I'm so glad I came back to try Chiva Torta after my first visit years ago when I had the torta ahogada. I wasn't crazy about the wet soggy torta. Coming back, I realized it's all about the tacos dorados here! Tacos dorados are filled with potato and fried, then topped off with the hot sauce and onions, plus your choice of meat. I usually ask for mild because that's all I can handle. Amazingly, the tacos dorados stay hard and crispy somehow and this is important because I tried another place and the tacos turned soggy very quickly. At first, I didn't know you can choose any meat so it was always the default which was carnitas. More recently, I learned you can choose any of their listed meats! I tried their lengua, cabeza, and asada and they were all pretty good but my favorite is cabeza. If you come here, you must try the tacos dorados, not the torta! One thing to know is that they're not always there, even on their scheduled days. And sometimes they sell out early so they will pack up and leave before 5pm.

The best Tortas Ahogadas in Orange County. It's a lunch truck but give them a chance if you like Tortas ahogadas, also grab some tacos dorados with carnitas. Don't for get both the spicy and regular salsa. Your lips will burn but your taste buds will thank you. Enjoy.

the amount of times i have made the drive out just to get the tacos and go home is not even funny. when i think of santa ana, i think of this truck and i get very happy. the meat is just so tender and yummy, you'll inhale these and if you can normally eat 2-3 tacos you'll be eating 5+ just because they're good not even because you're hungry.

Been going to this place for 15 years, it the closest food taste to Guadalajara Mexico, Tortas are crispy even though it's drowned in a delicious sauce, the different textures and flavors of each ingredient come together perfectly, the crunchy bread with the tasty sauce, the refried beans, the carnitas meat, along with the pickled onions will have you upset that you can't eat anymore once you've had your fill. The crunchy tacos compliment the torta, with similar flavors, but stand on their own as one of my favorite items, I order my food medium spicy and it's very spicy, Wash everything down with an ice cold Mexican glass bottle coke and it's a perfect mea!! There is always a long line, signs of a great place for food, but they've been doing it long enough to move the line fast, always friendly, and they work to give you a great experience, the food flavor has been consistent from when I first tried it!!! And how they opened a restaurant at the Costa Mesa north gate!!, next to the mariachi stage.

Great quality, friendly service. The best part, the food is amazing. So much so, I've been back three days in a row.

Best TACOS DORADOS in the Heart of Santa Ana. Service is great but long line just waiting for food. It was worth the wait. It's outdoor so if it's hot - it's hot! I ate in my car. I wanted Al PASTOR but they ran out so ended up with Carne Asada! Still YUMMY! My co-worker introduced me to tacos dorados in 2017 when Chiva Torta was still at North Gate on 4th Street and I've been hooked ever since. They moved to 5th St/Spurgeon St. and I also moved to another city so I was afraid to go for years because I do not like SA streets/parking. However, I found out that the parking across the street is free with limited time and it was just quick crossing the street so here I am. Don't waste time and risk your car over street parking. Just park in the structure across the street and you're good to go. Just watch your time limit/parking instruction when you enter the parking structure. Remember to ask for a little plastic bag to pack all the side condiments (onions, cilantro, pico de callo, pickled jalapenos, limes, raddish, green sauce, red sauce. HOT SAUCE - make sure you ask for them because they don't put it out. Two types - one spicy and other super spicy. Be careful of what you ask for because it'll burn your bootie. PICKLED ONIONS - drooling here. You can ask for them even if it's to-go. The girls at my previous job/office usually order 10-20 tacos darados at lunch among a few of us and got everything for to-go back to the office. We picked them up of course. Go early when they open or the line is ALWAYS long. 15-20-30 minutes wait at least! Yep! I'm coming back!

Authentic wet tortas! The food is 10/10 you can't order anything that is not amazing. Get the tacos con carne. And be careful with the sauce

It's been 10 YEARS since I last reviewed Chiva Torta! I'm still a regular and they are very much still a 5-star worthy spot. The food truck was previously located at 514 N Spurgeon Street in Santa Ana right across the Northgate. Since all of the construction for the OC Streetcar, the food truck has now moved about a block or two over to French and Fifth Street. If you ask me, this is a much better spot because the parking structure is right next to it and you get an hour grace period, which is plenty of time to order and eat. Their popular items are the torta ahogada and tacos dorados de papa con carne. They hit the spot EVERY TIME. I've never once had a visit where it didn't come out right, so their consistency is unmatched. I love eating very spicy food, so I ask for my torta to be BIEN ahogada...pretty much dip it in that bucket of chile not once, but twice. It's crazy spicy but it's delicious. You can order your torta as a "media" which means half the spiciness. The torta ahogada comes with refried beans on the bread, carnitas, and topped with pickled onions. I ask for extra beans and onions because they're so good. The tacos dorados de papa con carne are also a must try but you might feel overly full if you want to try both the torta and tacos. I usually split a torta ahogada with my husband and we each order two tacos dorados on the side for us. These are also spicy but not nearly as much as the torta. If you want to finish off strong with something sweet, their jericalla is perfect. It's a custard dessert that helps cool your mouth from the spiciness. Lunch hours and weekend mornings are very busy for this place (it's a great hangover cure) so expect a bit of a wait. Since it's a food truck, there is obviously nowhere to sit. Near the parking structure, there are a few high-cement areas where you can sit and enjoy your food. My husband and I take our folding chairs and we set up next to the truck to eat our food once it's ready. At some point, they started taking card payments, but it's back to cash only. I don't mind this bit, because there is a Chase and a School's First nearby. Chiva Torta has many regular customers, and they're still thriving years later. They really are the s*** and you won't have a better torta ahogada anywhere else in California.