Taqueria Santa Cruz - Mexican restaurant in Santa Cruz - 1002 Soquel Ave, USA

I go there for the menudo. Tasty broth, lots of tripe, decent portions. Make sure to add all the fixin's they serve with the soup. They have a nice small salsa bar. Great place to have a menudo and a Modelo. Might be my regular stop. One of the better menudos in town. So good.

Today I realized how little I know about Mexican food! I ordered carne en su jugo. Since I never had the soup before I even asked the waitress if it is enough for dinner or I need to have another entrée. Lots of meat and bacon. They also have pickled patato slices at the self-help station. Great experience!

Update 🔥🔥🔥 Got the soup again, amazing soul food, I must have it every week now. Ordered the flour tortillas (I know corn is more authentic but...) fresh made to order, hot and chewy with delicious burn marks, are you kidding me?! I drank ever drop and again, wow! Original review Carne en su jugo! Remember that name, it translates to delicious Mexican soup or something. Kind of like a Mexican Pho without the noodles. So good, so fresh, like something your Mexican grandmother (you wish you had) would make you. The cashier was beautiful, nice and super helpful. They are lucky to have her. Their Al Pastor is as good as it gets. 🔥🌶🌯🌮

Wonderful food . I ordered the enchilada and Chile relleno plate, and it was great. I also had 3 asada tacos. They were delicious. the chips a salsa very hot just the way I like it. We ordered lots of other food, it was a big order for take out and everything was correct. Service was okay it was kinda chaotic cause it was super packed, so I understand. I would definitely come back.

We tried the fish tacos, carne asada tacos, and carnitas tacos. They were all all delicious. Each ingredient was fresh, the meats cooked perfectly. Where other restaurants sometimes have dried out carnitas ends, every bit of these were juicy. Friendly customer service, plenty of indoor seating. Parking is plentiful if you don’t mind crossing a busy street.

Great food! Great service! Always get my food hot, fresh, and delicious! Love this place!

The tacos hit the spot. It's everything you'd expect from the local Mexican faire. Traditional flavors. Great salsa bar with lots of options. The place could really use some updating inside.

The food was decent. Not the best, but not the worst. Overall, our table of 7 enjoyed what we got. The service was adequate, but the place needs a good cleaning and fresh coat of paint. The bathroom doors were filthy. Looks like they had years of grease caked on them. The feel of the place is a bit of a turn-off. The parking lot was also very tiny and tight.