3593 S Military Trail, Lake Worth, FL 33463
I feel as if todays review was destined to happen. A few months back I first learned of birria tacos and I love most tacos in general but had never tried a birria taco. I became somewhat obsessed with sampling them but I had trouble finding a restaurant that had them. A while had passed and then I found a nice Tik Tok video of a Mexican abuela teaching how to make homemade birria tacos. (I plan to try that recipe and review it one day) At the end of the video there was a quick clip of different ways to use the birria meat and one of them was birria ramen. Anybody who knows me, knows I love a good bowl or ramen. I also love the concept of cultural fusion especially when it comes to cuisine. However, I thought the best I could do was possibly put some birria on top of some instant ramen. I finally found a restaurant in WPB that served birria tacos and it was pretty good but, after I posted pics one of my followers mentioned the best birria tacos were at this food truck in Lake Worth called El Rucon. I immediately went and looked them up online and was pleasantly surprised to see that not only did they have birria tacos but they also had birria ramen and I knew where my next review would be.
FLAVOR
Let me start with the horchata because finding a good horchata is such a mission for some reason. The horchata was solid, it had a very nice flavor and while most places tend to let their horchata get too watery, for some reason their horchata was super thick. It made it hard to drink towards the end, but I would rather have the horchata too thick than too watery. Now on to the main event. The birria ramen was very good. The birria definitely dominated the flavor profile, so if you love birria you need to give this a try. I would have preferred if the flavor profile had some more traditional Japanese notes in it for a more fused flavor, but birria flavor is great too. Its very important to slosh the noodles around and really get the flavors blended together because when I first took a couple bites the ingredients settled and separated a little bit. But once I mixed the ramen up a little bit and started getting bites with onion and cilantro, it became a different ball game. People have said the traditional Japanese ramen is the ultimate comfort food, however, I think a Prince has dethroned the King.
My Flavor Ruling:
SERVICE
The employees at the were very friendly and helpful. The person who took my order was more than happy to make recommendations and help me decide what to get. They were quick, seemed to communicate, and worked well as a team. My order came out pretty quickly. I think they could improve by communicating with customers a little more because they layout is a bit confusing and there are not any signs directing people where to stand and order. I saw multiple newbie foodies like myself not really know where to go and order at first. But once that part was figured out, everything else was a breeze.
My Service Ruling:
VENUE
The venue was the least pleasant part of the dining experience. As I mentioned above, the layout is very confusing. You are able to see for yourself in the pictures below, but there's actually two separate trucks set up next to each other with the staff behind a set of tables in front of the trucks. There's no direction on where to go to order, there's no single menu, you're not sure where to wait for your food, just a lot of confusion for a new customer. There is ample parking, however it's at an empty dirt lot right next to the food truck and if you have a low car, driving into the parking area could be a little hazardous. Some other downsides include a lack of shade, a lack of seating, and no tables to sit down and eat if you want it. I have high hopes for this place because the food is solid, but they really need to work on the atmosphere to reach the next level.
My Venue Ruling:
VALUE
As I skimmed through the menu the prices seemed on par for other taco trucks in the area, probably a little lower. Then I saw the price of the birria ramen which I thought was a little high at about $10, but that was the main reason I was coming so I had to get it. I am glad I did because the price made sense once I saw the size of the Ramen. The portion was so massive, that I only ended up eating about a third of it before throwing it in the fridge. I think it is big enough to feed about 3 people with average appetites, so it is the perfect thing to order on a date if you're on a budget and have a modern lady and the tramp moment. The value of eating here exceeded expectations.
My Value Ruling:
OVERALL
I have zero reservations about recommending this location for someone interested in tasty, reasonably priced tacos, and other Mexican fast food. The food had great flavor, the portions are very generous, the staff is welcoming, and pricing is beyond reasonable. Only downside comes with the atmosphere and layout, but I would imagine they continue to improve this area as they continue to be successful and grow. This foodie spot has earned my stamp of approval.
My Overall Ruling: 4 Gavels