Del Taco: Culver City's Bargain Lunch

July 1, 3:03 PMCulver City Restaurant ExaminerMary McGrath

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Enticing ad, but a bit misleading

The coupon read: “99 cent tacos.” Hmmmmmmmmmm...With no lunch plans on the calendar, I thought it might be interesting to sleuth out the local marketplace and see what bargains were available in my neighborhood. Slauson and Jefferson, here I come!

Often, cheap deals like these are loss leader items, which get you into the joint, and then bam, you find yourself creeping down the menu for something that looks more edible, which is usually more expensive. But I decided to stick to the plan of bargain dining.

I hadn’t been to Del Taco in many years. My loyalties are to El Pollo Loco, which seems to promise somewhat healthy Mexican food on the cheap. But the coupons came, and I was game. The last time I was at Del Taco, I was referee for a taco eating contest with nine guys. Imagine a group of carnivores devouring taco after taco. The winner had downed fifteen of them, and I thought to myself, “I hope they are all sleeping alone tonight.” That was my first and only experience with Del Taco, so now, seventeen years later, it was time to test the palate once again. How bad could it be?

I scoured the coupons for my bounty. Having come from an advertising background, I knew that ads can sometimes be misleading, and in some cases, wrong. Let’s see what it’s all about Alfie. Del Taco seems to attract its swarm of regulars. You can tell by the way they order in their no-nonsense way and with conviction. There are a fair amount of uniformed eaters, probably from Time Warner and Home Depot, but I spotted a few suits, and even a few of my pals from the YMCA. Who can resist two tacos for a buck?

Inside is decorated in colorful party hues. Think pastels with a bunch of those swirly ribbon designs. Maybe the preteen kids come here for parties? It’s hard to tell. I found my booth, a bit cramped for my style, and hunkered down. I always like a place that gives you nutritional information. By doing this, it seems they have nothing to hide. I scored 440 with my two chicken soft tacos, which isn’t too caloric. The main culprit is their Combo #7, the Macho Combo Burrito, Small Fries, and Small Diet Coke clocking in at 1260 calories. Whew. Fast food isn’t too dangerous if you don’t eat it too often. Remember that movie, Super Size Me? Didn’t that guy end up having a triple bypass?

So, I’ll probably come again, especially if the coupons continue. Del Taco was every bit worth the $2.72 I spent for two chicken soft tacos and a small soda, although they weren't nearly as plump as the tacos in the ad. They never are. Besides, it got me out of the house while the maids were at play. Who wants to watch someone dust and vacuum?


Del Taco
11446 Jefferson Blvd.
Culver City
(310) 398-1406
www.deltaco.com