Taqueria Outlaw — Restaurant in Bisbee

I ain't mad about this place that's for sure. Walked in and felt welcome, no hesitation about our pups with us either, so we greatly appreciated that. The Atmosphere is iconic and fresh, but be prepared to leave expectations behind when you enter, because the food is on its own frequency. When she dropped the chips and salsa in front of us I knew we were gonna be alright. Thick homestyle chips told me we didn't cut corners, and when I loaded it with salsa and brought it to my tongue, I forgot where I was for a second. It's not traditional, and it's not whimsical, it's a bold new take on salsa that comes out swinging, but makes you beg for more. The salsa however, was probably the most glorious part of the meal, which was a bummer. I ordered a glass of their margarita-ade, which is both non-alcoholic and deliciously genius, but the tacos fell short. I began with the fish tacos, and as far as those go, they simply lacked enough sauce. After eating such a magical salsa, my pallet just kept asking if we were there yet. Sauce is the boss when it comes to fish tacos, and the very thing that sells them, just a little more and they might have been rather memorable. Next up I ordered two belly of the beast tacos, and these actually had the opposing problem, there was so much going on I didn't even finish them. They have the right idea, and it's another stroke of genius, they just need to hone it in. They pair hoisin sauce with pineapple juice over pork belly. We're on to something legendary here... Except I couldn't even cut the tender pork belly with my fork because it was so tough. There was also either too much hoisin or too much pineapple juice. One deserves the spotlight, but they both can't be the star. Give on the lead role, and these things will sing. Lastly, the service was far above average, everyone was pleased to be there, and our waitress was extremely attentive and sweet, and I would definitely be willing to come back because the service...

Wish I could review the food for the place, because it legitimately looked good, but the service was terrible to the point it may have been malicious. We first showed up at about 6PM on a Saturday night, they said come back at 645 because they were packed. Okay, no problem, it’s a small town on a Saturday night, I get it. Go across the street, have a couple beers, come back at 645. Get told to put our name on the waitlist with phone number and they’d call us back when there was a table ready. Why didn’t you say that the first time? Fine, really hungry and want to experience one of the top rated places in town. I can just go back across the street and play pool (Bisbee Social Club is a great place BTW). Wait another hour across the street, and still no phone call @745. Alright, no call and we’re 15 minutes to close- walk back across the street to check and they have their closed sign up on the door while they’re still serving the people in side. Great, it’s 745PM in a small town- almost everything is closed or has its own long line. Why wouldn’t you just tell me it wasn’t going to happen? No worries, would have went somewhere else, completely understand. No, you had me come back at the time you said you’d be accepting tables only to have me put my name on a waitlist with my phone number and then just decided to ghost us. I would have been fine with a courtesy text saying “hey we’re way busier than expected, not going to happen tonight, sorry” but we didn’t even get that. Writing this while waiting for seating at a restaurant that had its own 45+ minute wait time, but at least they were up front about it. Could have eaten and moved on with my night hours ago. Terrible service, wouldn’t recommend unless you had reservations or you’re a local, because I feel that might have had something to do with it. ¯(ツ)/¯

My first negative...

I’ve been here twice with my husband, and both times have been exceptionally delicious! Whenever we visit Bisbee we like to come to this restaurant first after getting settled into our hotel. It’s open later which is nice, and the atmosphere is “just lively enough” without being too overwhelming or overstimulating. The first time I came here, I ordered the birria tacos and consume. Husband ordered pastor tacos both times.They were both so tasty! You can taste the quality of ingredients used. This most recent time I had the carne asada fries and OH MY GOSH they were to die for. I love the thinner shoe string fries that are crisp enough to not get immediately soggy. Everything about the dish was great. Perfect ratio of meat and cheese and sauces. What I really appreciated, was that the next day I went back to ask the chef some questions about ingredients used as I have some gnarly food allergies (which I did NOT disclose to the server or kitchen because I didn’t want to be high maintenance or obnoxious) and I had a reaction to the meal. Again, it is NOT their fault it’s all on me, I was too hungry to care at the time and later regretted it! The chef came out to talk to me and told me his cooking process and all ingredients used, and genuinely cared about how I was feeling. He was so kind! That alone made me feel valued and I knew this place had quality people.

Overall, this is an incredible restaurant along the main strip of Bisbee. If you like flavorful Mexican food this is a great place to go. Staff is friendly, decor is fun and moody, food is absolutely delicious, and it’s so close to all the hotels and air bnbs. We will definitely be back and I’ll be smarter about asking questions regarding food allergies...