Taqueria Yenii in the H & M Food Mart

This convenience store has been around as long as I can remember but it is very ordinary (kind of run down) on the outside so I have never stopped in. They advertise a taqueria so I finally decided to check it out.

The taqueria inside has a pretty full menu for a convenience store location. They had several meats for a taco plate, as well as some deep fried items (empanadas and fish). I went with a taco plate with barbacoa and pork, with flour tortillas.

The meats were absolutely great. The barbacoa was tender and savory as it should be. The pork was delicious, lots of flavor. They have spicy and not-spicy versions (I had the not-spicy). The homemade tortillas had wonderful flavor. The rice and beans were not standouts but complemented the food well. Washed it all down with a Mexican Coke (they had pineapple agua fresca but I went with Coke that day).

The location information for this place is kind of confusing. From the signage on the wall this place is Taqueria Yenii, and it is inside the H and M Food Mart. Google Maps has them in different places (next to each other) and closed. There's another listing in the same place. Not sure I know enough to sort it out.

Some reviewers have complained that the store is dirty. It could use remodeling but I found it to be very clean inside (including the bathroom, though they were out of towels).

The people were very nice, it seemed like there were a lot of regulars. It is not cheap eats, they charge market rates ($13 for the plate I got) but worth it. This might go on my hidden gems list. It's on the southwest corner of Spring Stuebner and Roseville, you can't really miss it.

My Yelp Review

The Boba Shop

This new location for The Boba Shop has had a "coming soon" sign out for some time, so when I saw it was open I looked forward to trying it. I went in on a busy Saturday noon and ordered a Boba Shop milk tea, a chicken banh mi, the Taiwanese Dry Noodles with chicken, and pork dumplings.

The last three items cover the whole food menu. Not a ton of choices, but I was glad to be able to sample everything and there's not a lot of decision fatigue. The banh mi is a classic example of this Vietnamese sandwich--chicken and veggies on a very crusty French roll. On the small side but great for a $5 snack. The dumplings were nicely fried, tender, and had great flavor. The Taiwanese Dry Noodles dish was a new experience for me. The description is accurate--the pasta and chicken are served with no sauce. The flavor is cooked in, and is quite good. The dark meat chicken was tender with a lot of umami. The noodles, being dry, were just a bit sticky to take apart but not real difficult. It comes with a fried egg, and you can add a fried egg to their other versions of the dish. Putting soy sauce on this dish would make it too salty, so you should eat it as is.

The Boba shop offers a wide variety of drinks--teas, coffees, and smoothies. I can't stand boba so I ordered the Boba Shop milk tea without it.  It is a good tasty example of an Asian milk tea. It could be a go-to place for a coffee and tea fix.

The food was served with no fish or soy sauce. I think that was intentional for the Taiwanese Dry Noodles, but I found myself missing fish sauce for the banh mi and the dumplings. I might have been able to ask for it, didn't check.

The shop was quite busy when I went in. A great thing for them but it meant they were somewhat backed up, so I had a wait. It wasn't a bad wait, since the shop is cute and inviting inside--lots of nice clean tables and benches. They also have some games, so you're invited to hang out. The men's restroom was clean and ready. There were no specialized fixtures, so you do have the possibility of gender-based waiting without a real reason.

All of that food cost me $25 with tip, which is a really good deal. Everything is around $5. Joyful Boba is right across the road, but has a different snack selection so both have their market. The Boba Shop is a nice addition to our neighborhood food palate.

My Yelp Review