarfing down outstanding Mexican food. And of course my obsession, really excellent burritos. I like sitting at the counter and listening to the customers. With hardly a grunt, a man in painters' overalls collects a huge sack of food and flees. A cubicle gringa pauses for what seems like hours. "Are you sure that your avocados are free range? Is your tofu really vegan? May I have the tofu UNDER the salsa? Oh, what exactly is in each salsa?"
It's a fun lunch break in my day. I give it a 9 and I'm not an easy judge. I'm going to go back. Again and again and again. :)
Score: 5 / 10 Reviewed by: Glenn408
A friend brought me here after a mountain bike ride the other day. He mentioned that the taco's are really good, but I usually go for burritos and am trying to find a 10! I ordered a carne asada super burrito and a horchata. It came with chips and a bowl of salsa. The salsa was weak IMO, no kick and like a tomato with a bit of onions in it...
The burrito, it tasted OK, nothing out of the ordinary. When I pulled out 3 pieces of gristle out of my mouth, I knew I would never eat here again. Sorry, Los Altos, a first impression is a lasting impression. I like beef in my burritos...
(Their other items may be better, I'll never know)
Score: 7.5 / 10 Reviewed by: M_R
This place is really small so mostly to go food. They make good food, especially tortas. The burritos are decent, not the worst ive had and definitely not the best either. The flavors are there, the meats, but you cant customize really and its not huge by any means. Ate it once and decided it wasn't something I would do again considering how many better choices there are nearby. I would however, go back for the tortas, the bread was real good.
Score: 8 / 10 Reviewed by: treed
Los Altos Taqueria is a small shop in a small strip mall in north MV. Due to the size, even when it's only moderately busy, it can feel crowded. Burritos are served quickly, almost as soon as chips & salsa.
My veggie burrito came wrapped in foil, lying on wax paper on top of a plate. The tortilla was grilled to near-perfection and was very tightly wrapped. Unfortunately, the presence of lettuce was detected immediately after, and the potential for true greatness was destroyed. There was a lack of spiciness (which is a common complaint for me), though this is somewhat common in veggie burritos. Notably, the tortilla held together quite well and did not suffer breach whatsoever. Beans were whole pinto sans other option. Overall, it wasn't bad.
Horchata was on the sweeter side, with a lack of cinnamon.
EDIT: I tried the pollo adobado as per Dan's recent suggestion. Without going into detail, tt was really really good. Score now reflects the average of the two.
Score: 9 / 10 Reviewed by: eadamson
Highly underrated, even at an 8.0. Having eaten many burritos throughout northern and southern california, I have to say Los Altos Taqueria is my favorite for food, service, and even atmosphere. Order a burrito and a coke in a bottle, and within 15 seconds of sitting down you'll have a basket of delicious chips and salsa (the salsa is really amazing), and within 2 minutes everyone at the table has their burrito. The burritos are full, ingredients fresh, and there's a certain je ne sais quoi about the taste. I usually order a simple chicken super burrito, and this never fails to disappoint. Breakfast offerings are also delicious. A bit of spice to everything there (the salsa, the burritos, and the walls). Always a Telenovela or Mexican Futbol game on TV in the corner, for added entertainment.
EDIT, 1.5 years later: This is still my favorite burrito place. The Horchata is refreshing as well, and like many places, they carry the ol' sugar based bottled coca colas. The chorizo breakfast burrito with potatoes and cheese is a wonderful way to get you through the morning and much of the afternoon, as well. A great mix of ingredients, uniformly warmed to a hot but not scalding temperature, and never-unmelted cheese spread throughout. These guys just flat out know how to make a burrito and quick.
Score: 8 / 10 Reviewed by: billsaysthis (Mountain View, CA)
I've been eating and enjoying the burritos here for probably eight years now; I keep trying other places but keep coming back to mi casa. The wife and I are vegetarians now, and so only order the veggie burritos, but generally speaking the reason we're so attached is the spicyness really suits our tastebuds, which was also true for the carne sada, pork and chicken I used to eat (far too often).
Score: 8 / 10 Reviewed by: lpnlizard
I used to live around the corner from this taqueria, and frankly, it was a problem, because I went there ALL. THE. TIME.
I was a fan of their chicken burrito (I think it was probably a 'super' because I'm remembering sour cream...), and they had great chips. Everything was grilled and assembled right then, and I was never disappointed when I went there.
Sometimes there was a bit of a wait, but it was totally worth it. There are a lot of good taquerias in the area (La Bamba, La Costena) but I think this one is underrated...
Showing 1-10 of 10
