California Taco Shop

A Cali taco shop in RI.. ok, I'll bite. It was OK... certainly not the best tacos I've ever had but a decent place to stop for a quick meal.

Don't be fooled or put off -- from the parking lot the place looks closed - as the windows are covered up with a film that doesn't allow you to see inside. But they were def. open. Once inside the interior is fun... super simple booths but very very colorful with decorations on the walls. Bonus points for the dope playlist that was on while we were there.

Service was also great. The guy behind the counter answered all of my questions before ordering and then came to check on us during the meal... which you don't always get at a fast-food type spot.

Unfortunately, for us, the food lacked. We started w/ an order of chips/salsa and guac. CTS's version of guac is more of a pureed guac sitch' rather than a chunky guac. It's not that it felt unauthentic or tasted bad... it was just sortof... ok. I guess I'm partial to the slightly chunky salsa with pico/red onion.

Tacos were overstuffed ... but overstuffed with lettuce and tomato which made tasting the proteins a little difficult. Sadly I don't think the chicken was memorable.. and I added a bit of salsa to each taco. Salsa's were good!
I also ordered an al pastor... but this version was not the al pastor I'm used to w/ pineapple -- this one had a different spice and no pineapple to be found, which is ok. But again the lettuce and tomato sortof overpowered the meat.

Stopped here as part of the RI Food Fights TacoMania. This counter service, fast-food, neon graffiti decorated spot was not the type of place I'd usually stop. But, I'm glad the Food Fight brought us here! Food was fast, fresh & tasty ad brought me right back to similar taco shacks I love in southern California! I look forward to returning to try more.

The food was great. They followed my order instructions exactly as requested. My food was fresh and tasted great. Overall an amazing place for Tex-Mex and similar food items. I highly suggest trying their soft tacos.

We ordered a steak burrito, 3 tacos (ground beef, steak, and al pastor) steak enchiladas, chips and guacamole. Super good for munchies. I'll start off with the enchiladas, they were super ooey and cheesy! Loaded with sour cream. Only complaints, 1. The steak was super tough. I definitely wish the steak was more tender 2. The sauce tasted like it was straight from a can, could've used a little more freshness and seasoning. Next the tacos, we ordered ground beef, steak, and al pastor. They all lacked seasonings. Slightly dry and tough, but still edible with extra hot sauce. Toppings were standard lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese. Soft corn taco shell was my favorite part because they crisped the tortillas just right. The steak burrito was okay. Definitely on the dry side. Needed more sour cream, maybe some sort of hot sauce. The steak was tough and slightly dry. The rice and beans (refried) were pretty good. But once we loaded up on the hot sauce, ended up tasting pretty good. Chips were pretty good, a little on the thicker side or tortilla chips, but in a good way. Guacamole was under seasoned, it tasted like just straight mushed avocado maybe some salt and lime juice. We love avocado so we didn't mind and inhaled it. The prices were pretty cheap so I wasn't expecting much. But I wasn't disappointed either. I'd probably be back, just ask for extra sauce and sour cream and maybe for the steak to be cooked less.

I had the soft taco supreme with chorizo and Al pastor meat with jarritos and tostada. The tortilla was very fresh and the taco was filled with fresh cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo and sour cream. The Tostada was steak served with beans, cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream. I really enjoyed how crunchy the tostada shell was and it didn't crumble when you bite into it. Everything was flavorful.

There is a parking lot in front, with a few spots, so it could get crowded. There are full tables and stools inside, so you can choose where to sit. Service was nice.

Great variety choices on the menu. This place is very authentic Mexican food.

I'm not a fan of chain restaurants, but I love California taco. The ladies behind the counter are awesome and the kids love reading the walls inside. We've tried just about the entire menu and I do have to say I'm in love with the taco salad in the taco bowl. The kids are picky and love coming here so it's a win for the family.

This is still the best "fast food" Mexican around. You are in and out in 45 minutes and the food is pretty good. I usually get the steak tacos with refried beans and Mexican rice. The lettuce is always fresh and the pico de gallo is fresh and good.
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2 TACO COMBO- $14.99- ALL ORDERS COME WITH RICE, BEANS, LETTUCE WITH PICO DE GALLO ON TOP. Fillings are AL PASTOR * CHORIZO * STEAK * CARNITAS * GROUND BEEF * HOMEMADE CHICKEN FLAT GRILLED CHICKEN * SHRIMP * FISH * VEGGIE

The steak tacos are good, but can have too much cilantro. The refried beans are a bit runny and last time I went they had black refried beans, not pinto beans which I did not care for at all. The rice is just rice with tomato in it, but very bland and not very good. Maybe ask for 2 orders of beans?

I keep meaning to try other dishes, but I don't go that often, so always end up getting the steak tacos.

Each location is just a bit different, and I like the one in Johnston the best. The fried Oreos are awesome, but good once every year as they are so sweet.

Terrible. The salsa tastes like pasta sauce. The guacamole was bland, super processed, probably commercially prepared and sold to the restaurant in tubs. The $20 quesadilla was lacking the queso, so I guess what I received was just a dilla.

Went here with the RI Food Fights Taco Mania. The service was super quick and the tacos were bursting with flavor. Atmosphere was very chill. Very well done, California Taco Shop.

The food was decent. I had the shrimp taco and an order of rice. Rice wasn't bad I added some salad dressing to my leftovers to give it some taste.

In and out access is kind of a pain in the butt since you have to drive through a neighborhood depending on which way you are coming from post.

The woman at the counter was nice, got our order in and served it right out. I ended up leaving and not dining in, but there is plenty of seats in the dining room.