Restaurant Review: Taqueria Monterrey

While I was out in Plant City the other day, I stopped into Taqueria Monterrey (1302 W. Reynolds Street, Plant City, FL. 33563, (813) 752-6862), owned by the guy who owns the Taco Bus. I knew I was in for a treat, as Rene from the Taco Bus had described it as, “A different experience, where everything is hand made.” Based on that and my experience with the Taco Bus, I knew this was going to be really good.

As I drove down Reynolds Road, I noticed a half dozen little Mexican eateries on that same road, some only a 1/4 mile apart from each other. Knowing this area has a heavily populated Spanish/Latin population, I also knew that to support so many little places required them all to be either good or cheap. Monterrey is both. The only real drawback I find to Monterrey is it’s hours. It’s only open 11AM to midnight Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The building itself is unassuming. The tip of a triangle where two roads intersect gives it a lot of traffic and there’s plenty of parking. Both times I was there this weekend, there were lots of people in and out, showing me that it is busy when it’s open.

There are a lot of cool features about this place. When you walk in, you are overwhelmed by the salsa bar. Over 10 salsas are available ranging from mild in green and and red through Habanero laced concoctions that are likely to burn you up from the inside. Aside from the salsas, the bar also offers onions, cilantro, pico and other Mexican favorites to fill any dish you order.

The seating is all booth style, and it’s pretty comfortable. When I sat down in the booths, I sank down just enough to where it felt like I was in the seat instead of floating around on it. There is seating for probably 20-25 people in the colorful dining area.

Everything about this place screams traditional Mexican. All of the signs are in Spanish. The staff speaks broken English, as it’s obviously not something they use all the time. The atmosphere is very inviting and friendly as well.

The quality of food is due in a large part to how it’s prepared. One of their signature meat dishes is produced on a coal burning grill, seen below. The large wheel of meat is rotated and shaved off as needed. The fresh barbecued taste is what makes this meat one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten.

The other facet that makes the food great is that the shells are made from scratch, to order, as needed. Here you can see one of the cooks churning out new shells for my order of tacos and burritos.

They cook fresh on the flat top skillet as needed. No deep frying. No heavy oils. Everything about this process is fresh and flavorful.

The first thing I tried was an open shelled version of the meat wheel with avocados, fried onions and slow cooked pepper. It was, by far and without a doubt, one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. The meat is soft, hot, slightly salty and has a texture and taste that is unbeatable. I literally found myself tearing up with happiness as I ate this. It was so good by itself, and even better with the salsa bar additions.

Secondly, they brought out a pork and cheese taco combination with more sauteed onions. The pork actually had more of a philly-steak look and feel than anything, but it was very good. You can really taste the time and effort that goes into everything they make, as the shells can barely contain the flavor busting forth.

Once again, it was great by itself but even better with the salsa bar. I decided to try a new salsa than I did before. The one was decidedly hotter.

For the last part of my first trip to Monterrey, I decided to go with a time tested favorite and get a beef burrito. This melt-in-your-mouth classic was everything a burrito should be. It wasn’t overpowering in your hands, but it was piping hot inside and was the last straw in filling me up. Also served with pepper and onions, the burrito was excellent. I was now to the point that I couldn’t eat anymore. I was literally too stuffed, happy and overwhelmed to do anything but waddle out of there.

The next day, I needed to know if it was a fluke. I was headed back to Plant City for the Strawberry Classic Car Show, so I stopped in again for dinner. What a repeat performance!

This time, I went with the same meat I had in the first dish the day before, but this time in plate form. They chipped a generous portion of meat off into a corner and added rice, cheese and beans to the plate. It was served with the same fresh taco shells I had the day before. What can I say about absolutely perfect Mexican food? These guys hit a home run consistently.

I liked this enough that I’m gonna make another trip out there Friday night and I’m going to get a bunch of food to go. It’s worth it to have this in my fridge, though I doubt it will make it more than a day before I consume all I bring home.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m currently designing Taqueria Monterrey’s Website. I have a professional relationship that came from an introduction by Rene at the Taco Bus. That said, I would love this food even if I wasn’t currently doing their website. It was exceptional, and it’s a pleasure for me to be able to create something nice for them after they created two days worth of amazing food for me.

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2. Restaurant Review: Taqueria Mi Mexico
3. Restaurant Review: El Taconazo / The Taco Bus
4. Restaurant Review: Los Tucanes Mexican Food
5. Restaurant Review: Estela’s Mexican Restaurant
6. Restaurant Review: Jalapenos De Ybor Mexican Restaurant
7. Restaurant Review: La Isla Bonita
8. Restaurant Review: Cinco De Mayo
9. Restaurant Review: Algusto Tortilla and Salsa
10. Restaurant Review: Chipotle raising prices while cutting portions