Little Tampico - Soquel

Aren't birthdays great? Another year older and a celebration for sticking around. In the case of my brother, it also included a lunchtime meal at one of his favorites, Little Tampico in Soquel.

Little Tampico

This place sits right next to the Soquel river and actually has a nice deck in back where you can watch the waters roll by. We were a group of 9 (a gaggle? a pride?) and as soon as the chips and salsa hit the table, they knew they had better keep the food coming! As it turns out, our waitress was wonderful and brought drinks and more chips/salsa the whole time.

Two kinds of salsa - a chunky Fresca and a thinner, spicy red. Both were awesome and we needed "mas" refills. Next came the Nachos Tampico ($11.50).

This was one of the best nachos I have had. The chips were crispy and not too thick. The beans had a good consistency - not runny. The toppings were generous - lots of black olives, jalepenos, cheese, guac and sour cream. And the steak was succulent and juicy!

Kelly got the Chicken Quesadilla ($7.95) and it was huge! Big chunks of chicken inside a well-cooked tortilla with lots of melted cheese. A side of lettuce and tomato finished the dish.

I got the three item plate of Taco, Enchilada and Chile Relleno ($10.95) with rice and beans. Wow, that's a lot of food! After the nachos, I should have ordered smaller, but at least I got a to-go box. The taco was very fresh with lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. I would have preferred cabbage to the iceberg lettuce, but that's a minor knock. The enchilada sauce was flavorful with its spices. And the relleno was also buried in it. Yum!

Bro got the Otila's Plate ($11.95), which had mini-versions of all the classics: taco, enchilada, flauta, tostada and relleno. He likes to pretend he's Gulliver, I guess. All the fun that fits on one plate!

Diane got the Killer Quesadilla ($11.95), which adds steak, mushrooms and grilled green onions and a Sombrero salad. She loved the green creamy herb dressing. I think this wins as the most healthiest meal ordered today.

Dad got the Especial ($9.95), which is tortillas, meat (chicken), onions and peppers covered in sauce and cheese. Quite a plateful! He said he liked it, but there was too much chicken, which unbalanced the flavors. Also, another to-go box was needed.

Mom got a Flauta ($7.95) with rice and beans and correctly picked the right size for a good lunch. The flauta is a rolled up, grilled tortilla with chicken and she liked it very much. I would've wanted to wave it around like one of Groucho's cigars, but she's more classier than me.

Abundant portions, great flavors and spicy salsas - no wonder this place is one of my brother's favorites. Next time, I think I will stick with the steak, since it was heads and tails above the chicken. They also have a full bar with TVs, so you can get your margaritas on. I would put Tampico third after Casa Rosita's and Palomar (see my other reviews of them on here).

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7.5 (generous)
Service: 8 (great for a big party)
Atmosphere: 7 (cozy)
Value for price: 7.5
Overall: 7.5