Amor Y Tacos

Amor y Tacos, a Mexican restaurant in Cerritos, has been a multiple-time Michelin Bib Gourmand Award recipient, which is a distinction given to restaurants under $35 per person that serves high-quality food. I've been here multiple times, but we recently came here to celebrate Valentine's day as we were craving Mexican food after being in Japan for two weeks. I got their carnitas enchiladas with red sauce, their guacamole, and their Sandia (Watermelon) margarita. These are all winners. I also enjoy getting their mole tots and their tortilla soups. I used to come intermittently for happy hour and I like to take advantage of their dine LA menus when that happens bi-annually.You can't go wrong with their margaritas. Also, for the most part, I really like the flavor combinations that they offer here. Even though tacos are synonymous with their name, I would recommend that you go with their apps and entrees as they tend to have more interesting flavor combos than their tacos and burritos.

I'm not particularly a fan of Mexican-American food or Mexican "fusion." My opinion may be biased, but I'll do my best to focus solely on the presentation, textures, and balance of flavors. My roots are in Oaxaca, the land of mole and spices, and I'm from Mexico City. Authentic Mexican food is hard to come by, even in SoCal, and I don't usually go out of my way to find it.That being said...This location offers plenty of parking, which is always a plus!As soon as you walk in, it's packed. They have a great happy hour menu with lots of cocktail options!Ceviche Tostada: From a distance, it looks like a taco. It's topped with a generous amount of guacamole, cilantro, queso fresco, and what I think is garlic aioli. Almost all the dishes here have aioli. Ceviche, however, should not be one of them. The ceviche comes with whole shrimp, halved, but unless it's aguachile, it would be better if they were chopped into bite-sized pieces for the tostada. There wasn't enough lime for my taste--I needed more tartness, as the guacamole, aioli, and queso fresco were too savory.Ahi Poke Tostadas: The tuna should definitely be chopped up. I found myself struggling with each bite, tearing at it like it was beef jerky. For small wontons, the portions need to be bite-sized to avoid that. Again, too much happening here. There's corn, chimichurri sauce, guacamole, aioli, sesame soy vinaigrette, and wasabi crema. It's too savory, especially for tuna. What it really needs is tartness--think ponzu or yuzu sauce, which pairs beautifully with sesame seed oil. You could even create a yuzu margarita to pair with it. There's your fusion.Calamari Famoso: Nothing particularly stands out here--just breaded calamari, most likely frozen from a store. That said, I did enjoy the shishito peppers and charred lemon. It doesn't need queso cotija, and the sauce was okay. The plating could be improved--it was a bit messy. I'd recommend using a smaller plate for smaller portions. Would I order this again? Yes, I would.Taquitos de Papa: The plating was aesthetically pleasing, with the taquitos cut in half and arranged in a circle around the plate. I think the flavors and sauces paired well. The taquitos were nicely fried and crunchy, and the queso cotija worked fine with this dish.Mole Tots: Here's where I struggled. There are seven types of mole, and this was a red mole (which we call Coloradito), but it was too heavy on cumin (and maybe some other mystery spice). It's not mole negro, but it's too red. This is definitely a fusion recipe. There's too much cheese, and the greasy tater tots made it hard for me to enjoy the dish. The presentation was messy. I think the tots, served with a toothpick, a small bowl of red mole, and all the toppings on the side, would make the presentation much cleaner. I had one bite and was done.Tortilla Soup:The texture was too thick--almost like a stew. It should have been sieved, with more chicken broth added. More chile guajillo, corn, and cubed veggies would have helped. Instead, it tasted like a cumin-heavy stew and reminded me of canned chili. The presentation, however, was nice, with thin, crunchy strips of tortilla chips on top, which I loved. Unfortunately, the soup was inedible for me. Pass.Lastly, the guac: I'm not sure if it's mixed with sour cream or if there's some kind of powder in it, but it was too pale and needed more lime. It definitely should not be on ceviche.Again, my opinion is biased, but I think the place is clean, and the service was great. Our waitress was very attentive, even though they were busy. Tastebuds will vary, so what I didn't like might be enjoyable for others. The cocktails looked great, and I'd definitely recommend this place to people who enjoy Mexican-American food.

Made reservations through Yelp and took advantage of their dineLA offer ($35/guest). They're located in a very busy shopping center which made parking a little difficult. The restaurant was also super busy, but luckily our wait was fairly short. The service was only okay, but everyone was very friendly. There were some long waits in between ordering, food arriving, and follow up visits/check ins. Seemed to be a little hectic.FOOD: My wife and mother-in-law are both Mexican and very picky about Mexican cuisine. There were three of us dining, so we were able to try everything on the dineLA menu. Several of our appetizers and entrees were a little bland, but there were some standouts. The Tortilla Soup and the Charred Brussel Sprouts were fantastic, as was the Hatch Chili Pasta with Shrimp. We ordered two of the Margarita Flights ($20 dineLA special) which had three of their "most popular" margaritas; watermelon, mango, and amor. They were syrupy sweet, which seems to be a trend in a lot of Mexican bars/restaurants these days and had candy pops in them. Guess I'm old school and prefer a classic or Cadillac margarita. Even something a little spicy, but I don't think these are refreshing, just filling. The two desserts we shared, Pan Dulce Nutella Bread Pudding and Churros with Horchata Ice Cream & Salted Caramel, were both excellent.Overall, I'd give Amor Y Tacos another try to see what other menu items I might enjoy, and I'd definitely have another bowl of the Tortilla Soup. At this time, I can't say I'd recommend them. We'll see after another visit.

A vibe. Friendly service and their menu has so many options to choose from! I as craving some authentic Mexican food and soo happy i came across Amor Y Tacos! They are noted for being a Michelin Guide Restaurant so i had to give them a try. Upbeat vibes inside, but I opted for outdoor seating so I can enjoy the peace of the full moon. I enjoyed the shrimp enchiladas - amazing flavor and quality ingredients. Give Amor Y Tacos a try! You wont regret it.

After church we decided to eat here after seeing it on the DineLA restaurant list. We waited about 20 min to get seated. The restaurant is big. Upon entering you're greeted with the fresh aroma of tortillas on the grill. The floor was dirty though and some of the tables took awhile to get cleaned as I think they were understaffed. The bar area looks great, lots of options. We opted for the DineLA and very much enjoyed our meal. For starters: off the menu we got the guacamole it was good but lacked flavor to my taste. For DineLA: we ordered the 3 options. All 3 were good. CHARRED BRUSSEL SPROUTSchipotle aioli, pepita, red wine vinaigrette, cotija & cilantroMOLE TOT POUTINEcrispy tator tots, queso, crema, house made mole negro, cilantro. onion & radishTORTILLA SOUP chile guajillo chicken broth, avocado, onion, cheese, chicken tinga,cilantro & crispy tortilla strips.For entree: we ordered one beef birria wet burrito and carnita wet burrito. The mole sauce is tasty! The chipotle agave glazed pork is a must try. All of the components worked and tasted amazing. We got the margarita flight and that was a bit underwhelming it tastes the same and super sweet. To end the meal we got the bread pudding and churro and it was the perfect ending to a great meal.

Are you as shocked as I was seeing that I've reviewed this wonderful fusion place-- especially given how much of a kunnt I was about something crispy. What?! For shame. This time I'm back as a vegetarian and finding a plethora of no meat options. Delighted I ordered a taco plate of veggie/ Brussel sprouts and rajas problanas if I'm remembering correctly and honestly some great vegetarian option especially for a taco place where beer and coffee are served. Is there anything better?! Very true definition of fusion and the service is pretty damn cool. Friend and I sat at the bar and did not at all have to fight for anyone's attention to get service. I wish I lived closer cause I want to try their hatch chili spaghetti. Wait for me Amor, you've been here 11 years I'm sure you will still be here when spaghetti comes a callin'

Margarita flight- delicious. You basically get 3 drinks for free. Take a look at the sizes. You get a classic lime marg, sandia marg made with their agua fresca, and my fav, the pineapple mango. Chile relleno burger- huge, super juicy and flavorful, shareable size. Esquite- it was the cheapest app on the menu at $7 so overpriced for corn. Still really good. This place is definitely for large groups. The portions are generous and they have many drink options. I can't wait to go back to try more.

The food is good, was not a fan of the pasta dish but that was more of a poor choice on my end. The shrimp on the plate were delicious. Everything else that was ordered was really good. The staff were friendly and helpful. The music was a little loud and made it hard to talk to people that were sitting with us. Would definitely try this place again.

Best margaritas! Plus here are our favorites: 1. Ahi tostada appetizer. 2. Salmon with chicharon. 3. Burgers are big and tasty. My wife and I hosted our 40th wedding anniversary and we got their banquet menu. They gave us a lot of food for the price of $38 per person. Best deal ever. We had Kyle as our server and he was great

I've dined in and ordered takeout and notice the takeout experience is lacking food quality; soggy food because garnish is too wet and should be separated from food. They do not add condiments like salsa or chips which are gratuitous if dining in and there is an up charge on chips and salsa for takeout. Otherwise the food is tasty. Restaurants should take just as much care with takeout as with dine in especially since there is an option to leave a tip.