--- title: 'LA-Style Carne Asada and Lengua Street Tacos at Chale Tacos in Taipei' description: 'Chale Tacos kindly invited us for a meal, but we wanted to review them as regular customers first. Here’s how their LA-style street tacos, Kaoliang margarita and spicy Mexican wontons held up for someone who spent six years eating tacos in Puerto Vallarta.' author: 'Kalen Johnson' date_published: '2026-10-26' canonical_url: 'https://taiwantable.com/articles/chale-tacos-in-taipei' section: Review image: 'https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2121/01M5W2NHJ3E3DPSCNKGS1J0QE0.webp' --- Since starting Taiwan Table, I’ve learned there are far more taco restaurants in Taipei than I expected. It is great to see Mexican food gaining popularity worldwide; having lived in Puerto Vallarta for 6 years, I truly love it. This week marks a new milestone for Taiwan Table. We received an email via the website contact form from Chale Tacos, inviting us to their restaurant for complimentary food, with no requirement to write anything about them. It’s exciting and humbling to start being recognized by the local food scene. I responded by thanking them for reaching out and saying we’d love to sit down and chat, but we would do that after buying food and reviewing the restaurant. Even though Taiwan Table is still young and getting going, we do want to do our best to provide unbiased, non-sponsored reviews. Just a few days after getting that email, I visited Guang Hua and [Jinxiang Taiwanese Snacks](https://taiwantable.com/articles/jinxiang-taiwanese-snacks-lu-rou-fan-and-pork-rib-soup-near-guang-hua-digital-plaza). I took the blue line east one stop and stopped by Beer Rush for a beer and to get some work done. As I wrapped up and got hungry, I remembered Chale Tacos had emailed us, so I checked how far away they were. Lo and behold, they were just one block away. It was a sign I needed to go. Walking in around 8 pm on a Monday, I was surprised by how busy it was. It’s not a tiny restaurant; there are probably at least 60 seats across the tables and bar. I got seated right away at a 2-seater table near the door. The servers brought me the QR code to scan and some water. The restaurant is very modern, definitely gives off Los Angeles-Mexican vibes. It’s dark, music is relatively loud, and people are having fun. It must be really popular to be this full on a Monday evening. ![](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2122/conversions/01M5W3C3759F8ZNF7YYCKNZ25M-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson Kaoliangarita In the email, they said their signature drink is the Kaoliangrita, a margarita made with Taiwan’s Kaoliang liquor, a sorghum-distilled spirit, typically 38% or 58% ABV. I’ve tried both straight, and I have to say… not something I would drink straight or with ice regularly. It’s not terrible, but it doesn’t taste very aged, and it can have a bit of that newly fermented nail polish remover flavour. The Kaoliangrita, though, changed everything. First, it was served in a glass I don’t think I’ve seen since I lived in Puerto Vallarta. It’s a hand-blown glass with slight dimples and imperfections, and a blue tint on the rim. These glasses were in almost every restaurant in Puerto Vallarta and in most people’s homes. This type of glass is ubiquitous in Jalisco, the state where Puerto Vallarta is located. Since LA’s Mexican food scene has deep roots in Jalisco, it makes sense that an LA-inspired restaurant has these cups, too. Sorry, I know that’s a lot of info on a simple cup, but it truly brought me back; it was quite surprising. Ok, third paragraph on the drink. The Kaoliangrita surprised me (NT$250, US$7.67). It was a blended margarita, somewhat sweet but very lime and sour forward, like a good margarita. The Kaoliang fits in very well. I got hints of smokiness, like I do from Kaoliang straight. Smokiness isn’t common in tequila, but mezcal is tequila’s smoky cousin. It didn’t have the distinct agave flavour of either tequila or mezcal, but I still thought it was a delicious margarita. [ ![Carnitas, Lengua, Carne Asada and Chorizo Tacos at Chale](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2120/conversions/01M5VT2CMC39C2C47XENCREYWP-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2120/conversions/01M5VT2CMC39C2C47XENCREYWP-xlarge.webp) Carnitas, Lengua, Carne Asada and Chorizo Tacos at Chale Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![Carnitas, Lengua, Carne Asada and Chorizo Tacos at Chale](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2121/conversions/01M5W2NHJ3E3DPSCNKGS1J0QE0-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2121/conversions/01M5W2NHJ3E3DPSCNKGS1J0QE0-xlarge.webp) Carnitas, Lengua, Carne Asada and Chorizo Tacos at Chale Photo by Kalen Johnson I ordered four tacos and the spicy Mexican wontons. I ordered the carne asada (NT$110, US$3.38), lengua (NT$104, US$3.19), carnitas (NT$85, US$2.61), and chorizo (NT$85, US$2.61). The spicy Mexican wontons are NT$180 (US$5.52). The tacos are small, street-style tacos. While it still hurts to pay these prices after years of eating tacos in Mexico for probably half to a third of the cost, I have to say these prices aren’t crazy. Under NT$100 for a taco is good, and many restaurants charge more, even for small, street-style tacos. For foreign food and being a modern restaurant, I think the prices are reasonable. The carne asada taco was quite good. The meat is cut into decently large chunks and has a slightly charred taste. The cilantro and fresh onion on top, with lime wedges on the side, are exactly how they serve tacos in Puerto Vallarta. The salsa on top tastes fresh, and they provide an extra hot sauce at each table, which I poured on generously. The hot sauce is decently spicy and is a dark off-red colour. The chorizo was fine. It’s what I’ve come to expect here in Taiwan: ground pork with some seasoning. I do miss the dark-red chorizo that is super fatty and crumbly with intense seasoning. Maybe I’ll try making it myself. As for the Taiwan-inspired chorizo taco, it wasn't bad. The carnitas were pretty juicy and had that distinct carnitas flavour, so I believe they used the right seasoning. Also, a note on the tortillas: Chale shows on Instagram that they make them in-house. They have a wonderful corn flavour, and I don’t know how they do it, but they hold together so well. Of course, some things fell out of the taco, I can’t help that, but the corn tortilla didn't split like so many others do. I was impressed by that. Now the lengua, which is tongue in Spanish. I wish more people knew about lengua, and I was really happy to see it on the menu. It is beef tongue, and many North Americans may cringe at the thought of eating it. But it’s so good. Some of the most tender chunks of meat you can experience. I’m happy to report the lengua at Chale is very tender and really tasty. When I go again (and if I don’t get the birria tacos), I’ll probably order two carne asada and two lengua. [ ![Spicy Mexican Wontons at Chale](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2129/conversions/01M5W5FF08GDMTXCYEXREZJQ1B-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2129/conversions/01M5W5FF08GDMTXCYEXREZJQ1B-xlarge.webp) Spicy Mexican Wontons at Chale Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![Spicy Mexican Wontons at Chale](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2125/conversions/01M5W44AG95SS753TDKNQGQE5M-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2125/conversions/01M5W44AG95SS753TDKNQGQE5M-xlarge.webp) Spicy Mexican Wontons at Chale Photo by Kalen Johnson The last thing I ate was the spicy Mexican wontons. They list three chile peppers on this and warn in the online menu about how spicy it is. My spice tolerance is rather high, and while I wasn’t uncomfortable eating this, it was getting close; I tasted a lot of spice here. This was the last thing I ate, since they came out after the tacos, but it was the best thing I ate. It takes all the savouriness of the wonton so common in Taiwan, then douses it in Mexican chiles and salsa, and dang, it's a fantastic bite. I thought I tasted birria in the sauce on top, but the server said it wasn't birria. If you can handle some spice, get the Mexican wontons; they're a perfect fusion of Latin and Asian flavours. The final bill came out to NT$895 (US$27.47) after the 10% service fee, which I paid. Certainly not a budget restaurant, but for the good food and margarita, I’d say it’s a fair price. Thank you, Chale, for reaching out and putting your restaurant on our radar. Also, for everyone reading this, we’re happy to receive suggestions for your favourite places to eat in Taiwan! Use the contact form in the footer to reach us. [ ![Chale sign out front](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2123/conversions/01M5W3HGHT6TKF0N66BFKS0K86-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2123/conversions/01M5W3HGHT6TKF0N66BFKS0K86-xlarge.webp) Chale sign out front Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![Entrance of Chale](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2126/conversions/01M5W4738DWQSHTSD0SP1D43E7-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2126/conversions/01M5W4738DWQSHTSD0SP1D43E7-xlarge.webp) Entrance of Chale Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![The bar at Chale](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2012/conversions/01M5CAMH5DYA6SDP5A8MBAEZ70-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2012/conversions/01M5CAMH5DYA6SDP5A8MBAEZ70-xlarge.webp) The bar at Chale Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![Inside Chale Tacos](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2128/conversions/01M5W4FJHEFGAKMM2S9C7RMW16-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/2128/conversions/01M5W4FJHEFGAKMM2S9C7RMW16-xlarge.webp) Inside Chale Tacos Photo by Kalen Johnson ## Reviewed Place - [Chale Tacos](https://taiwantable.com/places/chale-tacos)