For months now, Jon and I have been intrigued by this Sancho's place that is advertised on a shuttle that is often parked at Woodside Plaza. But since we're such big fans of El Grullense, it's been tough for us to try out other local Mexican eateries.
Then the SF Chronicle came out with its "Bargain Bites" guide, which included a section on the Peninsula/South Bay. Sancho's was among the restaurants listed. So last night, we finally dragged ourselves up the hill to eat there. (I think it's still RWC, but maybe it's Emerald Hills?) We had to walk around a bit to locate it because it's quite small (only one table, plus a handful of counter seating inside) and there's a lot of dusty construction going on up there. A new parking lot is going in and some other business that is a mystery to me right now.
Anyway! So we found the place. And it's very cute -- lots of Day of the Dead-ish arts and crafts. Since it was our first time at Sancho's, we decided to try some basics that we love: fish tacos ($3), carnitas tacos ($1.25) and a grilled chicken burrito ($5). The fish is lightly battered and fried (always a good thing in my book), and served with a bit of shredded cabbage, diced tomatoes and a chipotle remoulade. I normally do not like sauces on top of my deep-fried food (because of the sogginess factor), but this I did not mind. It was tasty (though not too spicy), and the fish still managed to have a nice crunch to it.
The carnitas taco was also good, but since there's very little to a regular taco -- just the meat, salsa, onions and cilantro -- I would have liked more heat to my salsa. BTW, I actually prefer this bare-bones taco to the kind where layers of stuff are piled onto the meat. That, to me, is overkill.
Also kept simple is the regular burrito at Sancho's. It was just rice, beans, salsa and meat. Okay, usually I do like cheese in my burritos, but its absence did not diminish the deliciousness of the burrito. (El Grullense's chicken burrito is often quite greasy, so I prefer Sancho's in this department.)
The downside to Sancho's is that I didn't see any horchata on the menu, and they only take cash. Boo. But the meal was so cheap, it's not hard to scrounge up that kind of change around the house.
Sancho's Taqueria
3205 Oak Knoll Drive
Redwood City, CA
(650) 364-8226
