OZ Tacos & Tequila — Restaurant in Lincoln

My third stop on the RI Food Fights trail brought me to OZ Tacos and Tequila. And after the day I had today at the office ...tequila was needed.

It's a bustling Friday night, but I was able to find a seat at the bar. After a few moments I was brought a menu and I immediately ordered the house margarita. It came quickly, strong, tart and a little sweet.

For the fight, you get your choice of two tacos, minus the lobster esquites. They have quite the creative combinations but I went with two Mojo Pork. You don't have to do two of the same but I chose to.

As I waited for my food, I noted the decor. Oz is aptly named, it has a Wizard of Oz theme...if it was located in a Mexican cantina in the 60s. Andy Warhol style art, grass walls, an extensive tequila selection and Nancy Sinatra singing about her boots give a chaotic vibe in the mostly complementary way possible. I loved it.

My tacos arrived and after quickly getting my pictures out of the way, I squeezed my lime and dug in. Holy moly was it good. Succulent roasted pork tenderly shredded with the tangy sweetness of the tamarind glaze juxtaposed against the heat from the cherry peppers delights the taste buds. Then the herbaceous cilantro cuts through to lift and brighten the taco to a truly delicious experience. I am so glad I got two of them because one wasn't enough. My only regret is I didn't realize one taco had four slices of cherry pepper and the other only had one. I would have distributed the peppers accordingly but the one slice was big enough that I could stretch it across the whole taco and enjoy it just as much as the first one.

I was still hungry after the tacos so I ordered a side of the Mexican Street Corn (served off the cob) and a side of chips. Now, a lot of times when people say Mexican Street Corn off the cob it's just esquites and they use an Americanized term for marketability. In this case, this was like they made an elote and then cut it off the cob into the bowl. Salty, cojita cheesy and tangy with the extra lime, it hit the spot with some chips. They have the thicker style tortilla chips, great for holding fat bites of corn! You could see the clusters of kernels confirming freshly shelled corn.

I ended up taking the rest home to enjoy another time. With my time here at an end I left full and happy I found another tasty spot to...

The waitresses all had really snobby attitudes, and the service was trash...20min wait for a soda and a alcoholic drink, 30min wait for 3 tacos that were smaller than my hand along with a rice bowl, then another 15-20mins for one taco that we thought was included with the daily deal which wasn't, and the prices were ridiculous, also we had gone on a Thursday ( it was our first time there) and they told us we would each get a free taco...there was 3 of us..but they only wanted to give us 2 tacos for free, the waitress we had wanted to argue about it but knew she was wrong, and was clearly upset and giving a bad attitude, she snatched our receipt from the table and crumbled it up while walking back into the establishment like we didn't just see what she did...so unprofessional...but we kept our manners and said thank you to her rudeness when she took the receipt and when she brought it back and she ignored us in return both times...they automatically charge you a credit card fee added to your bill, which is dumb because alot of people pay cash. The wait times in between getting the drink and then the food was not worth the wait. The waitresses are not attentive at all. My mother-in-law ordered a drink that tasted like pure tequila which was not what she ordered. The food tastes average at best, the steak on the steak taco was was practically burnt with like 2-3toppings that come with it. We are never going there again. For a taco, a soda and a Witches alcoholic beverage drink they charged us $32.40 plus a $.90 credit card fee.... I'm sorry but that is outrageous! I do not recommend...

Upon my initial anticipation of Oz's Tacos, I was met with an underwhelming reality. Despite assuming it to be named after the proprietor, a certain 'Oz,' the Wizard of Oz theme was more kitsch than captivating. The decor, albeit attempting a Wizard of Oz ambiance, was tacky at best. If one claims a Wizard of Oz theme, a bit more finesse in decoration wouldn't hurt, and can we please retire that cringe-worthy "Toto, I believe we're not in Mexico anymore" sign? If you're going wizard, commit to Oz.

Now, about the acclaimed "Best Taco in Rhode Island" title on their website – a conspicuous absence of any accolades or signs except for a minuscule note by the hostess contradicted this grand claim. The stretch to assert they're the best in the state is laughable; perhaps they meant the best taco during a specific week, or best within their community, or possibly, best in the narrow strip mall they occupy.

Moving on to the food – swift service isn't always a virtue, especially when it hints at pre-prepared, lackluster tacos. The rapidity left me suspecting that my meal had been languishing under a heat lamp. Despite a quick turnaround, the taste suffered, and the speed was unnerving. Our server, whose name escapes me, bombarded us with a litany of items not on the menu. Fresh menus were a luxury, and I had to swipe one from another table mid-use.

To sum it up, this establishment is just mid and overpriced. I would probably have to be drunk...