This is the first entry of a series of restaurant reviews. The focus of these reviews is to review locally owned restaurants that are near Calhoun’s Huntsville Campus. Each review will include a score at the end.
Location and Ambiance
Taqueria las Adelitas is a Mexican restaurant conveniently located 0.3 miles from Calhoun’s Huntsville Campus. Upon entering, you will be greeted with orange walls covered with Mexican pottery and sombreros. The ceiling is lined with Mexican party flags. Adelitas is a counter-service restaurant. There is a salsa bar with a variety of sides you can have with your meal. The salsa bar is included with the meal and has red (spicy), green (tomatillo with garlic and lime), and yellow salsas (jalapeno). There are also Mexican pickled carrots, cucumbers, limes, and radishes. The Mexican pickled carrots are rare to find so make sure to give them a try.
Pricing
Taqueria las Adelitas has fairly low prices that range from about $9.00 to $13.99. If on a budget, the cheaper options can be plenty of food, but the more expensive options also tend to have larger portion sizes.
What to Order
Tacos: The tacos are served traditionally meaning they are topped only with cilantro and onion. The tortillas served with the tacos are fresh-tasting and a little crispy. The best taco meats are asada (steak), carnitas (pork), and lengua (tongue). Carne asada is a skirt steak cut into small pieces (about 1 cm by 1 cm) and has good flavor and texture. The carnitas are essentially Mexican pulled pork. The lengua (beef tongue) is very tender and has better flavor than the other meats. Although the lengua may be too fatty for some, it is my favorite taco meat at Adelitas. I would avoid getting the lengua in anything larger than a taco as it is a very heavy meat.
Birria: The birria tacos are delicious and are a separate menu item from the other tacos. Birria is traditionally either lamb or goat, but most restaurants in the United States, including this one, serve it with beef. The birria tacos are served with consome which is, to put it simply, an overseasoned broth that you dip the tacos in. These tacos are served in sets of three and are larger than the regular tacos. The birria tacos are shallow fried in the fat skimmed off of the consome which season the tortillas for extra flavor.
Carnitas Plate: Out of the three plates, the carnitas plate is by far the best. The carnitas are served mixed with grilled onions which adds a lot of flavor to the dish. The carnitas are usually moist and slightly crispy as carnitas should be. The plate is served with rice and beans with a choice of either corn or flour tortillas. The flour tortillas are lacking in flavor and texture so the corn tortillas pair better with the dish.
Caldo de Res: Caldo de res is a hearty Mexican soup consisting of tender beef and a variety of vegetables in a rich bone broth. Adelitas serves the soup with a side of seasonings, lime, and rice that you can add to the soup to your liking.
Drinks: If you are going to order a beverage consider trying one of the aguas frescas. Adelitas offers three homemade aguas frescas which include horchata, jamaica, and a third flavor that changes every few days. The horchata is some of the best horchata I have ever had. Horchata is a Mexican rice water drink with sugar and cinnamon. While not as good as the horchata, the jamaica at Adelitas is also worth trying. Jamaica is a sweetened hibiscus tea and has sweet and tangy flavors. The other options usually include either mango or piña (pineapple).
What Not to Order
Chili Colorado: Traditionally, chili colorado consists of tender meat stewed in a rich and savory chili sauce. Unfortunately, the chili colorado at Adelitas consists of carne asada meat with a sauce that is lacking in flavor.
Fish Tacos: When most people think of fish tacos they think of a golden and crunchy fish filet. At Adelitas, the fish tacos are thin, soggy, and very bland. I would not recommend these since they are more expensive than most of the other items and are very lacking in flavor.
Score: 4.5/5