After DAYS of research, trying to find a great place to enjoy this Cinco de Mayo, a friend and I took a short trip down to Ybor City. Many places offered drink deals on this Cinco de Mayo, but I was more interested in finding a great place to enjoy some Mexican food…!
Now, I was interested in Cinco de Mayo, but it seems like all of Tampa was interested in Cinco de Drinko. Brass Tap down in Ybor had both!
I was expecting Ybor to be much more packed since it was Cinco de Mayo–although it was on a Thursday. We arrived around 5:30 PM and given that it was the day we weren’t expecting any odd quirks or uncomfortable mishaps, but of course we had our fair share of experiences. Walking up to Brass Tap, it was rather empty so we were able to take our pick of the chairs. Brass Tap has an open bar area where you can look out on the sidewalk and road.
Behind our seats’ view
Where we sat from the sidewalk!
Now, Brass Tap is definitely no Mexican place, so it’s not like we expected deliciously appetizing tacos. But they were just $2.00! And with that, we went ahead and ordered two tacos each (between fish and chicken) and a margarita. (…It is the drink to drink)
Margarita!
Friend + Margarita = lyfe
The margarita was so delicious. Iced with no salt. I say no salt because the last time I ordered a margarita they stirred the salt with the drink and it tasted like pure sewage water…! Brass Tap’s margarita is made with Jose Cuervo. Yumm yumm, very refreshing. Now for the tacos…
Fish and chicken tacos
Ariel fish and chicken taco view
Chicken taco
Fish taco
You kind of have to just trust your gut on these tacos, since there was no menu listing what sorts of toppings go with each taco. As long as you’re not picky, just go for it! Out of both tacos, Brass Tap’s chicken tacos were so amazing. The shell, as you can see, seems to be baked a bit to where it is crunchy, however not enough for it to be a crunchy taco. The shell was the perfect combination of soft & crunchy. The chicken taco was nicely seasoned and went well with the cabbage. As for the fish taco, the miscellaneous dressing on top and the pickled red peppers didn’t pair well with me. I’m all for a fish taco, but I’m not fond when the fish is made in a breaded-fried style.
Since Ybor was mostly dead, and we were definitely not feeling the Cinco de Mayo festivities, we decided to head to the one place we knew for SURE would be Cinco festive…
This was the place to go. Very festive. Very packed. And a great deal. Their regular Burrito Thursday deal: $5.99 Burrito, chips, drink. For Cinco de Mayo? For $1.00 more you could add a beer on draft (or $2.00 for bottled). Since Corona is known to be a Mexican beer, it was obvious that it would be the beer of choice. Now, we’ve reviewed Tijuana Flats before, but this was oriented more towards the tacos. Not that the burrito is much different in deliciousness, filling, and satisfactory marks. It was great!
Burrito and chips
Burrito and chips
Corona draft for Cinco de Mayo
A look inside the tasty burrito
I usually love all the toppings they provide, but really I regret the jalapeño peppers this time. I feel like they put all the seeds on purpose just to watch me suffer. And of course the one thing that doesn’t help with spiciness? BEER.
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.
13731 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33618; (813)264-7691
OPEN: Monday-Sunday 11:00AM – 10:00PM
Quality
4.5
Quantity
6.5
Price
9
Value (Average of quality, quantity, price)
6.7
Ambient
9
Accessibility
8
Vegetarian Options
Yes
Tuesday Deal
Yes; dollar tacos (chips included)
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Countless of times I have driven past this plaza, only entering it once in order to play with the adorable puppies at All About Puppies. (I definitely suggest playing with them before going to eat–they need all the loving you can give!) So finally, I decided to visit this Tuesday. But, unfortunately, I made it too late to enjoy the puppy love before my meal! There is definitely no problem with parking; I made it around 7PM. Not a necessary fan of the plaza/strip mall locale, however it didn’t discourage me from giving it a chance! I was super pumped for this… you know why? Because it was taco tuesday, and everyone loves taco tuesday!
Walking inside, the restaurant is definitely huge. If you thought my review on Taco Son described the locale as a great atmosphere, this was even better. Not one wall was industrial white colored. Slightly dimmed, the colors popped out even more. They even had their own benches that highlighted the restaurant’s name and atmospheric appeal. I (and my companions that joined me for Taco Tuesday) was led by a very cute, short Mexican woman with a thick accent who was extremely endearing. Once seated, I looked around at the walls in the restaurant:
Vallarta’s Mexican Restaurant is found off of Dale Mabry in a small plaza.The walls and even entrance into the additional room are all painted in a similar theme.There must be some kind of association with Vallarta, Mexico–looks like someplace I’d vacation!Painting of a cute old man on a door.
I knew ahead of time that there would be a TACOTUESDAYDEAL. Sitting down, though, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What was included in this mysterious taco deal? Well as it turns out, free chips and salsa! It was quite a nice set up: the salsa came in a nice, small vial with two bowls. The first round of chips were slightly warm–not as fresh as I’d like. But the second round of chips? Nice and hot; freshly made.
Now about the salsa. I loved the set up of the salsa being served in a separate vial, with two small bowls as serving plates. When you dream about salsa, what does it look like? Are you picturing a tomato pureé with slices of onions and habanero chunks? What about cubed pieces of tomato with cilantro and squeezed lemon devouring it? We’ve all got different tastes and preferences, but unfortunately I am turning up a ‘blank’ on what positive quality this salsa had. Sure it’s always great to have something to drip your crispy chips in, and there’s no room to complain when it’s free chips and salsa. But… there is room to judge! The salsa would be good for pouring over the tacos you order at Vallarta’s, to add some flavor the the tacos were unfortunately lacking. But more on this later!
Chips and salsa provided at the table, once seated.The drinks are served in huuuuuuuuuuge cups! I ordered water this time. (Hand for size reference…!)Taco Tuesday deal? Hard Shells = 0.99, Soft Shells = 1.25
So as you can see, there is a TACO TUESDAY DEAL:
HARD SHELL TACOS are $0.99
SOFT SHELL TACOS are $1.25
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to tell you what the protein filler options are for Vallarta’s Taco Tuesday deal. It wasn’t written anywhere and it wasn’t quite recited. So what to do in this case… Well, I started with the basics. I ordered two soft tacos, one chicken, and one steak. Our server told us that there was no taco per se, but wasn’t able to know its name in English. That was alright! I was adventurous enough, I gave it a try! So I ordered the “steak that’s not really steak”. When it came, I decided that it was pretty much barbacoa. Afterwards, I ordered a soft shell bean taco, and a (ground) beef hard shell taco. If you’re wondering why the title is the way it is… Let’s just get started on the reviews.
Shredded chicken soft taco with lettuce and cheese
Just a look at what a ground beef soft taco order looked like: beef, lettuce, and delicious cheese.
Barbacoa (?) soft taco with huge chunks of cheese and lettuce.
The chicken soft shell taco was extremely wet; pooling chicken sauce kept falling from the taco. It got a bit messy.
Bean soft taco order: Refried beans with lettuce and delicious cheese.
A closer look at the lettuce and refried beans…
Crunchy hard shell taco with beef; it was filled with cheese too!
A close look at the crunchy ground beef taco! Don’t be mistaken, that’s not a sign of tomatoes. I added some salsa to this one for some added flavor.
I’m not the biggest fan of crunchy tacos, but out of all the taco orders I put in, the hard shell ground beef taco was the best by far. It’s almost as if it were a nacho sandwich: tasty meat in the middle, with some greens (i.e., lettuce), and soft delicious cheese. I added salsa to this taco because, as it was my last one, and the soft tacos were nowhere comparable in taste to the hard shell taco. Added flavor with the salsa. And the cheese. But that was it. I think if the cheese were melted and oozed into the hard shell, it would have made the hard shell taco better; that way the cheese would meld with the ground beef.
Unfortunately, the soft tacos were missing so much. Missing flavor. Missing ingredients. Missing the pop that makes me crazy for tacos. Now, I don’t find taco bell terrible. It’s definitely a good alternative to other fast food chains, and a great place for when you need tacos fast. Taking a bite out of Vallarta’s tacos gave me a flashback of Taco Bell’s dollar tacos. You might be thinking, “Geez, Taco Bell’s tacos? That’s terrible. How can that even be edible?” Stop hating on Taco Bell. Their tacos are actually a great value, and even better when you want a late night taco snack. The Vallarta’s tacos were missing a depth of flavor that could have been fixed with the addition of some cilantro, tomato chunks, and even onion slices. This kind of perfect ratio makes the best taco; but it can’t have too much liquid. That was a problem with the chicken soft tacos: so much liquid! It made the taco shell fall apart, with drips falling down my hand and pooling in the foil below.
None of the meat was notable enough, except for the ground beef. This protein filler was probably the only filler that ended my taco night on a positive note, besides our lovely server. All in all, Vallarta’s is about as good as Taco Bell, which isn’t saying much, but isn’t quite a negative trait. The atmosphere and environment is very inviting, but if you’re coming for the Taco Tuesday night, Taco Bell would be just as safe of a bet.
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.
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.
“Never Underestimate the Power of an Extremely Awesome Taco”? Truest statement of the night!
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.
The colorful ambience inside, with the front counter straight ahead, and paintings found on the walls.
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.
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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.
Full of toppings such as queso and a wad of sour cream on top, the chicken nachos were extremely filling.You can see the strips of steak on the nachos, with pickled onions being an original, scrumptious addition.A big sized Barbacoa Burrito from Taco SonA look inside the Barbacoa Burrito; I suggest squeezing out that lime for an added fresh flavor.
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).
Rice pudding from Taco Son that was cinnamonly sweet, and had a very pudding-like consistency.
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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.
Taco Tuesday Tampa Bay 