Taco Taco

I’ve been to Taco Taco twice now for brunch, and it’s about the closest you can get to an American brunch in Dublin. The atmosphere is the best thing they have going for them, it’s really buzzy and has some fun Mexican graffiti on the walls, also the staff is really nice and helpful.
The first time I went I got the Avocado on toast which was tasty, but not super memorable. They serve a nice Bloody Mary for Dublin — we’re very far from Mexico, so I think it’s tough for anyone here attempting the cuisine to get it 100% right. That caveat is for my fellow Americans
This past weekend I got the huevos rancheros and a Bloody Mary, and my friend got the jerk chicken tacos. She loved hers but said it was way filling — they serve you three and it’s definitely a hearty portion. I liked my huevos enough to eat the whole plate, but again it wasn’t super memorable. The ingredients and dishes look really appealing, but I think the execution needs work.
We shared the donuts for desert, and they come cold with a sprinkled whipped cream. Meh. They’re filled with jam and they’re donut holes, but I wouldn’t get them again.
All in all, it’s a good experience and a solid choice for brunch. The food is the only think I felt was lacking, but that’s only because I think it’s really tough to get Mexican food just right in Ireland

Arrived here at 15:40 one Sunday recently and was told by an unfriendly member of staff that «Brunch is finished». We could see empty tables inside and knew that brunch was officially served until 4pm. Staff member was annoyed when we queried this and again repeated «brunch is finished for today» at us. Why list it at 4pm when you aren’t interested in taking customers up until that time?
I had been meaning to try Taco Taco for a while but probably won’t be back given this guy’s bad attitude.

Ooh i love this place. I love big flavours in food & this place definitely has them. We’ve been here twice now, once for dinner and once for Brunch. Both times the food was amazing, the service was decent & the casual vibe leads to a great atmosphere. I don’t like that they tell you you can only have the table for 90 minutes, though I completely understand why they have to say it. It does seem to be a common thing in restaurants in Dublin now, but still it instantly makes me feel unwelcome. When you go, make sure you order the sweet potato fries. Best in Dublin as far as I’m concerned.

Mixed experiences here.
Went for dinner twice and loved the food, but a little pricey for Mexican food.
Went for Brunch and wasn’t a great experience. My crab cakes were definitely off, like they were so fishy it was awful.
My advice would be to stick to dinner in Taco Taco much better brunch spots elsewhere in Dublin.

They say if you’ve nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Unless of course, you’re paying for a meal in a restaurant, and the experience is as bad as mine was. First impressions set the tone for the evening that followed — upon walking in that evening and asking for our table, the floor manager that night was happy to have me stand by and wait for his instruction, while he reached over me to grab menus to hand to the couple behind me. Considering I was first in the queue, I would rather have been seated first — so when I asked where my table was he very helpfully pointed in its direction. Wot a gent.
Menu was all over the place, a fusion of everything adding up to nothing much at all. The only vegetarian option for the main was a platter of nachos. So the stuff you buy in a bag in Tesco when you’ve nothing else in the fridge and empty a jar of salsa and tub of guac over? Yeah that. Except here they charge you € 12 for it, but they decided to drizzle it with dahl — FUSION food, like you’ve never seen it, not even at its noughties peak. It doesn’t work — maybe because I couldn’t find much of the supposed dahl on it, I had to reread the menu again to ensure that I didn’t imagine the words dahl and nachos together. It was hard to tell if it was from a packet or not, so overpowering was the bitter tang of the congealed ‘salsa’ that was thrown on the plate under a mountain of cheap nachos. My dining companions had an unremarkable looking burger and a few bits of duck doused in a sauce, wrapped in something bready, but hey the crockery was super eclectic, y’know those plates they use in hot new restaurants that serve ~ethnic streetfood prepared by yuppies for yuppies, perfectly framing your dinner for instagram. The uncomfortable chairs looked (and felt) like they’d been halfheartedly upcycled from your secondary school’s storage shed, but they’re probably ironic, so there.
In order to drop us a strong hint to get a move on — while we were still eating our dessert and drinking their € 12 cocktails the waitress left a bill on our table, not at our request. It was the wrong bill, bless her. No one here seems to have received any training in the basics of customer service. With that floor manager giving directions, I can hardly blame the undertrained floor staff for being totally clueless. Well after dropping the bill on our table the floor staff buzzed around us for the remaining twenty minutes — where were they when we tried repeatedly to order drinks earlier in the night! When we requested our own bill the manager came and gathered up what cutlery remained and told us they needed the table in five minutes for another booking. None of this information had been communicated to us at the time of booking, or seating. The manager kept throwing aggrieved looks in our direction til we rose from our seats, even when we were making our way to the door himself and his boss threw us a smirk and lied through their teeth when they told us «enjoy your niiiight», once our money was safe in that greasy till. An awful dining experience, amongst the worst I’ve ever had in an Irish restaurant, the manager seemed to be quite aggressive about getting us out of our seats, all the worse for it being my friends birthday, when we were meant to be celebrating.
The appeal of the pop up revealed itself to me after this experience — offering poor service and serving unremarkable, expensive food isn’t a viable business model. You can pay a lot of money for a swish logo but the social media buzz and taste for something new does eventually wind down, and everyone returns to a beloved eatery for good reason — consistency, good service and no bullshit.

The food is great and they make a pretty decent mimosa. So why is this only a three?
For starters the tables are TOO CLOSE together!!! I mean they must be four inches apart. What if I want to have a conversation and not just be on my phone?! Everyone can hear! I don’t see why they need to be so close together. Also the chairs look like they came out of an old school or something — they’re very uncomfortable. It stands to reason though. Keep the seats uncomfortable and your clientele won’t want to linger. Which is good when you tell them you can only have the table for an hour. What if I want a long boozy brunch? The message is you won’t be having that here! Which I’m very disappointed about because the food and cocktails are great!!!
I ordered the chicken and waffles which comes with amazing sweet potato fries and a delicious coleslaw which has a kick. The portion size was HUGE — it’d put American portions to shame! That doesn’t mean I didn’t demolish it. Unfortunate that the waffles became soggy under the coleslaw once you got beyond the first level.
I think it was just us but our service wasn’t great. Both my cocktail and water glasses were empty before I got attention yet I noticed other people had their water glasses topped up when they were still half full.
Ordered an Americano to finish. It was far too hot and it killed any flavour the coffee might have had.
I don’t know if I was unlucky on the day I went but I very much doubt I’ll return.

I doubt the tables could be closer together however that’s probably the only complaint.
I decided to be a vegetarian for an hour and opted for the veggie breakfast which was really good and for a change it was perfectly seasoned and light on salt. The eggs cooked to perfection with the runny yoke oozing onto my fries. Washed down with a glass of well priced white wine.
The coffee was good but sadly brewed to melting point which is a pity as I the beans they used were good.
You get the table for 1 hour which is enough considering your elbow to elbow with the next table and the seats are out of a primary school in the 70s. Service was fast and quite pleasant.
I certainly would go back.

Went for brunch with herself and 2 mates.
I had the Homer’s brunch — poutine was a little disappointing as it wasn’t gravy and cheese curds more cheese sauce and pepper sauce. I guess it was a modern twist but I was looking forward to proper French Canadian poutine. The bacon was amazing though and the others’ food choices were epic. Avocado on toast in particular!
Staff were brilliant and the music was whopper. Seats are pretty uncomfortable though (hard wooden school chairs) and the heat was on full blast.
It’s good but not up to the San Lorenzo’s standard yet!

I wasn’t sure what to expect… to be honest, I’m a bit tired of these hipster places popping up, where it’s more about the cool vibe and quirkiness and loud music than anything else…
Well, the music was loud here, but not disturbingly so. I throroughly enjoyed my pulled pork tacos, they were pretty spicy but came with tangy pineapple cubes. A perfect combination. And it was huge portion, well worth the 16 euro.
I tried some of the poutine fries my friend ordered. It’s a meal on it’s own really, and I would definitely recommend sharing the side dishes.
No doubt I will return here!

Okay, it’s time for an updated review. I’ve been back to Taco Taco a further four times, and each visit the food gets worse. The last visit was for brunch, and out of a table of four, I was the only one who was relatively happy with their choice. I finally got to try the popcorn dessert which was out of this world!
The drinks are fantastic and the service is friendly but the food needs some work.

My partner and I decided to go to Taco Taco for brunch while in the city centre. The food was really good, music wasn’t as loud as the last time I was here.
I got jerk chicken and Mark got the prawns, very tasty and filling. The sweet potato fries were yummy!
I wanted to take a picture but I was so hungry, we started eating!

Taco Taco is a pop up restaurant specializing in Mexican food (could you guess?).
The menu sounds amazing just look at it…
The plate comes to you full of food, its really quite a lot of food.
The restaurant is pretty cool and the waitstaff are pretty great as well.
I had a couple of dishes here. I had fish cakes, with asparagus poached eggs and sweet potato fries which sounded amazing, but the combination didn’t quite work for me.
The other dish I had was the jerked chicken tacos. They were pretty good.
A nice place a little bit different as well.

Had been waiting to try this place for a while as I love me some Mexican and though burrito bars are a dime a dozen in Dublin, finding good quality Mexican food is a far more difficult endeavour. I’m struggling to think of somewhere apart from 777 being honest! But thankfully Taco Taco is here to fill the gaping gap between your bog-​standard burrito bar and exciting, flavoursome Mexican fare. Dining as one of a party of four, we all tried each other’s dishes and though each was great in its own way, the winner was proclaimed to be the pulled pork tacos. The pineapple salsa on these bad boys was outrageously good, salivating again just at the thought of it… nommmm!!!
There is nothing authentic or Mexican about the desserts which are as heart-​stoppingly decadent as they come… the famed Lorenzo’s cheesecake has its own guest spot alongside the concoction we plumped for… namely, a great big bucket of salted popcorn adorned with lashings of caramel sauce and two big ‘oul scoops of peanut butter ice-​cream! It’s the kind of dessert that could raise Elvis from the dead and is every bit as gloriously good as it sounds. It’s most definitely a sharer though, I felt my arteries actually constrict while eating it haha! (So very worth it though ;)
The place has the total hipster vibe you now expect of any pop-​up restaurant in the city, from the old schoolroom chairs in the dining room to our bearded waiter in his unofficial uniform of check shirt and skinny jeans. The service was great though — I couldn’t fault it, and he was enthusiastic and charming without being overbearing — a hard balance to strike! I’ll be back to partake of the Happy Hour Super Nachos (a big plate for only € 8.95 served in the early evenings) and I’m sure that bucket of salty-​sweet ridiculousness they call dessert will get another bashing too!

Really impressed with this popup at Odessa, snappily named Taco Taco.
On our first visit I had the Super Nachos, which were so so good. There was loads of guacamole and the beef chilli was really tasty. I accompanied that with a Margarita, which was the dogs. I would go back for the Margarita alone.
The hubby went for the Jerk Chicken Tacos and the homemade lemonade. He devoured the tacos and sang their praises. The jerk was quite spicy, which was great. They’re not playing it safe here with their hot food.
As it was with this space before, when it was regular old Odessa, the tables are a bit cramped. I was expecting to have an elbow banged into every time someone whizzed by, but I survived.
Staff were friendly and very efficient.
I’m looking forward to our second visit this weekend, which we’ve just planned for.

Loved it here. Everything about it.
1. The music. Is it weird to list the music as the number one reason I loved it?! Screw it. It is. Anywhere that does a solid 90s RnB soundtrack is A-​ok with me.
2. The food is spot on. I had the shrimp popcorn which was really fresh and flavoursome (though I’d ask for extra chili to give it more bite). I also tasted the pulled pork and the jerk chicken. I’d say the pulled pork was my favourite. It comes with pineapple & green chili which gives it more depth. (No matter how much I try to stray from pulled pork, there it is, pulling me back!) Next time, those poutine fries are mine.
3. The vibe. The guys have got a really nice thing going on in here. Casual dining, done well. Good tunes, friendly staff, colourful and comfy décor, and excellent food and cocktails. What else could ye need?!

I really have to give it up to Taco Taco– the best margaritas I’ve had in Dublin, and incredible atmosphere. The music was ideal, to say the least. At the end of the night they even let us call out requests like Dre, R Kelly, and other classics from our youth.
Pair the excellent drinks and ambiance with jerk chicken tacos, and you’ve got it made. Three spicy and flavorful tacos to an order, and they were over flowing. Great quality for the value!
The sweet potato fries were the underdog, BUT THE BEST! They used a pomegranate drizzle that was similar to balsamic that really made them a can’t miss dish. The guac, too, was fresh and came with delish chips.
As if that wasn’t enough, we ordered the ice cream and the mini jam donuts — no regrets! What a surprising desert menu!
I give this place 4 stars, because the pitchers of margaritas were 37.00, and some of the other options were quite expensive. It’s also a very eclectic menu despite the seemingly Mexican cuisine sounding name. Poutine is on the menu, fried calamari, fried fish tacos, jerk chicken tacos, etc. This might be a treat yourself kind of night, but it is amazing.

It just didn’t live up to what I dreamed it would be.
I got the pulled pork taco. The actual meat was Delish. Moist and packed full of flavour. That was all for me tho. The rest of the filling was quite bland. By the time I was eating my last taco the whole thing was wet and falling apart. I didn’t even bother finishing the last taco. That’s a serious sign that it just wasn’t doing anything at all for me. We got some nachos for the table. They were yum. Maybe needed a tad bit more cheese and salsa, but the flavour was good.
My fellow dining buddies all agreed the tacos were just mehhh. I also Found the prices were a bit high for what you were getting. The place is quite hipster so the music was outrageously loud. So if your planning a nice chat while you eat, steer clear. All and all not that impressed, wouldn’t really recommend it and don’t plan on returning.
Sorry guys :(

Such a cheerful spot! The music, the staff, the food and the drinks all yell cheerful!
Had a very pleasant lunch here that made me feel better about being confused by the lack of any clear signs at the door.
Everything on the menu sounds really good, ordered more than I could eat as usual but I’m always so eager to try different items. It was a fairly quick service and an even quicker (if not record time) endeavour of all items.
It was all delicious and fresh. The items are reasonably priced and there’s an oh so lovely seating area downstairs, dim lights, leather couches and good vibes. I have to say that dublin is really stepping up with these cool new places that care about serving quality food and providing quality time for costumes.

I left it a couple of days for the madness of the weekend to calm down slightly and visited on a Sunday evening… there are no reservations taken so I was a tad worried we’d have a wait but luckily we managed to get seated right away. The restaurant is taking over a spot in the Odessa building which many are familiar with already… it has a laid back and casual vibe and amaaaazing tunes on the go. There was quite a crowd in, a good few groups of people enjoying cocktails and some messy tacos of a Sunday evening! We settled in, ordered a beer and got busy deciding on our choice.
I totally for got to take a snap of the menu but it can be found here:
. There’s a lot more to just tacos here… a decent choice of starters, various tacos for mains and an «other» section with the likes of nachos, burgers and even some chicken or fish if you fancied being more healthy.
We decided to share a starter and went for Calamari alla Romano with tomato, lemon & garlic aioli @ € 9.95…great portion size that was ideal for sharing. The calamari was certainly the best I can remember, super fresh with a light and crispy batter. It’s not pictured but the bed of tomato sauce kinda thing was delicious!
Having just tacos for my main I was worried I’d still be hungry (God forbid!!) so asked the waitress about sides — she helpfully advised me that if we were having a starter we probably wouldn’t need sides but ordering them later would be no problem. I can safely say we would have left any sides as the tacos were immense! None of the tiny crispy tacos I’m more familiar with her… big soft floury taco wraps all round.
We went for the Char-​grilled halloumi with beetroot slaw, cashew nuts, hummus, orange & chilli salsa (€ 14) & Jamaican jerk chicken with avocado salsa, iceberg lettuce, red pepper mayo, fried chorizo & shaved coconut (€ 14.95). 3 massive tacos each stuffed with tasty, fresh ingredients. It was my first time tasting halloumi and I loved — so filling and the char-​grill really added to it.
Be warned — they are a messy business! We both had chipotle sauce dripping all over our hands — we also seemed to be the only ones not using our knives and forks to eat them… oh well :-) After 2 tacos I was getting seriously full so struggled with the last one but we managed it… with a bit of belt loosening!
As much as I thought I couldn’t fit another mouthful of food in, after seeing the dessert menu we had to try the San Lorenzo’s Nutella chocolate cheesecake… I’ve had it once before and IT. IS. AMAZING. I’m not one to shy away from a heavy chocolate dessert but after such a feed we didn’t quite manage to cllear this plate… not far off though!
Taco Taco is a great addition… the music, staff and menu choices give a laid back, friendly, easy going vibe which all pulls together and works so well… pricing is on point (except for possibly the can of coke at € 2.50) and we had this feed of fab food along with 2 beers and 2 soft drinks for just € 63… get yourself down there!

Love this place! Went for opening night and loved it.
Menu isn’t strictly Mexican which works so well and portions are great. We’d the fish tacos and the coca cola pork tacos — so so tasty!
Try the sneaky poutine fries, they’re unreal. Oh and the truck stop burger looked amazing if you fancy something that’s not a taco! Will definitely be back to try everything else!