5/5. Order the carne asada burrito.

I’ve reviewed 42 burritos on Google Maps. This is one of the best carne asada burritos I’ve had, including Southern California.

The carne asada has a real charcoal flavor. It tastes like it came off a backyard grill, not a flat top. The rice is the second best part of the burrito. It’s softer than most Mexican rice but heavily seasoned without overpowering the meat. The beans are simple and well salted.

While taking photos for this review, around ten small pieces of carne asada fell onto the cutting board. I stopped what I was doing and picked up every single piece with my fingers. I’ve never done that with any Mexican food before.

Overall Tacos: 3/5

The tortillas are excellent. Fresh, soft, and one of the best tortillas I’ve had. The pickled onions and habaneros are excellent.

Carne Asada Taco: 3.5/5

The same excellent charcoal flavor carries the taco.

Chicken Taco: 2.8/5

Good flavor, but way too greasy. You can taste the pork lard, and it overpowers the chicken.

Al Pastor Taco: 2.5/5

Greasy and properly salted, but the marinade never stands out. Nothing about it made me want another bite over the carne asada.

Chorizo Taco: 2/5

The biggest disappointment. It barely tasted like chorizo. It tasted like generic ground meat with very little seasoning. It was missing the signature chorizo flavor.

Salsas

Orange Salsa: 2/5

Very muted. It works better with the burrito than the tacos because it adds a little richness and a hot kick without overpowering the meat. Use a very small amount on the burrito, skip it for the tacos.

Red Salsa: 1/5

Mostly clove and chile. It didn’t add much to anything I tried.

Green Salsa: 1.5/5

Cumin and acidic. It didn’t pair well with any of the meats.

Avocado Salsa: 2.8/5

The batch I received smelled and tasted spoiled. I’m rating what I was served. If it had been fresh, I’d probably rate it higher than all 3 other salsas.

Papa Asada: 3.5/5

The portion is massive. Check the photos for scale.

It’s loaded with carne asada and cheese, but the potato layer is 1 inch thick that it mutes the flavor of the meat. If you want the most food for your money, order this. If you want the best thing on the menu, order the carne asada burrito.

Final recommendation:

Skip everything else if you have to. Order the carne asada burrito. That’s the reason to come here. Expect heart attack level greasiness

If you’re not rating them 5stars in everything they do, gtfo. What a treat this was!! And they said that theyve only been there 8mos?! Come out and support, goodness!! So much flavor, and not skimpy whatsoever. I was drooling watching them cook in front of me. Thank u guys

One day, a few weeks back, a couple red canopy tents appeared on a sidewalk on El Camino Real near the northbound Lawrence Expressway onramp. Soon after, the busy stretch of road was blanketed with the inviting scent of grilled meats. El Chacho had set up shop in Santa Clara’s unassuming Koreatown.

The 2025 departure of the phenomenal Tacos La Patrona food truck left this part of Santa Clara with few options for Mexican and Latin American fare. El Chacho solves this problem with a menu of beatifully seasoned meats prepared simply and at affordable price point.

They currently have nine meats on offer including harder to find ones like cabeza (cow head), suadero (the part of the cow between the belly and the leg), and buche (pig stomach). The asada, al pastor, and lengua (beef tongue) were all incredibly juicy and tender with well-rendered fat. The meats pre-cooked but grilled to order on the flat top. The exception is the al pastor, which hangs on the traditional trompo and is served with a chunk of pineapple sliced with a machete.

You can order your meats served six ways, tacos, burrito, mullita (grilled with cheese and toppings between two tortilla), alambre (cheesy grilled meat with tortillas on the side), torta, or quesadilla. I’m not enough of a tortilla connoiseur to know if they make their own, but they were very fresh and tender.

They have four salsas, two roja, two verde ranging from mild to very hot. You can also raid their toppings bar, which includes cilantro, onion, lime wedges, and pickled radishes. The medium salsa verde was very good, as was the salsa chipotle.

The one downside is that ordering is a bit of a hassle. The operation takes up most of the sidewalk, and you can’t exactly stand in the road while waiting for your food. When it’s busy, folks line up down the sidewalk. Order from the guys behind the grill. They are CASH ONLY.

You can park for free in the lot behind the tents, which sprawls in front of a mostly empty shopping center that is literally always 95% empty.

I’m really hoping this place stays around! We will definitely be adding El Chacho to our regular rotation of local eats.