Ta Carbon Mexican Grill

"These no-frills West Valley taco spots claim to serve the best carne asada in town, and the locals who keep them packed surely agree. Cooked over mesquite on a Santa Maria grill and tucked in supple tortillas, the smoky, succulent meat is further enhanced by adornments from the neatly kept salsa bar, stocked with crisp, finely chopped cabbage, lime wedges, verduras, avocado cream, pickled onions, and excellent salsas. Loyalists swear by the Hazz taco, a luxurious combo of steak, green chile, and cheese, but don’t sleep on the barbacoa, lengua, tripitas de leche and huevos de becerro (yep, that’s tender, springy calf testicles)." - Nikki Buchanan

"Customers line up all day long for a crack at Ta’ Carbon’s excellent tacos, filled with charcoal-grilled meat that’s charred, smoky, and sublime in its simplicity. Carne asada is the restaurant’s claim to fame, but don’t sleep on the Taco Hazz (carne asada with green chile and melting cheese), the campechano (a meaty mixture of flank steak, chorizo and crispy chicharrónes), or the ultra-tender huevos de becerro (calf testicles). Load up on salsas and other taco trimmings at the elaborate salsa bar." - Nikki Buchanan

"On the west side, Ta’Carbon crafts a classic Sonoran-style carne asada burrito. The smoke of a charcoal grill perfumes the restaurant, getting the experience of the burrito going before sight, with the very first inhalation of mesquite-rich fumes. A robust smoke saturates the steak, sizzled on the grill and chopped to bits at a brisk clip, as the flow of customers tends to keep steady and strong. True to Sonoran style, the burrito is minimal, little distracting from its grilled steak." - Chris Malloy