Restaurant review: Torchy’s Tacos took three times to get it right

by Colette Copeland of Colette's Dallas Mexican Food Reviews

• Tweet
• Email
• Print
• 2 Comments

Despite food mishaps, the service has been friendly and the staff has been quick to rectify our complaints.

ALLEN — Torchy's Tacos opened up in my neighborhood in the late spring. Over the summer, it seems that they are popping up everywhere.

Visit 1: Underwhelming. I ordered the Ahi Tuna Taco, a.k.a. Mr. Pink. Mr. Pink was not pink enough for my tastes and was a bit too sinewy for tuna. I ordered a side of guac and the black bean and cheese burrito for my son. Since there was only one size of guac, we had a huge portion. We were also charged the same price as a meat burrito. The manager came over and asked us how we enjoyed our visit. I told him about my concerns and he gave us a coupon for a free taco on our next visit and refunded some money for the burrito discrepancy.

Visit 2: I ordered the salmon taco, a.k.a. Mr. Orange, and Cole ordered the barbacoa, a.k.a. The Democrat. His meat was tender and well seasoned. Mr. Orange was orange enough, but the spices overwhelmed the fish flavor.

Visit 3: Our best visit yet. I ordered The Independent, which was a portabello, bean, corn, carrots, and avocado taco with ancho aioli sauce. It was delicious. The sauce did not overpower, but gave the veggies a nice creamy chili flavor. Cole ordered the bean and cheese burrito again. They messed it up, co-mingling other items in his burrito. The manager told us to order the bean and cheese taco for $2.50 vs. $7.50 burrito so he could enjoy an economical, pure food experience of just beans and cheese. She refunded us the price difference.

The place has been packed with huge lines the last two times I've been. It definitely has the fun factor working for it, with loud music, catchy graphics, and interesting food combinations. The current taco of the month is a scallywag -- coconut fried shrimp with bacon, chilis, cheese, onions, and habanero peach jam.

Most impressive for Cole is the Main Root handcrafted soda fountain. We haven't seen one of those in our excursions. Despite our food mishaps, the service has been friendly and the staff has been quick to rectify our complaints. We haven't tried their breakfast tacos yet. That's for our next visit.

Tweet