Ortiz Taco Time - Ventura

Ortiz Taco Time is a well known place on Ventura Avenue that I've heard much about. Truth be told, I wasn't planning on going there for this post ( I was going to go to Taqueria Tepatitlan across the street) but its been on my radar now for some time so I just couldn't resist.

I know there's some history here with the building and the owner plus this place has many fans but I'm not going to delve into all that because its time to get down to brass tacks, are their tacos superior or not?

Well, as I walked in through the front door I was quite surprised how nice the interior of Ortiz Taco Time was. Plenty of seating and very clean in appearance plus this bad boy painted on one of the walls:

Anyway- At the counter ordering my tacos: 1 asada, 1 carnitas, 2 al pastor when the lady taking my order yelled in Spanish to the cook in the back: "Dos tacos adobados por favor!" ............and there you have it folks, mystery solved. Josh and I have been validated (well, at least one time) with our belief that most of the "al pastor" we've been eating is not really the traditional version of the recipe.

 Its not a big deal whatsoever, its just that it should be advertised on the menu a little differently. I mean, the pork is being cooked adobado style ( simply put, slow cooked with onions, garlic and dark chilies or adobado sauce/paste) as opposed to roasting it on the trompo ( Roasted on a rotisserie, pineapple involved, juice from said pineapple tenderizes the pork) then again, its also a regional issue. Who fucking cares Rob! were the tacos any good??

Right- The tacos, one more thing before I get to that, before the tacos even reached my table, I was served complimentary chips and salsa with the salsa also serving as the eventual topping for my tacos. I found the salsa (which was still pretty warm from just being cooked) to be smokey, with a slow building heat, very nice little number. Not gonna make you sweat or snap in your mouth with spiciness but it was very flavorful none the less.

Okay! Carnitas: nice crispness, shredded and moist, that chicharroness type flavor coming to the forefront and just delicious through and through. It had a very clean flavor as opposed to say, greasy like the one I had at Taqueria Potrillos in Camarillo. Definitely deep fried but still clean and not weighed down as carnitas can sometimes get after the deep fry treatment.

Carne asada was also really good. Great flavor, solid cut of steak, tender and juicy with slight char. Very nice, not the best, but really good and enjoyable to eat.

Al pastor/pork adobado tacos: After understanding what it was that I was eating, I set my mind to the flavors that I was expecting. This pork adobado taco was really, really good. absolutely delicious. Tender and spicy, totally melted in my mouth I was so glad I ordered 2 of them. Great execution of this style.

Other things: All of the tacos were quite hearty; the tortillas were filled to the brim with meat. Speaking of the tortillas, they were perfectly oiled and pliable, absolutely added to the overall flavor of the tacos. At the price of $1.25 each, these tacos are a serious deal.

There's still alot for me to get to just in Ventura city but yeah, I really enjoyed my tacos at Ortiz Taco Time; they are the real deal. I know that may not be news to the locals, and I'm sure there are also plenty of detractors, nevertheless- Ortiz Taco Time is one of the stand outs in the Ventura County. Trust me, I've been around, and in that medium sample size I think this place is great in comparison. 4.5/5 stars.

PS: On the way home I saw Don Gaby's van and lunch truck parked off the freeway in Oxnard. Please forgive me, Don.

Ortiz Taco Time
339 North Ventura Avenue
Ventura, Ca 93001