The Port Taco Truck + Cantina — Restaurant in Lacey

I just recently visited this restaurant on a Friday night with my family. It was busy, but we were seated right away. The first thing you notice when you walk in is the food truck in the middle of the restaurant. I have a 6 year old and he really enjoyed that part. He had a million questions about the truck. Inside, there were people busily cooking food. The front of the food truck housed their self serve salsa bar which had maybe 10 different salsas and sauces ranging from sweet to spicy. This is a unique experience because you can get as much as you want and mix and match sauces without having to wait for a waiter or waitress to get it for you. Another bonus is that when they bring you chips, they bring warm beans and cheese for dipping.

We have been to many Mexican restaurants around this area and have to say that most of them do not meet our expectations. The ones that are good, are only good maybe the first two times we go and then the quality of the food and service ends up going way down, leaving us disappointed and feeling like we're wasting our time and money. This place had unexpectedly good food. I had the street tacos because I feel like even though it is a simple dish, it is the easiest thing by which to judge any Mexican restaurant. I got the carne asada , chicken, and al pastor street tacos and all of the meat was flavorful and not dried out. I will say the al pastor was a favorite. It had really good flavor and I definitely plan on going back and getting some more of those. My boyfriend got a burrito, which was a little bit smaller than most burritos you get at a Mexican restaurant, but the quality was excellent and the flavor was great.

I will also add that I kept trying to remind myself to take some pictures while I was here, but I was too busy stuffing my face. To stop and take photos. We will be back and I will try to photograph the atmosphere and the food. Also this place is very kid friendly. This place is also bar and it is actually a very nice bar with All the spirits and liquor that you could probably want. I ordered the rum punch. Off of their cocktail menu that did not have any prices on it and it turned out it was $15. The presentation was great, it was in a skull glass with a glow stick and colorful straws and fruit in it, but it tasted watered-down. My boyfriend got a lackluster Long Island iced tea that mostly just tasted like sweet and sour mix. This is my main reason for taking off one star, but it may have just been an off night for the bar. Everything else was on point. The wait staff was very polite...

I ate here two weeks ago and the food was great. I loved the vegetarian options available.

Update 1; I was dismayed to have just learned two things: 1. The free "chips" they bring to your table when you're seated are PORK. They do not have that disclosed anywhere that I saw. With all of the vegetarian options, one would think they would offer chips or something else dietary friendly for inclusiveness. 2. I have also since ordered from them via Doordash and this restaurant either does not read special instructions or doesn't care. "No Onions Please" was typed into Doordash, and appeared on the receipt, yet my dish was smothered in them, making my meal inedible. Also, when you order queso at the restaurant, they bring it with chips, today we were delivered queso that felt like it came straight out of a refrigerator and a couple of street taco tortillas with our queso. 3. You are also unable to select a vegetarian "meat" option for items. I tried ordering nachos today, and it asks if you want meat, but does not allow you to choose the kind.

My takeaway from this is that if I want to enjoy the delicious food they serve, it must be in person. And they are not as vegetarian friendly as I originally thought.

2nd Update: We have gone back twice since my first update. We had a different server each time. Both times there were only 2 other tables occupied. Both times we waited 10+ minutes for anyone to approach our table to place our order. Both times parts of our order were forgotten/ had to be re-requested. Both times our drinks sat empty until I physically carried our glasses to the bar and requested more water. And both times we had to walk around and find an employee to request our bill so we could leave after waiting 10+ minutes at the conclusion of our meal for someone to bring it to us.

Conclusion: the service we received on our first visit was an anomaly/ you receive better service when they are very busy as opposed to when they they're having a lull. The service here is actually abysmal, so if you appreciative prompt, attentive service, this is not the place for you.

As an aside, my husband comes to The Port fairly regularly for business lunches, as well as with me for family meals. He commented that when a large group of them meet, they (large table of men) receive great service. Maybe this place just isn't...

I’ve given The Port Taco Truck + Cantina multiple chances over several visits, hoping each time would redeem the last, but this place consistently proves to be a frustrating and overpriced disaster, earning it a solid one-star rating. On my first visit, the enchiladas were a complete letdown with unmelted cheese glopped on top and a mole sauce so bland and watery it was borderline offensive to call it Mexican cuisine. The rice had no flavor—no chilies, no herbs, nothing—and the beans were so salty I had to mix them with the rice just to make them edible. My second trip wasn’t any better; the tacos were sparsely topped with a sad pinch of cilantro and a sliver of lime so tiny it felt like an afterthought, and the birria was utterly tasteless, lacking the rich, spicy depth you’d expect. I tried their street corn on another visit, lured by the promise of authentic Mexican flair, but at $9.99 for a single ear slathered with mediocre cheese and spices, it was a rip-off, and the “corn trio” appetizer took so long to arrive—after our entrees, no less—that the server’s excuse of it “taking a long time to cook” felt like a bad joke. The service is consistently chaotic; on one visit, our server seemed totally confused, mixing up orders and forgetting drinks, while on another, we waited 45 minutes for a simple taco plate during a slow afternoon. The prices are absurd for the quality—$9.99 for a single ear of corn and $15 for a plate of flavorless tacos is highway robbery. Worst of all, every single time I’ve been there, I’ve noticed the overweight manager or owner parked at the bar, drinking on the job, which explains a lot about the sloppy service and lack of attention to detail. It’s unprofessional and makes you question who’s actually running the show. I kept hoping for improvement, but after multiple visits, it’s clear this place doesn’t care about quality or customer experience. Save yourself the trouble and find a better spot for Mexican food in Lacey.

Good other choices El Taco Amigo, Taco Brothers,...