With a slogan of “Cocina Mexicana,” or “Mexican Cuisine,” El Sombrero Taqueria lives true to its name. El Sombrero Taqueria is a Granite Bay landmark, whether you are going with your Spanish class or to get a spicy taste of Mexico.

Upon arriving, I was rapidly immersed into Mexican culture. To my right, I saw a wall full of traditional Mexican decor, including a large map of Mexico. To my left was a huge menu full of lists of Mexican food. The menu offers no shortage of options for you to enjoy.

The tables were decorated with Mexican bingo games to practice your spanish and displayed letters from Granite Bay High School thanking them for contributions. It is clear that the owners of El Sombrero Taqueria do their part in supporting the community.

With great service, this casual restaurant has a friendly and family oriented environment on top of their exceptional food.

El Sombrero Taqueria provides a wide variety of options to order from, from simple chicken tacos to menudo. Although a little bit expensive, I decided to order the chile verde, diced pork cooked with chiles and tomatillo sauce.

All entrees come with unlimited access to the chip bar. Before my entree arrived, I took a visit to the self serve chip bar that had a wide variety of salsas as well as jalapenos and lemons. As a convenience for the to-go orders, there were pre packaged chips and salsa in containers ready to be taken. All of the salsas were spicy and had their own unique twist.

Surprisingly, the food came quick, and upon my first bite, I was immediately satisfied with the perfect combination of spice and flavor. My entree of the chile verde came with corn and flour tortillas, beans, rice, and lettuce. The chile verde was amongst the best I’ve had, and overall was the star of the meal. The sauce and the pork made the perfect combination, easy to enjoy in a tortilla. If you can handle a little bit of spice, I highly recommend the chile verde or posole soup.

I could tell that this place had real Mexican food. It was much more authentic than any other Mexican restaurants, who merely try to imitate the Mexican flavors.

As for the price, most entrees are around 12 dollars, a little too expensive for high school students looking for a quick bite to eat. However, they offer smaller options like tacos for less money.

Overall, El Sombrero Taqueria is the perfect place when you are craving a quick taste of Mexico. I have nothing bad to say about this place and would recommend it to anyone.