Don Taco Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Tarpon Springs

FOREIGN MATTER IN FOOD. CARELESS FOOD PREP. WAY OVERPRICED. OBVIOUS LACK OF BASIC FOOD SAFETY KNOWLEDGE.

Wow, does anyone in Tampa have any idea? We keep eating at these places that supposedly have 4+ stars on Yelp and so far, they mostly are mediocre at best.

4pm on a weekday: Ordered a chile relleno and wife ordered the chicken tostadas (there were 2). We were a touch shocked at the prices when we ordered, but I figured the portions must be huge, WRONG. Chile relleno was tiny and came with probably about 1/4 cup each of rice and beans FOR 10 FRIKING DOLLARS!!!! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. Wife got 2 average sized chicken tostadas for $9! Wow, they must come with dancing girls I thought. $24 for a tiny chili relleno with a tiny cup of rice and a tiny cup of beans, and two chicken tostadas with metal shards from the kitchen in them and two bottles of water.

-NOW THE KICKER- Wife was eating the tostadas and halfway through her meal spit something out of her mouth. After talking to the owner, it ended up being the end of the tube with the metal piece on it that the sausage comes in. My question was: why is there a pork wrapper in with chicken tostadas? They're only excuse was oh sorry the kitchen is small and sometimes things get into other things. Gross. My wife took the tostadas up to the counter and their offer was to pay for the tostadas only. They asked: but wasn't the chili Relleno OK? Wow again. We're talking possible catastrophic situation here that was barely avoided. Had she bit down hard on that piece of metal, Lord only knows what would be happening right now.

Pros: Location

Cons: -Apparent carelessness in the kitchen and obvious lack of any kind of food safety knowledge. -WWWAAAAYYYY OVERPRICED -Portions way too small for the price -Several containers of salsa sitting out on the counter with flies gathered around them....

Dang. If you want Mexican food, this is the place to go. A former coworker of mine said to me one time, "I am MexiCAN, not MexiCAN'T". This is the truth for this place.

Our server was darling, my husband and I ordered a margarita with a Corona which was just great. It is large so use caution!

They give you chips with 6 different salsas and they were all amazing. They have little signs on the side so you know what to expect. We didn't realize this at first so my husband tried the "Be Careful" first. Oops, he's not a spicy food guy! Check the placards!

Hubs ordered a white burrito that did not disappoint.

However...

I got tamales and they're homemade. They're not the garbage you get out of one of the big box trucks, they're real. Tamales are my litmus test for how good a Mexican restaurant is and wow, they're impressive. The masa is tender and the fillings are succulent and have the perfect balance of seasoning. There's a little sauce on each one and they compliment these masterpieces in the right way.

We had a churro with Nutella inside for dessert... fried dough is always a good thing, then add chocolate hazelnut goodness with some sugar? That's the way to go.

I got some horchata at the end which was a ideal. I haven't had it in a long time and it is something to be savored. I got the rest to-go and I will be taking some sips so I can enjoy it thoroughly and will definitely order it again upon my return.

This is an absolute place to go to if you want really, really good Mexican food. There's a reason that the parking lot gets packed. Don't waste your time looking around for another Mexican restaurant, just choose this place and you can...

Eric and Sylvanna.. Shame on you for writing such False statements in your review. I too am a regular at Don Taco and have become friendly with the owner Juan. I showed him your review and both him and his wife were devastated! The pack of Napkins you describe was Sealed !!!! He simply grabbed a broom to knock them within reach from a high shelf.. The broom never touched your napkins as they were AGAIN in a Sealed package.

I have always noticed how clean both the front of the place and the back kitchen area is when I eat there as you can clearly see both. Myself nor any of the many people that I have sent to eat there have ever gotten sick and all have raved about the food. They have a professional cleaning crew come in every night after closing as well who cleans and sanitizes the whole place. I have eaten there in the morning just after they opened and the place is spotless!

To even insinuate that the food might be full of dirt, bacteria and sickness because someone used a broom to reach a package of sealed napkins is just plain ignorant of you and I would imagine any intelligent person reading your review and mine will quickly realize the same. Again Shame on you for writing such exaggerated nonsense. Don Taco serves amazing authentic food in a clean environment.. and that's why people travel from all over to eat there and...