Sometimes you need a quick place to grab lunch between wine tastings, and when I found out we were heading near the city of Napa, I knew that Mothers Tacos was going to be on the itinerary. I had read that they had some amazing Al Pastor tacos so I knew one thing that I needed to order. Be prepared though, Mothers is not in the touristy downtown part of Napa, so you’ll either need to drive or get a cab (or be prepared for a trek). The restaurant itself is at the end of a strip mall where you order at the counter with a bit of seating inside but with a huge outdoor dining space they have covered up to protect you from the elements.
Both of us ordered a three taco plate: Mine was with a fish taco, the al pastor taco and slow cooked beef taco, and the other half got his with the al pastor, carne asada and slow cooked pork. The tacos seemed like a nice choice to try a selection of things, but they make smothered fries (one topping) that looked absolutely amazing. Finally, we decided on some chicharonnes to share. One of us (who isn’t me) was very excited about the salsa bar and the pickles bar so we also grabbed a bunch of everything to go with the food.
Overall the food was tasty. I thought the flavors of my three tacos were amazing, and the fish taco was a perfect example of the California fish taco. The pastor was sweet and delicious, and I liked the braised tacos as well. That being said they do come off as slightly dry which I was okay with but someone else wasn’t, so some extra salsa helped somewhat. The chicharrones really could have been better, as they were a bit bland and really needed some seasoning or brining before being made, but again dipping in salsas helped somewhat.
I loved the tacos here, and the service was great as they brought out the chicarrones later (as generally it’s a pick up sort of place) as they took much longer than the tacos. I think if I came back I would definitely try one of the fries (maybe split an order with someone and get a fish taco on the side). It’s pretty fast and easy for a quick bite between wineries if that is why you are in the area!
Score: 4/5
Recommendation: Fish taco! And the Al Pastor.
Mothers Tacos
3150 A Jefferson St
Napa, CA 94558
