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The other day I was driving on Watt Ave., in suburban Sacramento, and glanced over at Chewey's Restaurant, and noticed it was no longer Chewey's.  The building is now painted a colorful red and white, along with a sign that read Taqueria Garibaldi.  At this count, Garibaldi will be the fifth restaurant in this location since I've been in town - the building was vacant for many years - so I decided to check them out while they are in business.  So, I called my friend Teri McCloud and has her to join me for lunch at Taqueria Garibaldi.

As with all of my reviews, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.

Photo:  The paint job, some of the vegetation, and the sign are new, but if you frequent the area of Watt and El Camino Avenues in suburban Sacramento, I'm sure you recognize this building.  Remember, back in the late 1990's when this was a I.H.O.P.?  There is new paint, and it's a new restaurant in the form of Taqueria Garibaldi. Photo was snapped early in the morning, before the restaurant opened, to take advantage of the beautiful morning light, and the empty parking lot.

This restaurant has a lot of potential in this particular neighborhood, as there aren't any other taquerias even close. Speaking of close, this fine taqueria located with walking distance of major employers, such as Costco, WalMart and AT&T.

Photo:  The time is 12:30 in the afternoon on Monday, August 01, 2016, and the restaurant is quite busy.  Note the colorful Mexican painting, and the television monitors.  The changes to the dining room are very minor from the "Chewey's" days, and the decour and arrangement of the restaurant are very recognizable.  The kitchen isn't as "open" as it was before, as there is a soda fountain and a marisco counter that blocks some visibility to the kitchen.

Photo:  Taqueria Garibaldi operates in a typical taqueria style, in that you make your selections from the large menu, above the counter, pay the cashier, receive a number, choose a table, and when your order is ready, it will be brought to your table.  You can still look into the mostly open kitchen to watch your food being prepared by the talented kitchen staff.  There are no printed menus.  The menu features a wide variety of Mexican favorites, from "street" tacos to full combination plates to mariscos.  Menudo and pozole are available on weekends, which really grabbed my interest.

Photo:  As you enter the resaurant, there is an all-you-can-eat chips and salsa bar, with features six varieties of salsa, plus conainers of lime quarters, and pickled vegetables.  I decided to go with the "runny guacamole" sauce, as per the standard in Baja California, but there were many other selections, such as fresh pico de gally.  I really need to return to return to this fine restaurant on a weekend in order to sample a bowl of their menudo...

Photo:  Our food arrived in only about ten minutes after placing our order.  I'm slightly confused about the relationship between Taqueria Garibaldi, and the former restaurant, Chewey's, as very little has changed in the decour of the dining room, and the slogan, "Lots of food. Always fresh" is on the sign in front, and appears inside the restaurant.  

Photo:  Today, I enjoy lunch with my long time friend and former co-worker, Teri McCloud, and her charming daughter Tessa.  Our server was kind enough to snap our photo, as my request.  

Photo:  For some strange reason, I wasn't very hungry, so I only ordered two fish tacos, and made only one trip to the chip and salsa bar.  The fish tacos were typical "street tacos," as each taco was based on two DVD-sized corn tortillas, which is the de facto standard.  Each taco contained marinated, grilled fish, chopped onion and cilantro, and a good helping of red salsa.  The tacos contained a decent portion of meat, and the fork was very helpful to clean up the pieces of fish that fell from my taco, as I ate them.  

Lunch was great, albeit a little on the pricey side, but I left with a full stomach, and a smile on my face.

We definitely enjoyed our lunch at Taqueria Garibaldi, as the food was delicious, the service was fast and friendly, and the dining is quite comfortable.  Garibaldi's fine cuisine is priced a little on the high side, compared to other taquerias, but the prices aren't too far out of line.  Taqueria Garibaldi is a worthy addition to the neighborhood, and I hope the stick around for a long time.

Taqueria Garibaldi
3455 El Camino Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95821
916 900-8477


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