Taqueria Viva Mexico Makes Me Happy

I'm originally from Southern California and while I'm not as stringent as other Southern Californians about my Mexican food, I still really crave authentic Mexican...well, almost constantly. Luckily, this is where Taqueria Viva Mexico comes in.

Not to be confused with Taqueria Downtown (although also good in a different way), Taqueria Viva Mexico is a relatively small restaurant, simply decorated, but  in a very classic Mexican kitchen style. I've eaten there a few times, always had good service, good food, and enjoyed myself but one of my favorite things about Taqueria Viva Mexico is that they deliver!

One of the best bets, especially if you feel like some variety, are the soft tacos. They offer 8 varieties, all either $2.50 or $3.00 per taco and all come with radish, well-chopped onion, plenty of cilantro, some lime slices (I always wish there were more) and are offered with your choice of green tomatillo hot sauce or a red tomato jalapeno. Both hot sauces create a nice burn but with a lot of flavor. I love both and use them amply but the tacos are still very tasty on their own if you want to drop the spice factor down - the sauces are always served on the side which allows for personalization and prevents the tacos from getting soggy.

                        From left to right: grilled chicken, carne asada, chorizo. They're about 5 inches and quite filling.

The enchiladas and burritos are also excellent choices.  Both are incredibly generous portions and they will let you customize your burrito as double beans instead of rice although I wish they'd add more of the other fillings as it can get overwhelming. The enchiladas, chicken or steak, are served with the tomatillo sauce or their homemade mole sauce. I am not typically a fan of mole (one of the very few people in the world I think) but when I tried it recently, I was really impressed. The cocoa flavor and spices blended wonderfully together to become a layered, smooth, slightly smoky, rich sauce that had me wishing there was more. While it won't become my standard, I will be eagerly ordering it again. The rice and beans that accompany the enchiladas are both well-cooked and well-seasoned, banning any concern of blandness.

I love eating in the restaurant here and ordering delivery. The food is cheap, portions are plentiful, service is friendly, and it's just simple good Mexican. FYI, if you are ordering, there's usually a $10 minimum and a $1.50 delivery charge, but I've always received my food within about a half hour, still hot, and nothing has ever been missing.

All in All:
While I've had a couple of misses with some menu items (warning: the chorizo quesadilla is incredibly greasy) and find it a little odd that that they have more typical burger joint type items on the menu (I guess good for kids or the non-adventurous and per yelp, they're actually very good), Taqueria Viva Mexico is a great choice. They serve some truly excellent Mexican standards and beyond tacos and burritos, they have the more rarely found huaraches, tortas, and more. The meat is not extremely high quality and the veggie versions of meals can be lacking, but the overall flavors and food are delicious, authentic, craving-satisfying Mexican.