Taqueria Superior (Campbell, CA): Chile Verde Nachos

I'd driven by this place a zillion times during my tenure as a Los Gatos/Campbell business employee, and wondered if it was really "Supérior".  I walked in, planning to get a plate of chicken nachos, but the meat selection on the menu caught my eye.  Chile Verde?  That sounds good!  And what a good choice it was.  These nachos, heaped generously with refries, chile verde, Monterey Jack, guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo were great (and check out that nifty sour cream stripey pattern, the likes of which I hadn't seen since I went to Tu Mero Mole)!  Tangy, with just enough green peppery taste to give an extra kick compared to what I'm usually used to.  Highly recommended.
Side Note: They have a really tasty avocado salsa (not quite guacamole, not quite salsa) at their free salsa bar!  Their red salsa is good as well.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Map to Location: http://mapq.st/n4vAKY

Andale (Los Gatos): Grilled Chicken Nachos

Ok - how often do you see sour cream applied with a pastry bag to make decorative little blobs, or guacamole sitting on top of a plate of nachos in its own little crispy bowl (the bowl is actually edible, even tasty, by the way, unlike those stale cactus "corn chips" you get on your plate at Chevy's!)?  Best Grilled chicken I've had anywhere.  Even makes me not long for shredded chicken.  I've gotten these before with Andale's rotisserie chicken too, which is pretty epic, but turns an $8 (ouch) plate of nachos into a $14 (yikes) plate of nachos.  Great stuff!
Side Note: Be sure to try their tasty peanut salsa (lower right in the picture)

Rating: 4 out of 5
Map to Location: http://mapq.st/nIc6SS

Los Perricos (Campbell, CA): Chicken Nachos

 

Another strip mall gem, Los Perricos (the parakeets?), serves up a great plate of chicken nachos.  They may use green salsa to stretch their guacamole, but it works, and it tastes great on top of the pile of thick, crispy chips, great-tasting "shredded salsa chicken", cheese, pico de gallo, and sour cream.  No beans on these nachos, and they definitely don't need the extra flavor they would add.

Rating: 3½ out of 5
Map to Location: http://mapq.st/rgC25G

Gloria's (Campbell, CA): Chicken Nachos

Gloria's gets immediate credit for being different.  First of all, it's a sit-down/get served restaurant with reasonably priced taqueria-style food.  I was happy to see that they offered shredded chicken on their nachos, but it's a really different kind of flavor from the other places I've been.  Kind of a really savoryt salt and pepper flavor.  The chicken was nice and tender and balanced well with the refried beans, cheese, guacamole and sour cream.  If you like mild, these nachos will make you happy as well.  Not really a hint of spiciness.
Rating: 3½ out of 5
Map to Location: http://mapq.st/o2C9sL

Maya's Cafe (Campbell, CA): Chicken Nachos

 

This taqueria definitely gets convenience points.  It's only about 5 minutes from my office in a little strip mall near Union and Bascom (seems there are a lot of good little taquerias in strip malls around here).  This was definitely a nice-looking plate of nachos - check those even stripes of sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo!  The chicken had a very nice flavor, but like most grilled chicken from taqueria's the texture left something to be desired.  I'll likely get these again since they're almost within walking distance from my work.

Rating: 3 out of 5 (would have been 3½ out of 5 if they'd given that flavor to some shredded chicken)

Side Note: If you're still hungry, hop a couple doors down for some great fish and chips at "Harbor Fish and Chips" 

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/ncwhmP

Victor's Taqueria (San Jose, CA): Chicken Nachos

 

Overall, a nice plate (takeout container?) of nachos.  Not the most flavorful chicken, but crispy chips and guacamole without too much filler.  I have to admit I'm liking having the refries on my nachos as well!  One of my main hangups is that this doesn't seem like a $7.25 plate of nachos.  For the quality and flavor, I'd say $6.00 would be fair.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Taqueria Vallarta (Felton): Chicken Regular Nachos (to go)

I'm actually surprised that these weren't the first post I made after the Taco Bell nachos.  Taqueria Vallarta (multiple locations in Santa Cruz County) is one of my old standbys.  Their food is good, reasonably priced, and the people that work there are really friendly.  I've had their "Regular Chicken Nachos" many times and while they aren't the best I've found so far, they're always good.  Thick, home-made deep fried tortilla chips, juicy shredded chicken, and generous portions of guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo make for a tasty, filling meal every time.  I took this picture when I grabbed some for take out one night after work.  The presentation is much better when you eat in, trust me.

Rating: 3½ out of 5

Warning:  There is an impostor taqueria in Sunnyvale, CA masquerading as 'Taqueria Vallarta' that I unfortunately stopped at for some chicken nachos at a few years ago (thanks/no thanks, GPS points of interest!).  Those were the most offensive plate of nachos I've ever had.  Tasteless Chicken, obviously watered down guacamole and sour cream (seriously, who does that?), very average salsa.  And, they even charged 25 cents for a tiny tray of corn chips (again, seriously, who does that? - As a friend of mine once said, free chips and salsa is your "ROI" when you go out for mexican food).  Needless to say, avoid this joint and
stick to the Taqueria Vallarta chain in Santa Cruz county.  They rock!
Map to Location: http://mapq.st/oXVFgt

Cazuela's (Saratoga, CA): Chicken Nachos

 

Who's that?  Could it be my old friend, "Queso" or "Plastic Cheese" as I like to call it?  On a plate of genuine taqueria nachos?  Yes.  This taqueria, one of my friend, Ann's regular haunts, allegedly makes a mean Mole (I'm going to try to convince them to put it on top of some nachos next time I go) and is the only taqueria I've been to so far that by default puts "queso" on their nachos.  I must say, it actually went well with all of the regular fixings (refries, sour cream, pretty tasty grilled chicken), but I do prefer real melted chease.  Nonetheless, a tasty plate!

Rating: 3 out of 5

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/mSGoU1

Orale (Campbell): Small Chicken Nachos

 

Orale (formerly "Ricardo's") is a nifty little taqueria on Winchester Blvd in Campbell, housed in what I believe was formerly a purpose-built A&W drive-in.  A few years ago, I used to stop by Ricardo's for what I thought was the best shredded chicken burrito (no rice, please), anywhere.  So naturally, I wanted to see if they still served a mean shredded chicken.  So do they?  Well, the flavor is definitely different than before, but it's really good and has a great texture.  At this point in my search for my favorite nachos, these are my favorite.  The portion isn't exactly large, but the flavor and texture, along with the nice touch of black olives really makes it!

Rating: 4½ out of 5

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/rdKSa9

Los Gallos (Scotts Valley, CA): Chicken Nachos

 

I went to this taqueria on a recommendation from a friend, who insisted it was better than my old standby, Taqueria Vallarta (watch for a future post).   While I commend them on the large blobs of guacamole and sour cream, the chicken, though shredded and having a good texture was quite lacking in flavor, and had a lot of juice running around the bottom of the plate (generic Dixie paper plate, btw, even though we ate in).  Not too fond of these, and not a place I'll be going back to any time soon.

Rating: 2½ out of 5

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/ozVF7G