Critic's Review
When you want real tacos, you don't go to Rocco's or any place on US1. You come to Alegria Tacos, a small storefront on Andrews north of Oakland Park Blvd.
There's parking on the side; inside there's 1 booth, 2 tables and 1 high top; take your pick. It's the furthest thing to the newfangled quick serve restaurants that there is. A Mexican guy mans the grill.
I order 3 tacos and a side of refried beans. I make refried beans myself once in a while; home made is so much better than from a can. I take a seat and wait.
Posters of Mexican food on the walls. I'm not sure how the clowns fit in.
It takes quite a while to make the tacos; they make them fresh to order. I can hear him banging the grill with metal tools as he chops. After a while a woman delivers a smiley bag to me.
I drove carefully home so as not to tip over the bag. However a peek into the bag shows that their packaging isn't ideal for messy stuff.
Refried beans were oozing out of the styrofoam. Eek. Messy stuff.
The 3 tacos were chicken, chorizo and tongue. Lots of cilantro, raw onions and fresh tomato on the tacos.
Also included was a tub of salsa. Spicy stuff. Not the best salsa I've ever had, but it was hot.
The taco shells were doubled up and held together nicely; frankly the tacos were disappointing. The chicken, which I really liked the last time I was here, had no flavor at all. Just chopped up chicken breast. The Chorizo was easily the best, although the chorizo was a bit overdone; black in spots.
The tacos lacked pop. The meats weren't as flavorful as I would have liked; I just felt like I was eating shells with stuff in them, like at so many other places in town. The salsa and lime added some flavor, but I didn't feel exhilarated after eating them.
I tasted the beans and they disappointed as well. Not enough seasoning. I threw them in a pan to melt the cheese, but they weren't as good as the canned stuff they serve in most Mexican restaurants.
Certainly not worth $3. I recommend you pass on the beans.
Conclusion
Today I sought out authentic Mexican Tacos, and I guess I got them. They certainly looked authentic. But they still failed to pass the test of being as good as Tacos I've had in Mexico. Too much cilantro and not enough spice. Good, but not good enough.
Review 7/13/10
In Fort Lauderdale, you really don't have to go very far to find a better taco; you just need to know where to look. Don't expect to find them on Las Olas, US1 or even A1A. You have to head into the ethnic neighborhoods located in areas rarely traveled by BMWs and Hummers.
Alegria really isn't that far from Downtown Fort Lauderdale; its just south of Catfish Dewey's. Its very easy to miss. Its right across from a 7/11 gas station. With cars parked in front, you can barely see the sign from the road.
Inside the tiny storefront are 3 patio type tables and a couple who jump up when someone comes in. I order a couple of tacos; they push the beans and rice, but you just want the tacos.
As you can see these are more like the tacos you'll get at a small place in Mexico than on US1. Hand made on a grill tended to by a guy who looks like he knows how to make tacos. No cheese. No sour cream. These are just good, authentic tacos.
They have lunch combos that I don't really find very appealing. For example you can get 2 tacos with rice and beans for $7.50. But the tacos are $2.50 each, so you're paying $2.50 for rice and beans. Fine if you want rice and beans, but I'd rather skip them or get a 3rd taco.
Of all of the "authentic" taco places, I like the chicken here the best. It's nicely seasoned.