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Get ‘Sauced’ at La Victoria
By Julie McCoy, contributing writer
T
he secret is in the sauce at La Victoria. The
authentic Mexican taqueria in Redwood
City serves its food with a secret orange
sauce that gives customers’ taste buds a treat and has
them coming back for more. The special sauce is
made using a recipe created by Marcelino Barrita
that has been in the Barrita family for about 15
years. “It’s creamy, spicy,” said manager Teresa
Barrita. “It’s tasty. They [customers] like that it goes
with everything they eat.” The sauce is always
served on the side, not on the food itself. “People
have gotten hooked on it,” said Teresa Barrita’s
son, Fidel Barrita, who also works at the taqueria.
While the exact ingredients in the sauce are
kept top secret, it is organic and doesn’t contain
any dairy products, lard, MSG or peanuts, Fidel
Barrita said. Customers can buy the sauce in a
bottle and take it home.
The sauce is so popular that it is world famous,
according to Fidel Barrita. He said it is shipped
not only to Southern California and the East
Coast, but also to Europe and the Middle East.
Competitors have tried to mimic the sauce but
haven’t succeeded, he said. “We have a saying,”
he said. “Always imitated, never duplicated. We
have people trying to imitate the sauce but they
never get it right.”
A plethora of options for those
who love Mexican food
Bright and cheery with an orange and yellow
interior to match the orange sauce, La Victoria, at
847 Main St., sells burritos, chile relleno burritos,
breakfast burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos,
enchiladas, tostadas, flautas (rolled taquitos filled with
chicken or beef, topped with salsa, guacamole,
sour cream and lettuce on the side), tortas (French
rolls with your choice of meat as well as mayo,
beans, lettuce, tomato and avocado) and nachos.
“We’re very careful in our recipes every day,”
Teresa Barrita said. “It’s fresh cooked.”
The most popular sellers are the super burritos,
super tacos and super quesadillas, she said. There
are plenty of items on the menu for vegetarians,
including veggie burritos, veggie tacos, cheese
quesadillas and chile rellenos. The nachos can be
ordered without meat as well.
Everything can be custom-made, so if you don’t
want sour cream or beans, for example, with your
meal, no problem; La Victoria will make your
meal without it.
La Victoria’s prices are reasonable and suitable
to anyone on a budget. Most items are in the $2 to
$6 range. The most expensive items — the flautas,
Owner Teresa Barrita pours that special sauce.
chile rellenos and plates (which include your choice
of meat, beans and rice on the side with your
choice of corn or flour tortillas) — are just $9.25.
Family friendly
La Victoria is a family-friendly restaurant. Kids
are welcome at any time. “We get a lot of families
with kids,” Teresa Barrita said. “A lot of people
bring their kids. No problem.” Kids can get a
burrito for just $3.75.
Customer service the top priority
Customers come first at La Victoria, Teresa
Barrita said. She said the restaurant tries not to
have any customers waiting. “Everybody is in a
hurry, especially at lunch,” she said, noting that
between 11 a.m. and 2 or 3 p.m. is the busiest time
of day.
Loyal customer base
La Victoria has a lot of loyal customers, many
of whom come three to four times per week and
often order the same thing, Teresa Barrita said.
Redwood City resident Melissa Tinsley, who
eats at La Victoria about three times a month, gets
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