FAVORITE MEXICAN CUISINE
Leno’s Rico Taco
549 W. Valley Blvd., Colton, CA 92324
ph: (909) 825-9304
facebook :: yelp
Years Won: 2017 (Favorite)
Recently celebrating 26 years in business in the city of Colton, Leno’s Rico Taco has all the ingredients for success. In addition to its enclosed restaurant space, Leno’s also has concession trailers that are used for concerts and events at the National Orange Show as well as the annual National Orange Show Fair. To what does owner Leno Moreno attribute his success? For one, the restaurant is always giving back to the community, be it raising money for schools supporting youth sports in the community or feeding firefighters on the front lines. Leno’s also has reasonable prices with most tacos only $1.45, while fish and shrimp tacos are $1.75 and burritos are 4.95.
Of course, you can’t succeed in such a competitive food industry unless the quality of your product is first rate, and it’s in the arena that Leno’s Rico Taco shines brightest. Every taco consists of double 4-inch corn tortillas with a generous amount of filling and topped with diced onion, cilantro, and salsa. Two salsas are available, both mildly spicy: a green tomatillo and jalapeño version and a chile de arbol red sauce, both extremely flavorful but not palate searing.
The two most popular tacos are fish and shrimp. Both of the latter are breaded in a tempura batter and deep fried, resulting in a very soft interior and a slightly crunchy exterior. A mayo based dressing tops the fish along with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, cilantro, salsa, and pickled carrots and jalapeños on the side. Both are classic Baja-style tacos done just like you’d find in Ensenada. From the burrito section, in addition to the pork green chile, also known as chile verde, you can feast on such fillings as beef red chile, steak and eggs, or chorizo to name a few. The flour tortillas are hand stretched instead of machine stretched for a less chewy wrap. There are 12 other meat choices for soft tacos as well as freshly made Menudo that is served daily.
MAP