MidMoDiningGuide.com staffers were looking for new places to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and wanted to check out and review Taqueria el Rodeo LLC for our Facebook fans.
The Taqueria is located in on Nifong in Columbia by the old El Maguey and All Dogs N Cats pet salon. Many claim the Taqueria has the best Mexican food in Columbia! While the inside is pretty small (maximum capacity is 49 people!), they are known for their authentic Mexican tacos and house made salsa.
Taqueria features many favorites like fajitas, enchiladas and burritos, but the restaurant uniquely offers fluata or corn tortilla as entree options. Flautas are similar in size and appearance to Taquitos, but they are deep fried and made from flour tortillas for a crispy flavor.
The walls are decorated with Mexican flags and posters, and we loved that they had soccer games playing on the TV. Even the Latin music added charm to the authentic vibe of the restaurant. Large groups beware, there's not really a good place for a lunch group over six people because of the small space. We had five in our group and they still had to add a table to our booth for extra room.
Our crew went around 12:30 p.m. and the place was about half full. We gave our drink orders and quickly received even our alcohol beverages, but keep in mind you have to ask for water to receive a glass alongside your beer. Our server asked multiple times how things tasted and if we needed anything else.
Taqueria has a large menu with breakfast, lunch combination, and dinner options--perfect for your stomach and wallet. Breakfast includes huevos rancheros and breakfast tacos complete with steak, eggs, and salsa. All lunch combos came with rice and beans and were all $5.50 ($7 for lunch fajitas). Dinner combos feature much larger portions and all are $7.25 (for favorites like enchiladas and burritos). All other seafood or special entrees (like Chiles Rellenos and Chimichangas) range in price from $7-$11, not bad at all! If you're feeling daring, try the Fried Mojarra, a deep fried fish with garlic, butter and lemon. It looks daunting because they serve the entire fish--head, eyeballs, and all--but the juicy flavors are sure to be a hit with seafood lovers.
Imported beer was on the cheap side, $2.99 a bottle, but the margaritas were more on the expensive side. The regular size is too small to be considered a drink but only costs $3.50. Medium is $5.99--more than the lunch combos! Large (46 oz) will cost you $7.99 and pitchers are $14.50. There are additional charges for flavors other than lime.
Each of us ordered something different to taste, enjoy and experience for our readers. Here’s a summary of each of the menu items we tried, in each staffer's own words:
Lunch Steak Fajitas and Medium Lime Margarita 
The steak was cooked very well with fresh chopped onions and peppers adding a great flavor overall. Portion size was the perfect amount for lunch and the tortillas weren't too thick or flat and steamed just right. The restaurant as a whole was a little small, but the atmosphere was purely authentic. I will be back!
Chicken Burrito and Tecate Import Beer
First off, let me say the chips and salsa were awesome--the best I've had from a Mexican restaurant in Columbia. The salsa is house made with fresh chopped onions and green peppers, a perfect amount of spicy. I actually should've eaten more of those instead of waiting for the burrito. Though it was large, I was disappointed with the entree as a whole. It had little flavor, I had to add guacamole and the great salsa to make it taste better. And of course, the beer was delicious.
Tacos Mexican Style (Steak)
After hearing rave reviews about their Mexican style tacos, I decided to give them a go and ordered the lunch special. For those who haven't had Mexican style tacos before, they aren't your run of the mill tacos in corn shells, etc. These tacos came out on two small, flat flour tortillas piled high with meat (I ordered mine with steak), vegetables and cheese--absolutely delicious. After squeezing some of the fresh cut lime onto the tacos and taking a bite, I realized why people are raving about them. The tacos are full of flavor and actually really filling, despite the small tortilla size. I was a little concerned when they first arrive since they looked on the small size, but looks can be deceiving! I was full after finishing them and the side of rice.
Flautas (Chicken) and Medium Lime Margarita
I've tried Taqueria's Tacos Mexican Style before and loved them, so I decided to try something new and went with chicken flautas. Flauta means "flute" in Spanish, which denotes the long look of the rolled up tortilla. Flautas look a lot like taquitos but they are made with flour tortillas instead and deep fried around a special filling. The inner filling and chicken weren't as flavorful, but the crispy flauta tasted great. Rice, beans and guacamole on the side also gave the entree an extra zing and filled me right up. I was disappointed with the size and price of the margarita--It tasted a bit like lemonade with a few shots of tequila mixed in. Overall, I would recommend the flautas but with a different meat, perhaps steak. I would also suggest getting a beer instead, but if you're really craving tequila, buy a pitcher to split with a friend if you want a decent amount of margarita for a better price.
