Restaurant Review: El Taconazo / The Taco Bus

When it comes to authentic Mexican food, I may have hit the goldmine moving to Tampa.

My latest delve into south of the border classics come from the controversial El Taconazo (913 E Hillsborough Ave, Tampa, FL 33604(813) 232-5889), as it’s better known, “The Taco Bus”. For regulars, as I found out today conversing in line, this place is the mecca of authentic, cheap, large portioned Latin favorites. For detractors I’ve read online, it’s supposedly “dirty, with rude staff and inconsistent taste.”

Knowing I had a challenge ahead of me, I set out to the corner of Hillsborough and Nebraska to try it for myself. When you pull into the parking lot, you are greeted by a building and then the bus itself, where the food is prepared and served out of a side window. On the surface, this concept sounds like a recipe for health-code disaster, but my experience there was clean, pleasant and, ultimately, delicious.

When I emerged from the car, I noticed that even at 2:00PM, the place was still packed. Under the bus and rickety metal shade stood more than a dozen people, happily talking amongst each other while they waited to order. The line took about 10 minutes, in which time I engaged a few people in conversation about their experience with the bus. “It’s the best, man. Good food, and a lot of it.” one regular said. “Best little taco stand in Tampa, and I’ve been to a lot.” another doted. If the regulars liked it, it was worth a try.

When I get to the window, I’m greated by a smiling face, who I tell that I’ve never been here before and ask for a recommendation. “It’s all good. What kind of meat you want?” I pondered for a minute, realizing that it was probably in both my interest and the best interest of the blog to try a bit of everything. “Go ahead and give me 3 lunch specials. One burrito. One Taco. One Carne Asada. Mix them up, different meats in each.” I figured I’d try a bit of each and put the rest in the refrigerator, as if it was good I’d eat it tomorrow and if it was bad, my dogs would finish it off. She smiled and said, “3 Specials? You got it. That’ll be $21. $21? Really? Seems awfully cheap for 3 full meals. I guess that explains the repeat customers!

There wasn’t much of a wait, even with the long crowd. I stood aside and spoke to another patron, “The guy who owns this goes to Mexico all the time. He’s always looking for ways to make it better.” That was re-assuring. No sooner did I get into talking about MyTampaLife, the food come up. Two heaping bags full of what smelled delicious. I took it and came home.

When I got here, I was incredibly surprised. Presentation, for being takeout containers, was very nice. Food looked and smelled delicious. I decided to sample a bit of each.

The Burrito was massive. The kind of burrito I used to get from Chipotle, and still often do get from Moe’s. When I wrapped my mouth around it and bit in, I was filled instantly with a collage of tastes I loved. The first thing that stands out is how fresh everything is. Fresh cut red onions. The light smokey taste of pork. Fresh lettuce. Fresh Tomatoes. Everything about it felt fresh and crisp, as if it was just picked that morning. You don’t get much better than that. After 3 big bites, I had to stop myself because I knew I had so much more to try.

The tacos, a twin pack served with beans and rice, were the same consistent freshness as the burrito. My only issue with the tacos were the shells, which were a bit dry for a traditional taco shell. I threw some green salso over the taco and it overrode any issue I had with the shells. After eating one of the tacos, I put it aside because I was already starting to get full. The meals are that filling.

The Carne Asade, a staple in any good mexican joint, left nothing to be desired. The steak was cooked well, without a lot of grease or undesirable gristle that I’ve seen in other shredded steak. The shells provided were the same texture as the taco shells, but again were easily cured by loading up on vegetables and salsa. I ate one shell worth and packed this up for the fridge. At this point, I have enough food here for 4 to 5 meals, not my intended 3.

All around, I was very impressed. Two people could eat here well for around $15. I’ll happily dispell any rumors I hear about this place being unsanitary or having poor portion size. I left fat and sassy, and I bet you will too.

Related posts:

1. Restaurant Review: Tacos Tampa/Taqueria Monterrey #2
2. Writer/Chef Diana Kennedy at the Taco Bus on 02/13 Teaching Cooking Class
3. Restaurant Review: Taqueria Monterrey
4. Taco Bus now open to extended hours Thursday through Saturday
5. Restaurant Review: Jalapenos De Ybor Mexican Restaurant
6. Restaurant Review: La Isla Bonita
7. Restaurant Review: Estela’s Mexican Restaurant
8. Restaurant Review: Chipotle raising prices while cutting portions
9. Restaurant Review: Cinco De Mayo
10. Restaurant Review: Taqueria Mi Mexico