Hot Review - Taco Fresco

Rest : Taco Fresco
Loc : If driving North to suburbs, keep an eye out for Citywalk on Link Road. Take first left, its a few meters down.
Meal : Dinner

A lot of people have been bemoaning the lack of authentic tex mex or Mexican cuisine in this city. I used too, however, for the uninitiated we have had good Mexican fare available for quite sometime. In Andheri there is the good but uninspiring Sammy Sosa and at the Taj Palace & Towers is the awesome but ultimately too expensive menu at Starboard.


So now, finally opens Taco Fresco, a franchise of the similarly named chain from California. The place is small, kitchsy and bollywoodesque. Posters, salsa bottles and dash of yellow give it a tacquiera feel. The place has indoor and outdoor seating but is smallish.

They start you off with chips, crisp, crunchy and overall fairly tasty by themselves.

They serve with two salsas, one a mild, tomato based one which is just delicious. The green one is jalapeno based and spicy but not fiery.

Now, the menu is interesting. They have gone authentic, which i think will yield them lots of resistance in Bombay. Chimichangas are not served as the fried, sauced goodies in Tex Mex but as small bite sized appetisers. On their own they tasted like spring rolls but when you mix them with guacamole, salsas and some sour cream the taste really comes through.

I took short portion of the taco, rather than the platter sized. Soft shell taco comes with veggies and beans with rice on the side. Same story here too, put all the condiments in and the dish works out well. The Mexican rice is just stupendous.

The Bean burrito was huge, enough for one person but not served with rice or beans. Just a salad and some sour cream. Tasty as hell once you add up all the goodies.

The Flan was delicious too, drowning in some carmelly goodness, it tasted divine.

Overall, its a tremendous effort. The service is not too bad, the folks are friendly and eager to please. The family runs the joint and they seemed to take the whole thing a little seriously, they need to loosen up, they have a good product, if they have a little fun, so will the others.

Food : I liked the food, i think its pretty good, i think the menu is well laid out and offers plenty of choice. However, the desire for authencity goes against the dishes. Some of them work best when there is rice and beans on the side. Guacomole was offered in tea spoons, i guess because its hard to source avocados. The Sour cream tasted like yoghurt. These are a few things they need to work out.

Also, their plating skills need a serious improvement. If you look at most Mexican restaurants the world over, they always plate the dishes in an attractive almost festive manner. Colorful plates, condiments used for taste as well as functional appeal. Right now, it seems like things being hurried about and a little cheap.

Food : 8/10
Service : 8/10
Damage 600

Pricing is tremendously value for money. two people can easily do a meal for 600 bucks, which is a very big plus.