Bites Nearby: El Chipotle Taqueria in Soquel

There are a few spots to sit down and eat on Soquel Drive in Soquel proper, and one is . Not to be confused with Chipotle Mexican Grill, the national chain with a location opening Wednesday in Capitola, El Chipotle Taqueria is located at 4724 Soquel Dr.

The Drill
Don't be alarmed when you walk in if no one greets you, seats you and immediately takes your order. Just get someone's attention, grab a menu from one of the tables where they are stacked and let the host/server know that you are sitting down. Or you can always just order from the register and take a seat. The service is at El Chipotle is spotty, but the food makes up for it.

The Food
As far as Mexican restaurants go, El Chipotle Taqueria is far from your standard Tex-Mex. The menu includes dishes using cactus, eggplant, zucchini, and a plenty of other less-common vegetables that lend credibility to a genre that generally rests on standard staple items. Burritos even come with your choice of four different tortillas: flour, whole wheat, sun-dried tomato and spinach. Corn tortillas are available with other dishes.

Of course, expect chips and salsa before your meal, but be warned: the salsa is spicy. As a wise man at a food convention once told me, "Of course it's spicy, it's not ketchup." So true.

The Recommendation
For lunch, the veggie nachos are great and at least make you feel healthy, even if the cheese ups the calorie count exponentially. The chicken tamales also come highly-recommended, and you can definitely tell they are homemade. If you like seafood, don't miss the camarones a la diabla (devil shrimp). The dish comes with nine prawns in a spicy sauce with grilled onions, rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream and tortillas.  

Have you been to El Chipotle Taqueria? What are your favorite dishes?