Ryan Brennecke / The BulletinTaco Salsa serves basic Mexican food from its location near the roundabout on Galveston Avenue in Bend.

Taco Salsa calls itself “real Mexican food.” And indeed, this is a place where hard-core Latino food lovers can find lengua (beef tongue) and caldo cameron (shrimp soup) on the menu every day, and menudo — that is, tripe stew — on weekends.

But this casual, family-oriented cafe on Bend’s west side is a fine destination for anyone, a no-frills diner where patrons order at the counter and wait for generous portions of tacos, enchiladas, burritos and more to be announced for their pickup.

Located at Galveston Avenue and 14th Street beside the “Phoenix Rising” roundabout, which it shares with the Victorian Cafe and Parrilla Grill, Taco Salsa has a salsa bar to authenticate its name.

Six choices of carefully labeled mild, medium, hot and hotter chile concoctions are offered on the front counter, along with roasted onions and jalapeno peppers, pickled carrots and radishes.

The rest of the decor is borderline tacky.

One sizable corner of the cafe is devoted to a set of gumball machines, which are no doubt a hit with the younger set but perhaps less so to the parents who must provide the quarters. Cheap plastic flair gives a sense of a Mexican border town, while ranchero and Tejano music plays in the background.

The diner seats about 50 guests at its booths, which should be easily maintained after patrons bus their own tables. But on my first visit, at least, several of them were left unwiped even during a break in counter orders. It took an employee at least half an hour to find her way into the dining area with a wet rag.

Generous portions

That shortcoming aside, I enjoyed both of my visits to Taco Salsa. I found the thoroughly bilingual counter staff, which redirects orders to the kitchen, to be friendly and efficient. I do, however, think it would be a small but positive additional step for orders to be delivered to the individual tables.

On a first, afternoon visit, my dining companion and I both opted for combination plates, giving us a glimpse at several Taco Salsa preparations. I had a chicken enchilada with a chile relleno; my friend had a tamale and a carnitas (pork) taco.

The first thing I noticed about my enchilada was the size of the coarse chunks of chicken, rolled into the flour tortilla with beans and vegetables, sauce and cheese. These were no wimpy diced morsels of poultry. On the other hand, had they been cut just a little smaller, I could have been sure to get some chicken in every mouthful.

My chile relleno was pan-fried in such a manner that its cheesy filling was still bubbling when it poured from my fork as I cut into the Anaheim pepper. It was delicious.

My companion dove immediately into her tamale, which struck an excellent balance between the ample shredded pork filling and the moist masa corn dough that surrounded it. She said it was one of the better tamales she’s had in Bend.

Her taco likewise hit the spot, although as an avocado lover, she found a guacamole side to be not as thick as she would have preferred. The rest of the combos, however, were very good — refried beans, shredded lettuce, sour cream, pico de gallo and especially the Spanish rice, made with bits of carrot. As well, corn tortillas — purchased from a supplier in Redmond, the attendant told us — were warm and authentic.

Morning meal

Taco Salsa is open from early (6:30 a.m.) to very late (3 or 4 in the morning). That’s past my bedtime, so I didn’t make it back for a snack during the wee hours.

I did, however, return for breakfast, choosing huevos rancheros for myself and a takeout breakfast burrito for my friend.

I was disappointed. The huevos — that is, eggs served ranchero style — were prepared quite differently from what I’ve had elsewhere, either in Oregon or in Mexico.

Rightly or wrongly, my expectation of this dish is a fried egg atop a corn tortilla with beans, either black or refried, finished with a spicy, tomato-based ranchero sauce. The Taco Salsa version was a two-egg frittata on a bed of vegetables (tomatoes, onions, carrots and green peppers), topped with sour cream but only a modicum of spicy sauce. There were no beans; instead, rice and lettuce came on the side.

My companion also was less than thrilled with her burrito. She thought there were too many potatoes wrapped into the flour tortilla with eggs and cheddar cheese.

Still, while Taco Salsa might not be a perfect choice for a Mexican breakfast, it certainly is worthy of consideration for cheap eats at other times of day. It’s hard to find a full meal for under $10 these days, and this west-side spot doesn’t short its patrons on portions.

— Reporter: janderson@bendbulletin.com