Taco Factory Makes Food Off the Assembly Line of Delicious

The Taco Factory's chimichanga in all its deep-fried
glory (image via Jason P. on Yelp)

I work in a business/commercial area of Irvine, and because it’s saturated with offices, you can bet that at lunch time there is a sea of people who venture out of their fluorescent-colored, air-conditioned cubicles in search of sustenance.

Consequently, there are cars spilling out of drive-thru lanes, lines four or five people deep, and tables filled up in all the eating establishments within a five mile radius. So if you’re going to go out for lunch, you want to make sure it’s worth the drive, the wait, and the money.

At my work our agreed upon place is the Taco Factory in Tustin. This place is steeped in workplace tradition: it all began several years ago when a co-worker offered to get lunch from the Taco Factory as a consolation to the few of us who were stuck in a practically empty office during the Christmas holidays. Ever since then, the Taco Factory has become the occasional indulgence to break the sandwich and apple slices routine of office lunch.

The Taco Factory prides itself on being the home of the original taco al carbon, a taco with grilled meat and salsa that can be populated with the Taco Factory’s salsa bar. It’s a pretty bold assertion considering Santa Ana is just a few blocks over. The rest of the menu is standard Mexican food fare: burritos, quesadillas, taquitos, and enchilada are served in a variety of ways.

So why such loyalty to the Taco Factory? Well, for one, the taste is superb: I always order the vegetarian burrito, which is a combination of beans, rice, guacamole, cheese, rice and lettuce wrapped in a flour tortilla. Everything tastes fresh and it is about the length of my forearm. For $3.89, I bite into a bliss that threatens to leave me comatose in front of my computer for the rest of the afternoon.

The Taco Factory is located in Tustin (image via jf c. at Yelp)

My co-workers have their favorites too: our IT guy enjoys the “Famous” burrito with steak, which includes cheese, guacamole and salsa (you can also order with chicken, pork, or bbq’d pork). And our Buyer and Engineering Assistant split a combo burrito, which is the same as the famous burrito, but with the addition of beans (pinto or black).

They also offer a chimichanga, which is a burrito deep fried to a delicious gold. It includes your choice of meat, salsa, tomatoes, green onions, and bell pepper, served with guacamole, lettuce and sour cream. Judging from the pictures on Yelp, I may have to try it next time I order from there.

Other Yelp reviewers sing the Taco Factory’s praises too, giving the restaurant 4 out of 5 stars (out of 168 reviews). I didn’t read every review, but knowing that they also serve breakfast, I can imagine there’s a lot of good to be said about the Taco Factory.

Taco Factory

14455 Newport Ave,

Tustin, CA

714-731-1111

Originaltacofactory.com