Inside: El Tango Taqueria

Most run-of-the-mill, restaurant Mexican food is like sausage—it might taste great, but you probably don’t want to see how it gets made. Not so at El Tango Taqueria. The tiny Lakewood mainstay dishes out incredibly fresh, flavorful dishes that beg the question, “How’d they do that?”

Fortunately, the place’s open layout leaves nothing to hide. After placing your order at the register, feel free to gaze over the chest-high wall that divides the huge kitchen from the waiting area. The frantic hustling of the two or three workers will seem chaotic at first, but when you see how much work and fresh ingredients go into each dish, the resulting dining experience will begin to make sense. If nothing else, it should grant you a bit more patience as you’re subjected to oft-excruciating wait times, especially during peak hours.

Food: Forget your past run-ins with Mexican food. El Tango serves such fresh and flavorful dishes that the experience will seem wholly unfamiliar. Doubt the claim? Just look around the dining area. Stacked in baskets and bins are plump tomatoes, crisp onions and a variety of other vegetables and gourds used in each dish. You won’t find industrial size cans of pre-cut food here. Those chili peppers you see hanging from the ceiling aren’t for decoration either; they’re taking part in a crucial drying process before being diced and used in dishes and the restaurant’s signature red sauce.

So much authenticity does come at price, though. For starters, the dishes are a tad more expensive than similar offerings elsewhere. More noticeable is the size of the menu. Whereas other Mexican joints feature pages and pages of various meals and combination platters, El Tango serves only a handful of options and dinner specials. Everything that’s on the menu is great, don’t get us wrong, but the fickle eater might be disappointed when he doesn’t see familiar fare like chalupas or eight different kinds of burritos. And while the place doesn’t skimp on sizes (prepare to bring home a doggy bag), El Tango is rather stingy on standard ancillary items. Want cheese on that taco? It’ll cost you $1. The same goes for salsa and sour cream.

Given the quality of everything that does come, excluding the extras, perhaps we're nitpicking; It's just hard to cough up so much dough when you're already being asked to pay a little bit extra.

Libations: The list of drinks served at El Tango is short and sweet. Patrons can choose between soda, bottled water and a few homemade concoctions, of which the latter are really quite good. There’s the homemade sun iced tea and the homemade vanilla lime and lemonade. Depending on your palate, any of these options mirror the same freshness you'll find in the food, making them refreshing complements to any spicy meal.

Décor: El Tango is divided into three main spaces. The first is a small waiting area, where you’ll usually find yourself waiting in line to put in your order. The second is a dining space with roughly 10 tiny tables off to the left. The third is the kitchen, which occupies at least 75 percent of the floor plan. The décor throughout is cluttered but comfortable. Real cactuses and bushels of fresh vegetables are scattered about, and the walls are dotted with decorative Mexican art that’s a step above the cheesy kitsch inflatables that you might find at similar joints in town.

Service: Sincerity is a rare thing in restaurants these days. Either servers are outright asses or they simply go through the motions like actors on a stage. Walk into El Tango Taqueria, however, and the workers honestly seem happy you’re there. They’ll look you in the eye, offer a warm smile and thank you for stopping in. The experience kind of catches you off guard: "Why are they being so nice? What’s the catch?" As it turns out, the catch is a call for patience. El Tango is staffed by no more than three cooks and servers on most nights, and while the place isn’t very big, the often excruciatingly long waits can be a nuisance. If you’re dining in, order some chips and salsa to help you bide the time. And if you plan to carry out, for the love of God, call ahead and place your order first.

Bottom line: El Tango Taqueria is a uniquely satisfying Mexican dining experience that boasts authentic dishes made with flavorful and fresh ingredients. If you’re willing to pay a little extra and tolerate a wait, the resulting grub will challenge your preconceived notions about anything south of the border.

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