Velvet Taco — Restaurant in Charlotte

God where to even begin. I'm not usually one to write reviews, let alone bad ones, but I saw all the good reviews for this place (the reason I tried it out) and I had to ask myself how it was even possible. This was my first time going and I will never be back. I felt so sick after eating here.

When I walked in the place was a mess. Tables not clean, trash all over the floor. I went to the bathroom to wash my hands before ordering. Handicap stall door couldn't even close. The only other stall had no feminine product bin and toilet paper not on it's holders. The sink was a mess.

When I went to order I noticed this was a big place on Asian fusion tacos. Asian fusion seems to be the new trend and here they got it so awfully wrong. So many ingredients listed on each taco. Waiting in line to place the order I was looking in their open kitchen. It was a mess everywhere. No one was wearing gloves, hats, or aprons. Floor was a mess. I'm sure there was lots of cross contamination so for anyone with allergies I would be concerned. The chips for the chips and queso were in bins above some tall storage, no telling how long they had been in there. The margarita drinks? Made in a bucket and poured into something that reminded me of the Chick fila lemonade. Note: somehow the sanitation rating was a 94. I don't know how. This was where I should have left, but I did not.

Me and my girlfriend eventually placed our order after standing at the register for 10 minutes while this cashier was also having to help serve people with no help while her coworkers were standing around. She was nice and I could tell she was trying. Since we waited so long she gave us chips and queso for free. The queso? Questionable as it was barely warm and they squirted extra globs of seasoning into it.

Decided to sit outside on the patio and enjoy the weather. Tables were not that clean, when we were about done eating someone finally came out to clean up and restock things. We only waited about 10 minutes for the food to come out so that was a plus.

But then there's the food itself. It didn't come out on a tray so the sauces and taco stuff was spilling out everywhere onto the table. I had the Spicy tikka chicken, Slow roasted angus brisket, and Sweet chili shrimp. All the tortillas were grilled like a quesadilla which I did not expect. The brisket was okay but the sauce was everywhere. The shrimp was covered in sweet chili sauce which was basically something you would dip an eggroll in. The shrimp was almost undercooked. There was no kimchee slaw. It was just the shrimp, the sauce, and carrots. The spicy tikka chicken was slathered in sauce. The chicken wasn't bad since it was fried but it was with just plain white rice. My girlfriend also had the picnic chicken which she said the chicken was so dry and had no flavor. All the ingredients listed could not have been on any of these tacos.

Sadly to say as much as I have been craving tacos, I will not be back. Maybe all of this is okay downtown when it's open late and you've had lots of drinks and are enjoying whatever the atmosphere provides. I would not come for the food. I would not recommend anyone...

I’m not one to leave bad reviews but our experience today was really disheartening. We came in for lunch on our break and we each ordered tacos, queso and chips. While I was trying to order the guy who seemed to be the manager was raising his voice at a woman customer whose accident he couldn’t understand. Instead of stepping closer to her and asking questions he kept correcting her per what he heard her say, from where I was standing at the counter she clearly was just wondering where her chips and guac were. This was my first time at a Velvet Taco and every time I tried to order, I kept getting interrupted by the lady taking my order and the manager while they were exchanging with the woman trying to get her chips and guac. I could have waited my turn for them to be done talking but the lady taking my order had already greeted me and said “hi what can I get for you?” Each time I started talking and was interrupted several times before I could get my order out and questions asked. We get our tacos (which were really tasty) and 20 or so minutes go by after and we still didn’t have our queso. When we went to go ask about it, we were told “no wonder you didn’t get it, we’re out of queso” come to find out, it’s because the cheese was still melting and “it’d take hours.” and when asking for a refund, we were told they didn’t know how to do a refund but that “they’d figure it out and it’ll just go back on your card”

We really just wanted a receipt proving that and for a little more compassion from the staff instead of feeling like we were a bother.

I get a different dip instead of the queso but my friends had to go back in after a while and have to check back in to see if someone else on staff could get the refund processed and a receipt. When my friend asked why it didn’t say refund on the receipt the manager said “well what do you want it to say?” Instead of just explaining what a price adjustment meant.

We never received any apologies for the inconvenience or time it took waiting for basically nothing, and had we not gone back in to check on the queso, no one would have ever told us. We’re they just expecting us to forget?

What went from being a lunch break with work friends turned into a hostile and unpleasant experience.

Please, take careful time to teach your team to be kind and welcoming. This world is full of hate. We were trying to be patient as we could with the team but felt no kindness back when we weren’t the ones at fault.

South End Location...

A Gastronomic Odyssey at Velvet Taco: Where Time Stands Still and Tacos Take Flight

Stepping into Velvet Taco is akin to entering a parallel universe where the traditional taco time continuum is warped into a deliciously unrecognizable dimension. Upon my grand entrance, the herald of culinary adventures, a spirited lady, proclaimed it was "Taco Time" in my honor, causing a ripple of anticipation that could be felt through the fabric of the universe. Or maybe that was just my stomach growling.

My foray into their menu was no less than a heroic saga, embarking on a quest with the chicken and waffles taco as my steed and the brisket hamburger taco as my lance. These aren't your abuela's tacos; these are tacos that have seen the edge of the universe and laughed. The chicken and waffle taco was a juxtaposition of flavors so profound, it made me ponder the very nature of breakfast. Meanwhile, the brisket hamburger taco was a paradox wrapped in a flour tortilla, challenging my preconceived notions of what a taco — nay, what food itself — could be.

Velvet Taco’s menu is so unique, I'm half-convinced it was conceived in a fever dream by a chef who, in a stroke of genius, decided to throw culinary convention to the wind. It’s like they're serving up dishes from a parallel universe where the taco is the pinnacle of innovation.

There was a moment of existential crisis mid-bite into the brisket hamburger taco where I questioned everything. Should I have gone with a "normal" taco? But then, what is "normal" in a world that offers such transcendent taco experiences? The audacity of Velvet Taco to challenge my taste buds in such a manner was both outrageous and exhilarating.

In conclusion, Velvet Taco is not just a restaurant; it's a mind-altering journey through the outer realms of flavor and texture. It’s where you go to challenge the very essence of your gastronomic soul, and perhaps, find yourself in the process. If you're tired of mundane eating experiences and yearn for something truly unique, Velvet Taco is your culinary Shangri-La. Five stars for the tacos that dared to dream, and another five for making me believe in...