Villa Del Sol: Real Mexican Food brings home cooking to Orem
Huraches, a sandal-shaped thick masa tortilla crisped and topped with refried beans, carne asada, cheese, lettuce and avocado at Villa Del Sol: Real Mexican Food in Orem on Dec. 6, 2019.
Chips and salsa are served when you sit down at Villa Del Sol: Real Mexican Food in Orem. The guacamole dip is ordered separately. Villa Del Sol offers a salsa bar in case you prefer something different than what comes with the chips.
A mixed plate with three enchildas and three tacos, garnished with lettuce and radish slices at Villa Del Sol: Real Mexican Food in Orem on Dec. 6, 2019. The selected fillings included beef, chicken and curd (Mexican cheese).
Dessert selections at Villa Del Sol include this four-layer tiramisu layered with a chocolate mocha cream and cake top with more cream and dark, rich Mexican chocolate on Dec. 6, 2019.
One of the dessert selections at Villa Del Sol was flan, a rich caramel custard. Portions were large and tasty.
For those with simple tastes, the bean and cheese burrito with rice is large and wrapped in a flour tortilla, and full of beans and cheese at Villa Del Sol: Real Mexican Food in Orem.
If you have ever wanted to taste what home cooking is like in Mexico, it’s time to visit Villa Del Sol: Real Mexican Food in Orem. It will fill the bill.
The food and flavors from this local restaurant are found in the villages in the state of Jalisco, with Guadalajara being the capital in the central part of Mexico.
Food selections range from huevos (eggs) and chorizo (spiced sausage) to chilaquiles (eggs and fried tortilla strips), for breakfast to a variety of familiar and not-so-familiar tastes and food options for lunch and dinner.
Familiar items on the menu include tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, burritos, fajitas and even chicken nuggets and French fries on the children’s menu.
It is the more unique and perhaps unfamiliar options to the American palate that might have some curious enough to try.
Everyone is served tortilla chips as they are seated. If you don’t like the house salsa served, there is also a salsa bar with varying levels of heat. Side garnishes like chopped onions, sliced limes and sliced radishes are also provided.
Our party ordered some guacamole to go with the chips. It was filled with tomatoes, onions, cilantro and spices. We would like to have had a bit more flavor of the avocado, but it was delicious and went well with the house salsa.
The Huraches (yes shaped like a sandal) is a thick tortilla made from masa topped with refried beans and your choice of meat. We selected carne asada. It was topped with lettuce and melted Mexican white cheese.
The carne asada (steak) had a delicious flavor. The tortilla part was fried, and thick and crisp. The portion size was large and filling.
The three enchiladas and three tacos that were ordered were filled, one with shredded chicken, one with beef and one with curd (Mexican cheese). The beef and curd selections were very good and somewhat typical, the chicken, however, was spiced and flavored a bit different than the typical Tex-Mex red sauce you might usually get. It is not a bad taste just a surprising one.
They were garnished with lettuce, cheese and sliced radishes.
For those with more traditional and gentler taste buds, try the bean and cheese burrito with a side of rice. The serving is large, and what you would expect, no surprises.
While our taste buds were not set for tasting the unusual, you can order a tostada not just with beans and beef or chicken and pork, chorizo or fish, you can also have your tostada topped with pig feet, pig snout, pig ear or beef tongue.
You can also have a serving of menudo soup made with tripe. Very popular dishes and unwasted animal parts that are used in Mexico.
A popular dish for two is the Molcajetes, which is a large bowl filled with grilled steak, chicken, chorizo, shrimp, onions, jalapeños, cactus and fresh cheese served with rice, beans and six tortillas.
Villa Del Sol also serves tamales, street tacos and steak dinners.
The dessert menu features flan, tiramisu and tres leches cake.
The flan was a cream caramel custard with no surprises, but left a lingering caramel aftertaste. It was delicious and served in large portions.
The tiramisu was a four-layer event with a mixture of whipped cream, mocha and Mexican chocolate mixed and spread between four layers of cake. The outside of the cake was surrounded with whipped cream and topped and drizzled on the sides with dark Mexican chocolate. It is rich and delicious. You most likely will have to ask for a take home box. The portions are large.
Drinks include bottled Coke products, jarritos, horchata, non-alcoholic sangria and more. They also serve a variety of Mexican beers.
The restaurant itself is small and seats about 60 people. On Friday and Saturday from 7 to 11 p.m. there are karaoke nights with both Spanish and English music.
Seating features both booth and table options. It is clean and not overly decorated, but carries the spirit of Mexico. The help is friendly and bilingual.
Prices on the menu range from $5.99 to $16.99 for individual meals. The Molcajetes for two was $25. The evening bill for three adult full meals and dessert and drinks came to $53 without tip.
We were there for some of the karaoke. While none from our party sang, we did feel like part of a big family celebration rather than guests in the corner.
VILLA DEL SOL: REAL MEXICAN FOOD
Where: 370 E. 800 South, Orem
Hours: Monday-Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Prices: $5.99 to $16.99 for entrees
Info: (801) 722-8585, https://www.facebook.com/villadelsolrealmexicanfood
Note: Karaoke on Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to closing. Restaurant accepts major credit cards and offers Grub Hub and Door Dash delivery services.