I really like tacos and burritos, but all the good Mexican restaurants seem to be situated in Kapitolyo, Makati or BGC. So when I heard of Al Pastor Taqueria, which is just a stone’s throw from my house – I was SUPER excited!!!

Al Pastor Taqueria is one of those online delivery shops that started up during ECQ. They sell really good Mexican taco kits and burrito that’s jampacked and full of flavor!

Verdict: A North alternative to El Chupacabra

What I ordered:

• Al Pastor Burrito
• Carnitas Burrito
• Birria Burrito
• Pollo Taco (Medio size)

*Each burrito comes with garlic sauce and salsa

*The tacos came with the pollo meat, garlic sauce, salsa, tortilla, onions and lime

 

Ease of Ordering

To order, message on IG: alpastortaqueria

Payment: BDO, BPI

Pick up from: Selecta Drive, A. Bonifacio Ave., Balintawak, QC

I liked how they’re very prompt with their response, and they have flexible pickup hours. Some stores only allow for specific pickup time, which can be difficult since I’m obviously not available 24/7 and like picking things up only when they’re along the way

Likewise, I appreciated that they messaged me an hour before the actual pickup time as a reminder. I still ended up late though, because my brother (who was supposed to pick it up) woke up late!

 

Packaging

My order was placed into this nice sturdy box that’s also clean wrapped and very professional-looking. I loved the feeling of opening up the box, which felt like a gift that was specially chosen just for me! The sauces (of which there were many given my big order), on the other hand, were placed into a store-branded paperbag.

Likewise, I really appreciated the clean wrap which ensured the box remains warm and dry. Super critical given the rainy weather and typhoons we’ve been experiencing lately

 

Cooking instructions

Everything’s already cooked! But you can opt to heat up the tortilla wrap either in a pan on medium heat until golden spots appear, or via the toaster for 3 minutes

 

Taste

Burritos

The burritos feel SO SULIT, because they’re jampacked with rice and meat (more rice than meat, of course). The tortilla itself is just soooo good – you can eat it on its own, while the rice was very flavorful.

Of the three flavors purchased, my favorite was Al Pastor (this is probably their signature dish, given their store name LOL). Grilled pork is just LOVE.

On the other hand, I found the Carnitas (Pulled Pork) rather dry, but this was easily fixed by slathering tons of garlic sauce and salsa on top! The Birria (Beef) was good, but some parts I found were slightly tough. Not a super big deal, but definitely not my favorite either

 

DIY Taco Kit

Their DIY taco assembly kit is such a cute concept as well. I like my tacos more sauce-y, so I found the Pollo (Grilled Chicken) a bit dry as well. Chalk this up to preference.

I got the Medio kit (12 tacos) and was initially worried that there might not be enough pollo to go around. In the end, we had an excess of chicken! So, trust that the serving size is accurate. And will fill you up.

If you like your taco to have more toppings, you can prep cheese, tomatoes and guacamole to add as well.

 

Overall, my favorite was definitely Al Pastor AND their tortillas. I swear, if they sell the tortillas on their own, I would buy JUST THAT. No complaints on my end, clearly some food items I liked better than others, but honestly? I’m just glad we’ve got a decent Mexican place in the North now.