Mouth-watering dishes such as The Chorizo Especial (middle) and Tacos de Bistec (right). Stella Rhodes & Piper Cheney / Daily Nexus

In a charming neighborhood northeast of downtown Santa Barbara, sits a bright blue taqueria. The enticing building is none other than the famous La Super Rica Taqueria. The restaurant was founded on Milpas Street in 1996, and has been recognized by USA TODAY 10Best since as the best spot to satiate your every taco desire. After receiving the news that world-renowned television chef Julia Child crowned this locale one of her favorite restaurants in town, we knew we had to go!

Sauntering up Milpas Street, we noticed a line out of the door that moved just quickly enough for us to make the impossible decision of what to order. Upon walking through the turquoise-painted wood doors, the smell of spiced beef, pork and sausage wafting from the kitchen immediately piqued our taste buds. The chalkboard menu displayed a list of 20 variations of taco dishes along with some weekly tamale specials. Behind the menu, we marveled at the clearly experienced chefs hard at work in the small kitchen pressing tortillas from homemade masa. 

The most difficult part of our experience was picking only four of the dozens of menu options. After much deliberation, we eagerly put in our order for Tacos de Bistec, Tacos de Adobado, Alambre de Filete and the Chorizo Especial. The kind man who was working the register promised the plates would not disappoint, and he could not have been more correct. 

After ordering, we entered the cafeteria-style dining room and sat amongst a ranging audience. From local working men enjoying their lunch break with a Modelo to obvious seasoned regulars ready to order to big families splitting large assortments of tacos, La Super Rica Taqueria attracts all hungry demographics. Following a 10-minute wait, which passed quickly as we filled up our souffle cups with fresh salsa, our plates came off the grill steaming with aromatics. 

We began with the #1 item on the menu, Tacos de Bistec. Served on top of two stacked tortillas was the perfect helping of shaved grilled beef. We divided the meat between the two corn tortillas and dove into our first bite. We admired that although rather simple, these tacos packed a punch of flavor. The shaved beef was crispy yet tender and practically melted in our mouths. Overall it is a very satiating dish: the simplicity of ingredients shined a light on the quality and flavor of the meat paired with the homemade, pillowy tortillas.

Next, we enjoyed the #4 item, Taco de Adobado, which translates to grilled marinated pork. The pork’s texture was ground-like, with slight variations of sizes and texture. These tacos held the most unique flavor profile out of everything we tried. The marinade that coated the pork was spicy but left a sweet aftertaste. It was so flavorful; we opted for no salsa on these tacos. 

When we saw tri-tip on the menu, we knew we had to order it. The #7 item, Alambre de Filete, is a fajita-style dish with savory onions and sweet peppers surrounding the large chunks of grilled steak cooked in a delicious oil. These chunks of tri-tip were perfectly tender, and as we stuffed our corn tortillas with the veggies and meat, we also noticed small crispy pieces of bacon. The bacon was the ultimate salty addition and we enjoyed topping off the tacos with their spicy green salsa. 

Last, but most definitely not least, we tried the #14 item, The Chorizo Especial. This cheese fondue dish, also named fundido, is served in a styrofoam bowl along with three more steaming tortillas. In the middle of the bowl was an abundance of the juiciest, charred, quartered links of chorizo. We topped the corn tortillas with a heavenly concoction of fresh pico de gallo, which added the perfect texture and freshness to this heavy dish. If you want to pair this dip with chips, come on a Monday, when the chefs fry up fresh tortillas and quarter them into chips. We both agreed that this was our favorite plate of the day. 

La Super Rica Taqueria is a must try if you find yourself near downtown Santa Barbara. The variety of meat coupled with the fresh, herby salsas and flawlessly soft tortillas is not something you want to miss out on. In total, we spent $24 on 10 tacos, making the meal college budget-friendly. We were more than fulfilled with the quantity and quality of the ingredients, and we highly recommend coming for your next lunch. 

A version of this article appeared on p. 14 of the November 21st, 2024 print edition of the Daily Nexus.