Loco Bro's Taqueria - Commercial Bay — Restaurant in Waitematā

We went to loco bro’s recently and the staff received us with a smile and a “buenas” in Spanish :)

I had three tacos:

-Chicken tinga: the flavour was good, I just noticed it was a little sweet, maybe missing a touch of chipotle to taste authentic, the amount of tinga was great, maybe consider to add a second tortilla to resist the weight of the stew or thicker hand made tortillas.

Pork carnitas: this one with the pineapple reminds me tacos al pastor, which are one of my favourite tacos back home, it was very yummy, not a flavour I had before, since carnitas in Mexico we don’t eat it with pineapple but it tasted good, if the idea is to have an authentic type of tacos, maybe consider to adapt the recipe to tacos al pastor.

Beef/lamb birria: I left this one to the end cause I know lamb has this peculiar flavour and didn’t want to miss the flavour of the other tacos by having the strongest one at first and ooh la la it was so yummy, still thinking that it felt a bit sweet and that’s not a thing in Mexico but the sweetness was not that strong, in general it was very good

I got on the side “chilaquiles” with an egg, I was surprised by them having chilaquiles on the menu, me and my friend were very happy to have some after a year abroad, the flavour was good, I just think the totopos (corn chips) are seasoned and my suggestion would be to use the unseasoned ones, the salsa should be the protagonist in this dish.

I had a passion fruit and guava “agua fresca” the flavour was really good but I think they use guava jarritos to mix and that’s not an actual fresh water, so maybe just use real guava juice or change the name of aguas frescas to something like flavoured soda. In Mexico we usually find three main water flavours at most of the taco places, jamaica (hibiscus), horchata and tamarindo. I think having these flavours would be a real plus for the place.

I’d suggest to have a salsa bar by the till so the customers can serve straight to the taco at the moment of picking up the orders. One of the things that make a taco place “the taco place 🤩” is the variety of salsas, we love to choose them and mix them. Some spicy, some really spicy, some not spicy (mainly for kids), but a variety where to choose from.

It was so good in general, thank you very much and I’ll...

Last week, I was walking along the waterfront when I remembered a taco shop in Commercial Bay that had once offered free tacos to Mexicans, ¿¡How awesome is that!? It had been a while since I’d first heard about it, but I decided to try my luck. Thanks to such fun and welcoming staff, I was still offered the deal, ¡even though I was about a year late!

I’m from Tierra Caliente in Michoacán, where seasoning and quality are taken very seriously, often becoming the main reason for a detour or a gathering with family and friends. These guys reminded me of that reason with three exquisite tacos:

Tinga Taco An instant burst on the taste buds, accompanied by a delightful texture. The chicken was perfectly cooked. Chicken isn’t usually my go-to choice. However, if it were always prepared this way, it certainly would be.

Birria & Barbacoa Taco What a brilliant idea! I was instantly taken to those early mornings, sitting on white plastic chairs outdoors around seven am. As soon as the flavour of Barbacoa kicked in, my mind shifted to that enormous pot being pulled out of the ground. An excellent blend of flavours; both come through just as clearly.

Pastor & Carnitas Taco Another superb idea. Flavour was spot on. I think it would be fun the have a bit more of that Pastor texture as it can drift slightly to the drier side, though that feels like the Carnitas’ signature. My own bias might play a role here lol. Still, ¡a great taco!

I believe what makes Mexican food truly authentic, beyond the physical ingredients, is the love, passion, and soul that go into it. And these tacos undoubtedly captured that. ¡I couldn’t resist licking my fingers at the end!

¡Muchísimas...

The best mole in Auckland.

Before getting there, you should know there were two of us and we could not finish all the food, portions are generous.

I tried several things in my first visit, starting with the chilaquiles which naturally come without any type of meat. The sauce and chips were on point (as the foundation of chilaquiles this was a pleasant surprise), it does come with an egg sunny side up (which you can ask to remove). I suggest adding the extra chicken protein and having it served hot (the option to have it cold is also available). I then moved onto a carnitas quesadilla which was fantastic, the meat was tender and well marinated. Tasty tasty tasty. Later a taco hatrick: chicken tinga, more carnitas and birria. The birria was the best hands down (chingona! como diría un buen amigo). To end the feast we had the privilege to taste the "enchilada de mole" which will be available late June. How can I explain this to you and give the credit it deserves? Well you have to try it but for starters you could bathe yourself in the aroma. If there was a mole-scented candle I'd make it out of this one. The texture was exactly how a mole should be, the spices make a fiesta of flavours and filled my heart with appreciation. Thank you thank you thank you. Also shoutout to Luke for showing us to the New Zealand-made hot sauce bar with some unique flavours and mix proposals. The picture shows how you should undress the enchilada to showcase the mole as the centerpiece. I will be back for more birria and of course, the mole and I hope to see agua de horchata then :)

Final note: Tacos are filling - you can have 2 and...