I have always liked to have options when I’m dining out. Whether it is the Cheesecake Factories 27 page menu or the list of add-ons from Five Guys menu, I like that I get a choice. And for me, that means a place like Salsaroja Bar and Grill is right up my alley. My husband, Bobby, had suggested we stop in for a late lunch one day last week.
Salsaroja is one of the newer restaurants in downtown Wooster, Ohio on Liberty Street. It is a Mexican restaurant that specializes in tacos. They also have a well stocked bar from what I could tell, but since I don’t drink, I can’t speak much to that side of their business. If any of you can speak on Salsaroja’s abilities on their homemade margarita’s, please comment below!
When Bobby and I walked in we were greeted by a very friendly server (whom I failed to get her name!). She asked if we had been there before. We indicated we had not. She proceeded to explain the process to us.
The way you order at Salsaroja is you write your name at the top of the order sheet which lists all the options available. The server explained the different pads of order sheets that we could use. There was one with the “Especiales de la Casa” (house special) tacos. There is a pad for the “Build Your Own Tacos” in case you don’t want one of the already designed tacos. Once you make your choices, you take the sheets up to the register where they enter the information and you pay your bill. Then you find a seat and they bring your food out to you.
Bobby and I spent several minutes trying to decide what to order. The server had made them all sound really good. We decided to get two tacos a piece and then split the Quesadilla Americano.
The Quesadilla Americano is a flour tortilla with melted cheese and shredded beef. I have had plenty of quesadilla’s in my life, but I have never had one as good as this. The concept is pretty simple, its like a toasted cheese tortilla with some meat. This one was grilled to perfection and the cheese was melted nicely, but it was the meat that made it stand out. The flavor was so robust, it caught me off guard. I had expected just a little bit of meat, but this was a tortilla filled to overflowing with shredded beef. It wasn’t spicy, but had a distinct flavor to it. I could tell it had some cinnamon in it. The server said it had a proprietary blend of spices which did include cinnamon and allspice, giving it a warmer, more traditional Mexican flavor.
In addition to the quesadilla, I ordered the El Gordo and a build your own taco with carnitas (pulled pork). The El Gordo is a double decker taco with the outside being a flour tortilla wrapped around a corn taco shell. The meat was a combination of steak mojo and chorizo (which is Mexican sausage), chihuahua cheese, lettuce, pico and salsa verde.
Bobby ordered the Fiesta Burrito and the monthly special, which was the El Luchador. The fiesta burrito was a flour tortilla filled with marinated steak, grilled peppers, rice, southwest crema queso fresco and topped with queso. He chose to not get it with the grilled onions that normally come in the burrito. The El Luchador was a double decker taco with chicken mojo, cilantro, lettuce, southwest crema queso, chihuahua cheese, pico de gallo and salsa picante.
We also decided to order chips, salsa and queso. (What’s Mexican food without the chips and salsa?) And we split an order of rice, too.
All of the food was delicious! I will say that the El Gordo was spicier than I had anticipated. Bobby said it was because of the salsa picante, but I don’t think the El Gordo came with the picante in it. I’m not sure what caused the heat, but be aware that if you get it, you might feel the heat, too! I enjoyed the taco I built, too. I love carnitas and like I mentioned being able to choose what I put in my taco is something I really like to do as well.
Bobby said that his burrito was really good. Even though the menu said it was a burrito, Bobby must have overlooked that and just thought he was ordering an $8 taco. He was pleasantly surprised when they brought out his burrito and saw how big it was. I think for him, the only way it could have been better is if it was deep fried like a chimichanga (one of his “go-to” menu choices when we go to a Mexican restaurant). He also enjoyed the taco of the month. He said his was spicy, too, but that he had expected it with the salsa picante. (Salsaroja made it clear on their taco of the month special board that the salsa picante was “hot.”)
Salsaroja is similar to a restaurant (Condado Tacos) Bobby and I went to in Columbus with our cousin, Danny, when he was attending The Ohio State University several years ago. And just like Condado Tacos, I could envision Salsaroja being a place where college students would come to unwind after a day of classes. They have happy hour between 3 p.m and 6 p.m. You can get $1 off of the house specials, draft beers and margaritas.
I also discovered on their Facebook page that you can order as family feast for pick up. It includes enough taco fixings for 4 people. It comes with two choices of tortillas, two meats/proteins, one cheese, and up to four toppings. You also get chips and salsa with the dinner. The cost is $35. It takes all the work out of having tacos for dinner with the family and removes the concerns around social distancing as well.
We had gotten so much food, that we ended up taking some of the rice, queso and chips home. Bobby knew how much I enjoyed the Quesadilla Americano so he got me one to go for a later meal in the week. I’m definitely going to go back and try the al pastor, which is marinated pork. I want to see how it compares to the carnitas. If you are looking for a place that serves great tacos, than look no further than Salsaroja!
