In my opinion, everyone needs to have a solid, go-to taco place. For the past few months, Taqueria La Hacienda has been mine, and this past weekend I learned they actually have locations other than Uptown Minneapolis; in Burnsville and Richfield. I decided it was finally time to write Hacienda a proper review, and branch out into their other menu items.

After trying both an Al Pastor Burrito and a Carnitas Torta, I can safely say that Hacienda’s tacos are the best option on the menu. Perfectly sweet and flavorful, their Al Pastor tacos will always steal the show. They’re spit-grilled, and slowly marinated in pineapple juice from the half-pineapple sitting atop a spit. What I appreciate most about Taqueria la Hacienda is that they don’t overcomplicate things: the tacos come with meat, cilantro, limes, and a few sauces (And, in the case of the Al-Pastor tacos, shredded pineapple). The other flavors are all delicious as well, with carnitas that are just greasy enough, and perfectly salty steak tacos. The only subset of tacos I can’t necessarily recommend is the chicken, which comes with flavorless and somewhat watery potatoes that detract from the flavor of the chicken. It costs $3.00 to buy one small-ish taco, which can start to add up if you want a full meal – anywhere from 4-7 tacos, depending on how hungry you are. This might seem a little steep, but if you’re asking me, it’s 100% worth it.

Knowing how good the tacos are from Hacienda, the Al Pastor burrito was a letdown. It’s definitely more authentic than what you’d be getting at Chipotle, but over half the burrito is rice and it felt like I was chewing my way through an endless amount of it by the time I gave up. It’s a lot of food, which is good if you’re hungry, but it’s not exactly a flavorful experience. I could kind of taste the al-pastor, but it seemed like there was just enough rice to almost totally mask it’s flavor. For $10.00, you’d be way better off buying three of their tacos instead.

The carnitas torta was solid, but not a show-stealer for me. It’s layered with cheese, mayo, tomato, avocado, lettuce, and of course the carnitas. The sandwich isn’t dry at all, and the ingredients make for a solid combo. It’s also a large sandwich, and you’re definitely getting your money’s worth at $10.00.

At the end of the day, Taqueria la Hacienda is a taco place. The other menu items are worth checking out if you go there often, but if you decide to check it out, I’d highly recommend sticking with the tacos – which are amazing.