ROC - Taqueria 2 Guys

The best tacos in Southern California aren't found within the sterile, sugar-coated police state confines of a suburb. They are found in cities no where near as pearly as say Laguna Beach which their names immediately stir up rough connotations in one's mind. Be that as it may, the vibrant light that shines from these cities comes from the strong, tightly-knit Mexican communities and their culture. A large part of their culture is their food with tacos being a significant part of it. With the help of Yelp, I was able to find one of the best, authentic taquerias in Santa Ana known as Taqueria 2 Guys. The highlight of this place is their divine al Pastor (Marinated Pork) authentically cooked on the shawarma grill. Out of all the meats, al Pastor is my favorite which is why I have a whole lot of heart for this place. Their address is 925 W Warner Ave., Santa Ana, CA 92707 and their number is (714) 557-4350. Taqueria 2 Guys is open on Tuesday-Sunday with Mondays closed.

I will definitely go more in-depth into their al Pastor but some of their other great meats to try for tacos and burittos are Chorizo (Mexican Sausage), Bisteca (Beef) and Chuleta (Pork - unmarinated). The tacos range from $1.29-1.59. After 5pm, the al Pastor tacos are lowered to 99 cents. The al Pastor tacos are shaven onto the tortilla from the shawarma grill and then topped with onion, cillantro and pineapple which is a unique touch with the place. Topping the tacos with juice from a lime wedge and their amazing jalapeno (most favorite) and chipotle salsas, the tacos are ready to be eaten and once it's in your mouth, culinary nirvana is acheived. These al Pastor tacos are the best I've ever had. The following pics of al Pastor tacos are from times eating and ordering them togo.

In addition to their tacos, they have amazing burittos. I used to prefer burittos more than tacos when my perspective of Mexican food was very limited to Taco Bell and Baja Fresh. However, after trying the authentic restaurants in Southern California, that switched. They either have a regular burito with meat, rice and beans for $5 and for a dollar more, you can get the special buritto which is an all meat buritto with your choice of meat. The following is their special buritto with al Pastor as the meat choice.

The two owners, a husband and wife duo, are very friendly and warm. When you come in, the husband will introduce himself to you and shake your hand. The rest of the staff are extremely warm and friendly as well. They do offer complementary chips as well as you can enjoy their amazing salsas with them, especially the jalopeno one. Therefore, if you want amazing, perhaps the best al Pastor tacos in Orange County, come to Taqueria 2 Guys. If you're say in a suburb say Irvine, do muster up the courage to travel to Santa Ana. I used to be like that, completely sheltered in Irvine, years back when studying at UCI. Santa Ana's much safer than you think.

Update 3/1/2013 -

After more than a year since their grand opening, they now serve shrimp tacos only on Fridays. They come with a Chipotle Crema and Pico de Gallo. With a squirt of lime, they are very delicious as even three of them weren't enough as I wanted some more on the day I first tried them. Be sure to try them if you're at Taqueria 2 Guys on Friday, especially on your lunch break. You'll end up wanting to order more!