When I had my first grown up job, and I could go to lunch anywhere I wanted because it was my dime...I would go to Los Golondrinas a majority of the time. This was 15 yrs ago in San Juan Capistrano..so you can imagine my excitement when I learned that they had opened a new location in Mission Viejo which is much closer to home.
Los Golondrinas has been around for over 25 yrs, and a big part of that success is their homemade tortillas which are made on site daily so that they are soft and fresh. They also make their own chips, salsa and guacamole daily as well.
Most of the time I get the Big Dave. It is made with 2 flour tortillas, your choice of meat, plus salsa, beans, rice, cheese, cilantro and tomato. I always get the carne asada...I like the fact that it's chopped in small cubes and cooked, so I get carne asada goodness in every bite.
I have also had the Chile Relleno burrito...It has a whole chile relleno, stuffed in a tortilla with beans and cheese...It is so good. Personally, I also add some salsa to mine once I get it home, but other than that - it's very, very good.
Another good menu item is the Carnitas Quesadilla. The carnitas is so tender and moist. It was probably the best quesadilla I have ever had. The tortilla was cooked to a perfect golden color, which allowed me to actually pick it up and eat it without it folding over. As you can tell, this one was also very good.
The guacamole is excellent...it has chunks of avocado, onion and cilantro. It is a little on the spicy side, so if you don't like a bit of a kick at the end, get the sour cream instead.
I must give a shout out to the sweet tamales too. Had them for the first time, and thought they were wonderful. The cinnamon raisin was my favorite. It kind of reminded me of bread pudding, nice and sweet, with a good amount of raisins. I really like the texture of the tamale. It wasn't dry, like a lot of tamales you get. I also sampled the coconut and pineapple tamale. This was a nice tamale also, but I have to go with the cinnamon raisin.
The prices for the burritos are very good, but once you add a side of guacamole, chips and salsa, it can start to add up. It's a great fast food type place, but with better quality food. It's not the type of place that you would go for a "sit down" dinner. They do provide a couple of tables, but most of their orders are take out. They also provide party-type trays for office parties, special occasions, etc. Call ahead and they will have everything packaged and ready for you to pick up.
I feel Los Golondrinas is far better food than Taco Mesa, which is also located in Mission Viejo. However, they do need to work on service with a smile.
They have 5 locations throughout South Orange County, so get out there and give it a try..
