El Taco Riendo Offers Up Traditional Mexican Food in Crystal
More than 2,000 miles separate Mexico City from the Twin Cities, but you don’t have to travel south of the border to get a taste of authentic Mexican food.
“You have to try it. I would say it’s way better than other places like Teresa’s or Taco Bell,” said Laura Marcin of Brooklyn Park, referring to El Taco Riendo in Crystal.
For many years, Taco Bell is likely what came to mind when Minnesotans thought of Mexican cuisine. Yet thanks to people like Miguel Cruz Gomez, you can go to spots like El Taco Riendo for the real deal.
“About 34-35 years ago, there was not many Mexican restaurants around the area, and the only Mexican restaurants we could think about were all the way down in St. Paul on the west side,” Gomez said.
Gomez opened El Taco Riendo in March of 2019 in a small strip mall near the Crystal Cub Foods.
El Taco Riendo is located at 5101 36th ave N, Crystal, MN.
They have a wide variety of meats and sauces on hand that are prepared fresh every day for all of the taco and burrito lovers out there, although the menu offers much more.
“This is the closest you can get from the original dishes from Mexico, you know,” Gomez said.
In the three years since they opened, they’re still working to build their customer base, but the fans they’ve established so far rave about the food.
“The portion sizes are better, and I feel like the customer service here is way better than other places too,” said Marcin, the customer from Brooklyn Park.
“El Taco Riendo” means either the running taco or the smiling taco. It’s essentially their way of saying that customers will get their food fast, and they’ll leave happy.
“Come and visit us, come and try us, and let us know if you like it or not,” Gomez said.
The restaurant also has a food truck and offers catering as well.
