Victor's Taco Shop — Restaurant in Cookeville

I've purchased and eaten food from here twice. Once, it was good. The second time - terrible. Was it a fluke? I don't know. But after that bad experience, I don't know that I'll try it a 3rd time. Both times were take out. I had n ok t had a fish taco in ages and had wanted one for literally weeks, then I found out about Victor's Taco Shop and saw online that they had fish tacos. Alright, I thought, I'll give it a go. I can't eat a lot at once anyway, and seeing that a single little fish taco was about $3 with no real "meal deal" like there is for the carne asada, tacos el pastor, etc, I just got one to start. I regretted not getting two. It was delicious! The slaw was perfect, the battered fish filet was fresh, hot, crunchy, buttery tasting, and there was the perfect kick of like and a hint of sweetness in the slaw. So I was excited to go back a week later when I was nearby, getting another fish taco, plus 4 tacos el pastor to share with a friend, because I trusted they would be good with how wonderful the fish taco had been. I got to my car and decided I'd dive right into a fish taco and one taco el pastor before dropping off the other tacos for a friend. So I bite into the fish taco - and immediately, I taste it. This is not what I had before. Instead of the delicious, crispy, buttery battered fish filet taste, there was this...fishy taste. You know what I mean? Instead of tasting like actual fish, it tasted like a cheap impression of fish, just... unpleasantly fish-y. And not the crispiness. They texture was all wrong. And despite the overwhelming unpleasant fake fishy taste, the taco was mostly just slaw. I open up the taco and look inside to see a tiny slaw-topped fishstick. I'm talking a super cheap fishstick too, like Save-A-Lot brand or something. Yeah. $3 for a tiny corn tortilla with a store brand kid's fishstick and 1 tablespoon of slaw. Naw. Hard pass. Into the trash it went. I opened the container with the tacos el pastor, hoping for redemption. But no. I've had a lot of tacos in my day - you can clearly see that with my fat butt - and this was just a sad taco. There was maybe 3 to 4 very tiny pieces, barely more than a crumble, of chicken per taco. It was about 70% cilantro and onion. There was in fact no flavor except cilantro - and I normally smash some cilantro hard. Even the red onion was somehow flavorless. I smothered it in lime juice to try to make it slightly edible to not feel like I'd just lit $11 on fire. But in reality, the medium Dr. Pepper was by far the best thing with that entire meal.

I ended up being too embarrassed to give those to my friend. They aren't worth eating as they were. And I went to the grocery store, bought Mexican crema, limes, corn tortillas, shredded cabbage, frozen battered fish filets. Used a few ingredients at home (honey, mayo, spices) and made my own fish tacos in about 15 minutes from start to finish, with plenty left over to make multiple more batches. And way better than a fishstick. Even better than the first actually good fish taco. But you don't always want to make something. However, that just ruined this restaurant for me. The food was just too terrible, especially for the price. I don't know if the second time was a fluke - or if the first time was. But what I do know is that the cook was a-okay serving that to me. And that's not alright. I worked food service for a long time. I would never be alright serving my customers that. Absolutely not. I'll be sticking to that taco truck at the Shell station on Willow. That place slaps when you don't...

Victor’s Taco Shop in Cookville is a real find. I’ve been looking for a place to get a chorizo breakfast burrito, specifically chorizo, egg, cheese and potato. They did not disappoint. Although we moved here from the West end I’ve been here for six months and I’ve driven by this place It’s somehow had stayed hidden from us. But Friday I finally walked in its door and it’s a hit on all points. First off cleanliness. This place was spotless very well cleaned and maintained. Specials posted and menu board easy to read. Very reasonable prices. Tables well spaced for the current conditions. We received a very friendly greeting. That feeling of caring continued throughout our meal. And the food definitely did not disappoint. I got my breakfast burrito my wife got her taco salad plus we got a side order of chips with delicious queso sauce. Everything was perfect and matched our authentic western taste. We will be back soon and often.

PS Online they have a very easy uncomplicated and clear...

TL:DR Amazing food, great price, empty room.

This is an amazing place if you love authentic Mexican food, none of that white Mexican taco place. I ordered the steak (carne asada) quesadillas, and OH MY GOSH the juiciest quesadillas amazing flavor. The only thing missing was some lime, which to tell you the truth wasn't needed. The woman taking my order was super nice and helped me find what I wanted to eat as I was indecisive. There is one thing i will say, the room felt empty and there was no music. But that doesn't matter in my opinion Becuase Victor’s taco shop seems to care an ASTONISHING amount for their food and their patronage. 5 stars PLEASE give...