Back in 2011, I tried Taqueria Hidalgo located in the same strip mall as Nha Sang and Tawakal across from the Burnsville Performing Arts Center. At the time, the restaurant was dirty, the service was terrible and my torta was miserable. The restaurant eventually closed but was later reopened as part of an expanded Hidalgo Market on the other end of the strip. Working nearby and always looking for decent Hispanic foods, we decided to give the new location a try.
The market is nice and the addition of the taqueria is a good one. There are a few booths and tables near the windows and several more towards the back. The place feels really open and they have retained the same feel as the original location by allowing you to watch as the cooks prepare your food. The menu is pretty standard fare and the prices are what you’ll find down the road at Taqueria La Hacienda #3. They have several lunch specials which include a drink and average around $8. We ordered two of these: their torta meal and their taco plate along with a chorizo quesadilla for The Rooster.
The chorizo quesadilla was decent. The chorizo flavor could have been more evident but it was definitely cheesy and carried a little bit of a kick. The beans, rice, and vegetables were abundant and fresh and while The Rooster liked the limes more than anything else, the leftovers I had for lunch a few days later were not bad at all. While quesadillas aren’t something I order, The Wife does. Compared to what you get a TLH#3, this one was pretty weak and we’ll probably order something else next time.
The taco plate was ok. They choose what tacos you get and rattled off the choices so quickly I didn’t catch the offerings. I asked if I could get a beef tongue taco and I was told only for extra. I had them add it on just to give me something to compare to. The beef tongue was good. While I’ve had better, the meat was tender and flavorful. Unfortunately, that was the end of the good about these tacos. The rest were fairly flavorless and the toppings were nothing to write home about. Their hot salsa was very boring and really needs some fresh peppers to make it pop. I would not be coming back here to have those again.
While the quesadilla and tacos weren’t anything special, I really enjoyed the few bites of The Wife’s Cubana Torta that I had. The cheese was thick and flavorful. The pickled jalapenos were done old school (cut lengthwise) and carried some excellent heat. The meat itself was thick and tasty and the bread was soft and moist. Overall, this was a pretty decent torta for Burnsville. While it’s no match in price or size for what you get down the road, it was good enough for us and one we’d order again if we couldn’t make the additional two miles to TLH.
Overall, Taqueria Hidalgo is much improved from their prior location just down the strip mall; however, there are still better restaurants serving the same menu in Burnsville itself. We’d come back if we were in the area but, honestly, save yourself the time and money and head over to TLH#3, you’ll be glad you did.
Have you eaten at Taqueria Hidalgo since they moved next to the Hidalgo Market? If so what did you think? Did you ever eat at their old location? What did you think about that? What other Hispanic markets/restaurants do you frequent in the South Metro? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Address:
Taqueria Hidalgo
12609 Nicollet Ave
Burnsville, MN 55337
Phone:
952-707-1140
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April 2nd, 2013 at 8:29 am
It’s too bad the food quality does not match the quality of the pictures. I was drooling until I read the review.
April 2nd, 2013 at 8:58 am
I havent tried Hidalgo since your earlier review wasnt so glowing. Taqueria La Hacienda remains our fave, of course it is 3 mins from my house so that makes it easy. They expanded their seating area taking over the square footage of the Mexican bakery next door. I think the nearest mexican bakeshop is down on 13 on the south side frontage road a few doors west of the defunct Burnsville Ale house… attached to a Mexican market there. The market is pretty authentic with a meat counter topped with huge pieces of chicharron for sale. Mexican skirt steak for carne asada. The market is mostly a butcher shop and has that butcher shop smell…be forewarned if you of tender sensibilities. It is possible that the bakery is the one that was next to Hacienda, its called Paneteria La Loma? Anyone know?
The store is next to an Asian supermarket as well, and a new strip mall is going up next door, which we hope will have an authentic mexican or asian restaurant.
April 2nd, 2013 at 11:46 am
I stop by this place from time to time for tacos. I normally go with the Chorizo taco’s and while a little bit greasy (to be expected with Chorizo), they are always very flavorful and I would recommend them.
Beyond that, the service has always been extremely friendly. Very nice people on every visit, which is a rarity at most places.
April 2nd, 2013 at 2:27 pm
Haven’t been there since they moved, but have gone to the old location a couple of times because they have sopes, one of my favorites. They did those pretty well.
April 2nd, 2013 at 4:19 pm
I would add that in my experience the chicken was a bit dry, but the chorizo was great, and as Bill noted, everything with cheese had generous portions.