Taco Crave — Restaurant in Bryan

Culinary Esquire - The B/CS Food Critic

FIRST IMPRESSION: We expected to walk into a typical Mexican food establishment but instead we were pleasingly surprised that it had a Mexican Street Cart flare just indoors with AC.

COURTESY: Courtesy chips and salsa is not provided but you can buy it. In regards to service, you can literally try everything on their taco bar before you decide on a menu item. They were very generous with the samples and extremely helpful and patient as we made our selections.

DRINKS: fountain drinks, bottled beer, horchata (one of the few restaurants that has horchata)

APPETIZER: There really was not time to get served appetizers since you order your food at the taco bar and it’s prepared in front of you before you even go sit at a table. But we did order the chips and queso and chips and guacamole. The thick home made tortilla chips came out hot and crispy. While other places serve thin tortilla chips that break when you dip them in sauces, these tortilla chips were cut into strips and were thick enough so they did not break when we scooped guacamole or dipped them in queso. While the queso was good, it wasn’t memorable enough to want to go back there when you get a queso craving. Likewise, the guacamole was fresh and delicious but you still had to season it with your own lemon/lime juices, salt, pepper etc. It was more like fresh cut avocados that you still had to season yourself. This is good if you are the type of person that likes to season your guacamole to taste but not if you want it already prepared for you.

MEAL: The entrées were definitely tasty, especially since we got to sample the various meats at the taco bar before we made our selections. This is by far one of the best selling points and the main thing that gives Taco Crave its authentic street cart flare! There are well over 6 meats, 3 types of beans, rice and many toppings to choose from in order to create any variety of flavors. They even have fideo, a noodle soup very similar to chicken noodle soup. We found it to be a bit greasy and would have appreciated more spice but can see why people love eating it as comfort food.

OVERALL: We thoroughly enjoyed the uniqueness that Taco Crave has to offer and were very impressed with the way in which they were able to capture a piece of culture and bring it indoors, especially by offering fresh horchata not usually seen. The presentation could use improvement, this colorful, fresh food needs to be served in nice mexican bowls, that would have been perfect, save the styrofom cups for to-go orders. We also greatly appreciated being able to sample the variety of meats available. This allowed us to select an entrée that we would enjoy.

4⭐Atmosphere (spacious and authentic) 5⭐Price (worth it) 4⭐Food (freshness, variety, uniqueness, food is good but could use more seasoning and/or spice for some items) 5⭐Service (the highlight was being able to sample the variety of meats Taco Crave has to offer) 3⭐Critic’s Choice (presentation could have been better)

TOTAL = 21⭐OVERALL CE SCORE

GAMBLE OUTCOME: WIN We always say that trying new places is like a gamble, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. This was definitely a win and we would go back.

ABOUT THIS RATING: To give our rating the most objective weight we use 5 areas to score the restaurant: atmosphere, price, food, service and critic's choice. The maximum score in each area is 5 stars for a possible total score of 25 stars. Because other online reviews use a 5 star rating system we then divide our total score by 5. Therefore, 21-25 stars = 5 stars 16-20 stars = 4 stars 11-15 stars = 3 stars 6-10 stars = 2 stars 1-5 stars = 1 star

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Okay let’s dig into the review. I have been coming here for almost 8 months now. Usually 3x per week when I first found it. The customer service USED to be GREAT.

For the past few months, the service has been extremely SLOW! I have been in plenty of times where there has been no one in the restaurant and no one to take my order at the counter. They are all in the back and seem to have no way of knowing when someone walks in. The shortest amount of time I’ve ever waited was 30 seconds. Speedy service, great service. Now, the longest I’ve ever waited was 8 minutes! I stayed because I wasn’t busy and had no where to be. I just recently had this issue where I walked in, waited at the counter for 4 minutes while who I think is the owner (man) was standing talking to another table. Everyone else no where to be seen (workers)

FOOD —

The food is very inconsistent. It almost never tastes the same. I used to chow down on the chicken/steak but then it seemed like it was cooked much different and chewy like rubber some days. The brisket is very inconsistent as well. Some days it’s good, some days it’s very salty. (Unbearably salty) ALSO … some days they charge me for a drink, some days they don’t. Some days they charge me for avocado, some days they don’t. I feel like not everyone is trained properly. There is one woman there who will LOAD UP your taco/bowl/quesadilla. Where as another woman will put bird size samples compared to the First Lady. Very very inconsistent with food & prices. I never know what I’m going to spend when I go in there because it’s always different even though I tend to get the same thing almost every time.

ATMOSPHERE —

The atmosphere is relaxed. It’s not messy. I also don’t like that when you walk in, you’ll see workers on their phone just sitting around. It’s just not professional. Stand in the back and wait for someone to walk in. I’ve had days where I’ll be at the counter and the same girl will hold onto her phone for another minute or so before getting up. Some people have places to be during the day!

I suppose that’s all I have to say. I feel like everyone needs to go through a proper training as a whole and start being more consistent. I’ve frustrating knowing if I see a certain woman at the counter, I’ll get charged for extra or not get as much...

Atmosphere: Upon entering, it looks like they remodeled the inside, and with the contrast of the paint, we were able to enjoy the mural painting on the wall. Music choice was fitting for the restaurant, and what I appreciated was seeing the owner not only assisting the servers but even going to lengths to talking to the customers in the restaurant.

Service: Service was amazing, from the moment we approached the chalkboard menu, and we were immediately greeted. Once we got ready to order, the server was able to answer all our questions regarding the vast amount of meat selections. Once we received our food, we began to eat, and soon after, the owner came to our table to see how everything was. What I did enjoy was the passion he had for his restaurant, from explaining his recipes to the establishment itself.

Quality: I ordered a burrito and chose my meat selection as Picadillo. Its one of the few places in this area that serve it, and they do it well. It had so much flavor, and the way they grilled the burrito gave it just enough crunch. Upon finishing the meal, the owner (David) was able to tell us about various meat selections and their authenticity with ingredients and recipe.

Fili's Fave: From the moment I saw it being served to a customer, I knew I would have a favorite at the establishment. The Tres Leches had the texture and consistency that made a great Tres Leches, and it didn't disappoint. Although, after talking to the owner (David), he did mention that I should try the tacos, specifically with...