Taqueria El Campeon

(Above is embedded slideshow. See below for direct link.)

Review Type
Full

Taco Shop Name
Taqueria El Campeon
(aka Carniciera El Campeon)

Taco Shop Address
31921 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
(949) 240-3141

Date of Review
2/28/2009

Food Selection and Price (tax included)
Combinacion de asada (2 tacos, rice, beans), $7.42

Video Review on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R8AddBJkzc
Same as video embedded below, but higher quality.

Images at Picasa Web
El Campeon Review Images
Same images as those above, but higher quality.

Review
El Campeon, at it's core, is a carniciera (a market that sells meat. In other words, a meat market). El Campeon also has an attached market. It's in a small shopping center/strip mall where most of the stores cater to the local Hispanic neighbors. The parking is kind of crowded, as the stores in the strip mall are popular. The food for the taqueria is presented in a long series of hot contianers behind glass. I'd say it's like a buffet, but that implies crappy food and unsavory conditions. Also, it's not a buffet, since customers don't dig into the food. You can sit at some tables, or at barstools along the storefront window. Be prepared for a line out the front door. Mainly Spanish is spoken, so try to present your order in Spanish. Get in line to the left of the hot plate line, give your order when asked, pay, then stand toward the window waiting for your receipt number to be called. They work fast, so be courteous and know what you want in advance. Don't ask a bunch of questions and stall the entire line (unless there is no line).

The taco experience... El Campeon packs a lot of carne in the corn tortillas. They don't skimp. The don't load it with a bunch of vegetables with the intent of hiding a lack of meat. The didn't appear to offer shredded beef, nor hard taco shells. The tacos don't contain cheese. I'd call the tacos minimalist, where they focus on the meat. The meat has great flavor, likely due to some marinade process. The rice and beans were good, as well. Though I personally tend to lean toward hard shell tacos (deep fried kind, not preformed taco bell crap) packed with shredded beef, El Campeon delivers a great experience and solid, meat-packed tacos with great flavor.

Side note: El Campeon is very much like competitor El Molino de Oro, which is in the shopping center on the opposite corner of Del Obispo and Camino Capistrano. The setup is much the same (hot food line and attached market). El Campeon seems a bit more focused on their meat-related operations. Will post review of El Molino de Oro soon.

Below is embedded youtube video. See above for direct link.