Taqueria Ultimo Taco — Restaurant in Brownsville

I visited this Taqueria on the recommendation of a colleague as well as a local. I was told that if I wanted good tacos then this was going to be my last stop for tacos (pun intended). For those of you who don’t speak Spanish, the name of the restaurant is literally “The Last Taco” or “The Ultimate Taco.” Aside from the play on words, the recommendations for this place was no joke. I was told of their beloved Especial which is a bowl of beans with your choice of taco meat. It was then garnished with onion, avocado, and cheese. Those who recommended this plate admit that it sounds bad but nonetheless is amazing. It’s basically a taco inside the beans, minus the tortilla. I did not try this dish as it contains bacon and I do not eat pork. I ordered four bistec (beef) tacos and one barbacoa taco. I was very disappointed. The dish looked fantastic and I was excited to dig in. The beef taco had a bit of a liver taste which I do not particularly like. But my biggest complaint is that the beef itself was not a Mexican beefy taste that I know a taco should have. Instead it was very oily. Each bite of taco was equivalent to biting into an oily sponge and having it wring into your mouth. You could HEAR the greasiness ooze into your mouth. My second biggest complaint is that the barbacoa did not taste like barbacoa. In fact, it did not taste like anything. It had no flavor other than the garnishing. But it was full of fatty pieces, so there’s that. I choked it down. The only redeeming qualities of this restaurant were the sauces they put on the table. Four sauces ranging in heat, including one green sauce. The staff was kind and the prices are reasonable. I was told by more than a couple of people that if you dine in at a late enough hour you will be entertained by the fights that inevitably occur inside and outside of the establishment. I...

SHAME ON SERVICE WITH SUCH GREAT FOOD . RUDE STAFF, DIRTY ESTABLISHMENT, KITCHEN STAFF REPEATEDLY IN THE BATHROOM WEARING APRONS. EATING WHILE SERVING, JUSTVTO KENTION A FEW , WHICH SOME ARE NON-COMPLIANT OF HEALTH DEPT. STANDARDS ! OVER TIME. WE MAY HAVE OVERLOOKED ALOT IN THE MANY YEARS WE HAVE MADE THIS OUR 1ST CHOICE TACO STOP. HOWEVER, THE LACK OF OWNERSHIP IN MAKING MISTAKES TO CORRECT AND MAKE RIGHT FOR GUESTS IS A COMPLETE DISSAPOINTMENT., AND ARE LEFT WITHOUT DESIRE TO GO BACK, EVER! WHEN I CALLED FOR A " 4 TACO" REMAKE THEY COMPLETELY DISREGARDED THEIR MISTAKE, NOR DID THEY SHOW ANY GENUINE CARE, MAKING IT RIGHT. BEST EXCUSE EVER, WAS SAYING IT WAS PAST 1 WEEK . THEY "ONLY" HONOR 3 DAYS. LOL LAME. SADLY FOR US, WE HAVE NO DESIRE TO EVER GO BACK!! AFTER MANY CELEBRATIONS BIRTHDAYS, GRADUATIONS, MANY SPECIAL EVENTS, OVER MANY YEARS, THIS WAS OUR "GO TO PLACE" & ARE TREMENDOUSLY DISSAPOINTED. "RIDICULOUSLY", OVER "4 TACOS" THAT DEFINITELY DON'T MAKE OR BREAK A BUSINESS . YET, CUSTOMER SERVICE AND CLEANLINESS DOES. THIS WAS SOMETHING WE CHOSE TO OVERLOOK OVER MANY YEARS, AND REALO IZE NOW WE JUST SHOULDN'T HAVE EVER GIVEN THEM OUR BUSINESS. MORE THAN A 4 TACO REMAKE, IS THE PRINCIPLE BEHIND THE MOST HUMILIATING EXPERIENCE EVER. WE GET IT. IT IS TACOS!! WE CAN REPURCHASE THEM. HOWEVER, THE DISREGARD AND DISRESPECT , AND COMPLETE UNPROFESSIONALISM ON ALL LEVELS IS THE UTMOST UNACCEPTABLE OF BEHAVIORS IN ANY ESTABLISHMENT!! THESE ATTENDANTS ARE THEBFRONT FACE OF A VERY SUCCESFULL ESTABLISHMENT & SHOULD BE "TRAINED" IN MANY WAYS. PARTICULARLY TO KNOW HOW TO TEND TO AND CATER TO GUEST SERVICES UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. .... WE NOW HAVE A BEST FAVORITE PLACE, AND THIS ESTABLISHMENT SHOULD BE RETHOUGHT AND RECONSIDERED WHEN BEST CHOSEN TACO PLACE IN THE CITY. IT IS...

My mother and I went on June 6, 2022 around noon. We sat outside for about 5 minutes and saw staff watch us from inside but yet no one came to assist us. We went inside and immediately saw there was 5 employees just standing at the checkout computer by the kitchen door. on their phone, laughing and talking. Only one lady greeted us while she was cleaning. The rest looked at us and went back to talking and laughing as if they were at a party. The lady who greeted us helped us right away. They now ask you if you want onion instead of giving it to you like before, and when it finally does come, it’s a small amount and cold. Our waitress accidentally had her finger tip in our charro beans when she set it down so we didn’t eat that anymore, and had them remove it from our ticket. Our tacos were cold and the salsas aren’t as tasty as before. Really bad quality food. Definitely not worth it anymore. Then a family came in and sat at a table that was dirty, a guy that was standing around doing nothing, swept that area as they sat down when he should have done that before hand. The lemons are put out with no cover by the checkout area with flies landing on them. Overall super bad experience the second we arrived. We didn’t leave just because we were hoping the food would be good despite the terrible customer service but it wasn’t. Ultimo Taco has really gone downhill, especially the service. This place was my go to and I recommended it everyone but not anymore. I’ll stick to Mr.Taco. I honestly think a lot of these reviews were bought because it’s not what it used to be at all, it’s very bad...