Bringing you the best places to get your Mexican food cravings on that special day of the week: Taco Tuesday. Whether there’s a special Tuesday deal, or the Mexican food deserves some special recognition, we’ve got you covered.
Taco Son
7521 N 56th St, Tampa, FL 33617; (813)989-2080
OPEN: Mon – Fri 6:30 am- 9:00 pm ; Sat 7:00 am- 9:00 pm
| Quality | 8 |
| Quantity | 9 |
| Price | 8.5 |
| Value (Average of quality, quantity, price) | 8.5 |
| Ambient | 8.5 |
| Accessibility | 8.5 |
| Vegetarian Options | Yes |
| Tuesday Deal | No; but student discount with ID |
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
I first heard of Taco Son, only recently, through a friend of mine. She kept telling me of this amazing joint that had such delicious Mexican food. Knowing she wasn’t a fan of my usual Mexican food places, when she said I had to try this new place, I knew it. She was so picky when it came to Mexican food, so knowing she loved it? And that she came here frequently? It was a done deal. Now, the first time I visited this place was on a Saturday, and I had some classic tacos. But I decided, hey, I need to visit on the day of the week when its known: Tacos must be eaten on Tuesday. It’s Taco Tuesday. Now, maybe not tacos necessarily, but Taco Tuesday is just a great excuse to have Mexican food at least once in your week. Mexican food is so diverse, flavorful, and malleable, it’s crazy to think anyone wouldn’t enjoy it! So…! I went on a Tuesday:
This week we head over to Taco Son, a lesser known joint located on 56th street in the Temple Terrace area. It’s quite easy to find with great parking; very accessible. Its conveniency should also be noted that they not only have a dine-in, but also carry-out through the drive-through as well! Now, under standard classification, any joint with a drive-through should be classified as “fast food”, take Taco Bell, Wendys, or Burger King for example. But the authenticity of the food and ambience of this ‘Ma and Pa’ restaurant definitely doesn’t give the classification of fast food.
Immediately when you walk in, the ambience is warm and cozy. Immediately you can sense the authenticity. Booths and tables are set up, with local community plaques and pictures on the wall. Most notably a “King High School PTSA Member” plaque, which was quite amusing. Typically these PTSA plaques are found in parents’ homes, however this restaurant emanates that “feel at home” ambience. Original paintings, arts and crafts, as well as decorations are tacked on the wall from all sides. Walking in, you simply get excited to try selections off their menu.
Now, taking a look at the menu, you can see awesome options one would enjoy on a taco tuesday. Although they don’t have any taco tuesday specials, their tacos are pretty cheap in themselves. They have all of the classics you would typically find in an “on-the-go” styled restaurant: tacos, burritos, quesadillas, chimichangas, and nachos! Their protein options weren’t as diverse as I’d hoped, with the standard chicken, beef, and pork options. A definite plus were the vegetarian options, though.
So, what did I order? Well… since I went with a few friends, you’d think I was able to try a few options off the menu. However, we were just so excited for the NACHOS SUPREME, we just had to go for it. So, an order of the Nachos supreme (one with chicken, one with beef) is what we got, and a regular burrito with barbacoa. And the service was fast. It was maybe a 5 minute wait, if that.
Please know ahead of time, these servings are packed with toppings and deliciousness!
The Nachos:
When I say these things were packed, believe me when I say, they. are. packed. There are so many ways to go wrong with nachos: poor tortilla chip to toppings ratio, too many moist toppings that morph the chips into soggy nonsense, or inadequate seasonings and interactions of flavors. This wasn’t the case. Afraid that I might need extra “plain” chips (as in no toppings), I went ahead and order a side of chips, but in the end, didn’t even need them! For the nachos, none of the chips were softened by the toppings, they had a great consistency and ability to scoop the toppings, and the sheer amount of toppings was simply satisfying. The meat was flavorful, but could have been a bit more tender. The queso poured on top of the nachos was so very delicious, but you need to eat it relatively quickly. It’s probably the case for most queso, but it is just extremely unsatisfying when your hot oozy, gooey queso hardens into a well formed lump over your food. Not that it takes away from the deliciousness, but I’m sure it’s important to all of us to have a savory queso experience. Another note I should mention: The nachos can definitely fill two people’s appetites.
The Burrito:
Personally, it’s important to me for a burrito to note completely pour out its toppings when I pick it up; that includes the juicy sauces that fill up at the bottom of the burrito. Thankfully, this didn’t happen until the very end. This burrito, probably the size of a newborn baby, was filled with meaty (barbacoa) deliciousness. A suggestion when eating the burrito is to cut it in half and squeeze out the fresh lime that comes with it. Packed with flavor and pleasantly warm, personally, I would have enjoyed it if there were more fresh vegetables such as pico de gallo, onions, or pure cilantro.
I should also add that, where possible, I will always order some rice pudding. Please know that I am absolutely obsessed with this dessert. As a kid, my father made it quite frequently, and so I have been on the search to see if there is a locale that can live up to my expectations. Lucky me, rice pudding seems to be not a rare occurrence in Mexican cuisine, and if you’re a fan of rice pudding, Taco Son has some! Definitely one of the better rice puddings I have had (but, nothing has come close to pa’s rice pudding…). It’s important to not only have cinnamon on top, but also the right consistency. It can’t be rice and/or pudding, but rice pudding. It was a tad too sweet for my taste, but it still made the perfect dessert, no matter how full I was from those nachos (which I couldn’t finish due to the sheer amount).
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In the end, Taco Son was delightfully delicious and I would definitely go visit again–not even necessarily on a Tuesday! It had a diverse amount of food, good quality, and great price for the amount of food given. The restaurant was very clean and the ambience was very warm and familiar.
| Quality | 8 |
| Quantity | 9 |
| Price | 8.5 |
| Value (Average of quality, quantity, price) | 8.5 |
| Ambient | 8.5 |
| Accessibility | 8.5 |
| Vegetarian Options | Yes |
| Tuesday Deal | No; but student discount with ID |
Taco Tuesday Tampa Bay 
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