If you are feeding a houseful of kids on a Tuesday night in East San Jose, you do not need a tasting menu. You need a taqueria that fills three hungry plates, keeps the little ones happy, and hands you change back from a fifty. The Story Road, Alum Rock, and South White corridors are still packed with spots that do exactly that, and most of them have been around long enough to earn the trust of the whole neighborhood.
Here are seven family-approved picks, pulled from the folks who eat there every week.
1. Tacos Chencho (East San Jose, Story & White) — This food truck at the corner of Story and White parks from about 5 p.m. to midnight, with a daytime post at 2920 Alum Rock Ave.
Ten tacos plus two horchatas come in under $30, which is how a whole family eats for the price of one sit-down entrée. Bring cash or Zelle, and go for the al pastor with pineapple…