Mexican Food in San Jose: Tacos and Burritos

Mexican food in San Jose runs from fast taquerias to sit-down kitchens that make their own tortillas, with giant student-favorite burritos in between. Pick a dish to compare, such as a taco or a burrito, order it at two places and rate each one by name.

This page covers taquerias, big burritos, house-made tortillas, grilled platters and a simple taco crawl, with what to ask at each. Menus and hours change, so ask which dishes a kitchen is proud of.

Where should you start with Mexican food in San Jose?

The right place depends on the meal. For a fast burrito, a taqueria is right. For a sit-down dinner, look for a kitchen that makes its tortillas in house and serves grilled meats by the platter, called parrilladas. Check menus and hours before you go.

Decide what you want, then choose the place. A taqueria and a sit-down kitchen are different evenings. There are many taquerias in town, and the best way to find your favorite is to try a few. Keep a running note of the ones you liked, and of what you ordered, so you can repeat a good meal.

What is a San Jose taqueria worth visiting?

A fast, casual taqueria is the everyday Mexican meal in San Jose, and several have more than one location. Burritos, tacos and late-night eats are the draw.

Order a burrito or a plate and try the house sauce. Rate the tortilla, the filling and the sauce separately. Taquerias are fast, so an order can arrive in minutes, and a counter is a good choice for a quick lunch or a late bite. Ask whether sauces are mild or hot, and say in your rating how the heat compared with what you expected, because spice tolerance varies a lot between diners.

Where can you find San Jose burritos downtown?

Near the university, a very large burrito is a student favorite and easy to share between two. Rate the burrito by what is in it, not just by size, and note whether it held together.

Eat half, save half. Tag a rating Good Portions or Great Value when that is what stood out, so a friend on a budget can find it. A half portion for lunch with the rest saved for dinner is a sensible way to eat a very large burrito.

What are San Jose house-made tortillas like?

Kitchens that make tortillas in house often stress clean ingredients and traditional methods. A fresh tortilla is soft, a little chewy and smells of corn or flour. When you find a kitchen that does this well, name the dish it came with, such as a taco or a quesadilla, because the tortilla is what the next person is really asking about.

Compare a house-made tortilla with a store-bought one at a taqueria. Say which you preferred and why. A parrillada, a mixed grill for the table, is meant to be shared, so go with friends and ask the kitchen how many people a platter serves. Note in your rating whether the tortillas arrived warm, since a warm tortilla at the table is part of the pleasure.

How do you plan a Mexican food crawl in San Jose?

Choose one dish and three places, and keep the dish the same so the comparison stays fair. A taco crawl works well: one taco at each place, ordered the same way, with a note on the tortilla, the meat and the salsa. Go with two or three friends so you can share, and plan the last stop for something sweet.

Pick places close enough to drive in one evening, and avoid peak lunch or dinner hours if you can. Bring cash as a backup, take your time and order the same thing at each stop. Write down the order of your favorites at the end of the night while the tastes are fresh.

A good order at a taqueria is the dish the counter makes most often. Ask what that is, and order it plain the first time so you can judge the tortilla, the meat and the salsa without distraction. At a sit-down kitchen, a grilled platter to share shows off the cooking best, and a basket of warm tortillas on the side lets everyone build their own. Write down what you ordered while you remember it.

How do you rate Mexican food with Mosey?

Rate each dish by name. Mosey needs only the place and stars; then you can add the dish, tags such as Great Value, Good Portions or Late Night, and a photo. A rating that says "carne asada burrito, big, sauce on the side" helps the next person.

Make a list called San Jose tacos and add each stop with a line on what to order. Invite friends by link, and they can add places even before they install the app. Follow friends to see what they rated and saved. The lists page explains the sharing steps.

What else should you read?

For more of San Jose, the downtown guide covers the center, the Japantown guide covers a different cuisine and the Santana Row guide covers the shopping street. See the San Jose page, the California page and the US food guides.

Next time you chase a taco, open the Mosey app, rate each dish by name and keep your three best in a list.