Joya Taqueria

Got 3 chicken tacos and the meat was pretty dry. But it's good vibes inside, they have music and sports playing. I want to come back to try the alambre, their chicken soup while it's still chilly out, or take advantage of their deal to buy 5 tacos and get a free drink

Wow! It is real authentic mexican food. So far the most authentic I've tried. Great place, with tables indoor and outdoor. And for some people the most important, with a good price.

I got the carne asada burrito here for 12 bucks. The burrito is a good size and it came with rice, beans, cheese, and meat. I highly recommend this hole-in-the-wall taqueria in Mountain View. I will return.

Surprised this little taqueria isn't reviewed that much (9 at time of writing). I suppose being tucked away on the plaza could do that. It's always busy here(maybe 4-5 groups) during weekday lunches. Mostly working folk, families, and other wanderers like myself. My experience here is very specific, and I don't care about trying the whole menu - nobody has time for that. Probably been here 15-20 times. Each time we have tacos and the al pastor quesdilla. Their al pastor is on a spinning machine, providing good heat, flavor, and crunch. This place has one of the better quesdillas in the area, arguably in Palo Alto. You put this with SF and SJ taquerias, it's tough to beat. But around here, this place stands out. Fresh meat, nice grilling, tasty ingredients, and relatively quick. Tacos come with two tortillas, lots of onion, a burst of cilantro (every place needs to do this!), and a healthy serving size of meats. Carne asada, al pastor, chicken, and lingua all taste good here. Quesdilla is perfect. Huge serving size. Perfect amount of melted cheese, meat, and sauce ratio. Always fills me up. Come here for value, flavor, and variety of fresh drinks.P.S. I read a review about this place being racist. Maybe just my luck - I have never felt that here. Maybe just don't be goofy and spin things? It makes no business sense to do that.

Delicious authentic Mexican food! Across town from where we were but still made the trip for some home cooked style yums. The chivo quessobirria is a foolproof delightful meal ! Great portions and super tasty. Must try!!!

3.5 stars overall but rounding up for one of the better burritos I've had recently. They weren't busy at 4:15pm on a Sunday, and it was about a 10 minute wait for a take out order. Their menu (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=QFHpf7B-EJ7nFtSS3usHsw&userid=76vIFZcC7owykCBjMfGVXg) has a ton of different options, including menudo, mole, and quesabirria. Joya Taqueria offers a wide variety of different proteins, including different types of offal: buche (pork stomach), oreja (pig ear), cueritos (rendered pig skin), trompa (pork snout), and cabeza (head). They also serve the classic proteins: asada, al pastor, carnitas, and pollo. I opted for the classics to start off with, and tried:-Carne Asada Burrito ($12, https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=uIcjPW6PBhLec7NFFdqeeg&userid=76vIFZcC7owykCBjMfGVXg): I pretty much order all my burritos without beans, and this burrito was still a good size without them. The carne asada was actually flavorful, and had a nice sear. If this burrito had a little more sour cream and the option to add guacamole, it would've been perfect! It was still really good after I added more sour cream at home, and used their green salsa.-Al Pastor Taco ($3.50, https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=JBi2weXriAihfBAk6bpHTQ&userid=76vIFZcC7owykCBjMfGVXg): It seemed like the al pastor was cooking on the spit for a while before I arrived, and I think the meat would've been juicier/less dry if I came when they were busier, and going through the al pastor more quickly. The corn tortilla was also a little dry, but I liked the flavor of their al pastor. I really appreciated that they give you a small ziploc with sliced cucumbers and limes, in addition to salsas. They had two types of salsa- a creamy green jalapeno salsa and a spicy red salsa. The creamy green salsa was delicious, and had a great level of spice. I wasn't a fan of the red salsa since it was too acidic and had too many chili seeds. I'll be back for more of their burritos, and plan to try some different proteins for tacos the next time around! Both indoor and outdoor seating options were available, and they had hand sanitizer. Some staff were wearing masks (despite the mandate being lifted), but the majority were not. Parking was easy to find since they have a small lot to the left of the taqueria, and there was a larger parking lot available to the right of the Joya Supermarket.

it looks like the Joya empire is now complete. First a grocery store, then a bakery and now they've taken over the Super Tacos El Conrro space as well. They've done some minor cosmetic modifications and the menu has been pared down but it's quite similar to STEC's biz before. The chicharron prensado is unique holdover and the unusual meats like ojo, oreja, buche, etc still exist.. I still see the STEC food truck so good that they're still around, they just dont have the cool patio anymore. Same hours as before too. hopefully they can maintain the quality over the long run

Amazing food. A little on the spicy side. This was catered for an event at work. Everyone had a good time because the food was amazing. The guac was mind blowing

This is a real whole in the wall place. Everything is in Spanish including the payment console, haha. Most tables were already taken during lunch time too, so I had a good feeling about this place...I enjoyed my Asada Torta, but I would pick a different protein next time. The asada was diced into little pieces, so it was hard to keep it in the sandwich. Very tasty though!

Pastor was goodBathroom had no soap. Terrible signThe burrito was plain and glad I got salsa and had my own sour cream at home I asked if their birria soup was of goat and they said that it was. Just debating if I want to go back because I'm picky with my birria soup. So, at a loss really