Boom Boom Mex Mex Taqueria — Restaurant in Town of Onondaga

If you live in or near the Camillus suburb west of Syracuse and enjoy Mexican food you have a good selection of restaurants to choose from. We just attended Boom Boom Mex Mex's opening day for the summer. They were crowded and the mood was festive. The order line stretched along two inside walls of the restaurant, but it moved fairly quickly. You begin by ordering the type of dish you want. That might be a flight of 3 tacos, a burrito, a quesadilla, super nachos, or a taco salad served in an a crisp edible bowl. With meat, each option will cost about $15 in 2024. Added to that would be a drink, tax, and tip. There are also desserts available, but you might want to wait to order one until after you've eaten your entree because they give you a lot of food here. You then go along a counter and choose the contents of your tacos/burrito/quesadilla/nachos/taco bowl. The staff are happy to provide additional information about the options and to make recommendations if you haven't eaten there before. While waiting in line to order, you can study a list of options posted on the wall, but if it's your first time you might also want to view the options, so walk along the counter and look before getting in line to order. My wife ordered three tacos with three different meat options and I ordered a taco salad with Mexican Phili shredded pork. The pork was lean and had a hint of smoke flavor. The construction of my salad began with a base of rice and beans, then the pork, and finally toppings of lettuce, pico de gallo, medium hot salsa, jalapeno slices, and sour cream. My wife's tacos included toppings of shredded cheese, guacamole, and chopped tomatoes . Our meals were tasty, filling, and all the ingredients tasted fresh. Boom Boom's most closely compares to Moe's Southwest Grill on W Genesee Street which has similar options and an assembly line that you walk down. The virtue of both restaurants is that you get a good amount of tasty food for a very reasonable price. The other two Mexican restaurants on the west side are Azteca and Adelita's. These restaurants have a much more extensive menu and serve delicious food that costs a bit more. (With a choice of the four restaurants mentioned above, I do not recommend Chipotle's Mexican Grill.) UPDATE-1: On my second visit, I again ordered a taco salad, but this time I didn't forget to ask them to add cilantro. It gave a real flavor boost to the salad. Another change is that I switched the meat option to the chipotle chicken and thought it was even better than the delicious pork I had last time. Finally, I found that I preferred the Valentina Mexican hot sauce over the house chipotle hot sauce. It was medium hot and less smokey. Also the cilantro/lime sauce available during the assembly of your dish is excellent. UPDATE-2: On this visit, there were several problems. I ordered a taco salad with ground beef. The beef was bland, they were out of cilantro leaves, and the pico de gallo tasted a bit off. This was the first time my meal was a disappointment. Lowered my rating from 5 stars to 4. UPDATE-3: Tried a chicken quesadilla for the first time. It was excellent. Increased my rating from 4 stars to 5. UPDATE-4: On my latest visit, I used a different entrance to the parking lot and noted in the back of the restaurant there was a tent with picnic tables and several round tables in the sun. No one was dining there, so I wonder if it's just for...

Actually, Boom Boom Italiano is not a new restaurant. It's Boom Boom Mex Mex with a totally revised menu and decor. For years this neighborhood restaurant has served good Mexican food from spring to early fall and then closed for the winter. This year, the owners decided to keep their kitchen staff year-round by enticing their customers to enjoy warm Italian food during the cold season. Presumably, in the spring they'll switch back to the Mexican menu and rebrand as Boom Boom Mex-Mex. We visited Italiano in November soon after they opened, after closing only a few weeks to redecorate the dining room and re-equip the kitchen. I ordered rigatoni with Sunday sauce and a side of sausage to eat in. The portions of sauce and pasta were generous and the side of sausage included two links. I would have preferred the food served a bit hotter as it did cool off as I ate my meal. I think the problem was that our server did not give the cooked pasta a long enough dip in hot water to reheat it before plating. Other options for sauce include marinara, vodka, and Alfredo. Other sides include meatballs, Italian beef, chicken cutlet, and eggplant. My wife decided to forego the pasta and ordered one side of meatballs and one of Italian beef. The Italian beef was outstanding. It was like slow cooked pot roast that was fork tender and rendered of its fat, except that it had the advantage of being flavored by an excellent marinara sauce. It reminded my wife of her Italian grandmother's cooking. I also enjoyed the Italian sausage and a bite of meatball. In the future, I would probably opt for the lighter marinara with its bright tomato flavor over the more substantial Sunday sauce. For dessert, we shared a slice of pistachio cheesecake. Finally, I would add that earlier in the week, we picked up two chicken cutlets to eat at home. They were very good. So, next time I look forward to trying pasta with marinara sauce and a side of Italian beef or chicken cutlet. UPDATE-1: On a return visit, I ordered linguini with marinara sauce. I did like it better than the heavier Sunday sauce and the linguine heated up better than the rigatoni had on our previous visit. Once again, the Italian beef was excellent. My wife passed on the pasta and ordered a sampling of chicken, meatball, and Italian beef sides. She enjoyed all of them, but her favorites were the chicken and Italian beef. UPDATE-2: I had a small antipasto salad and chicken parm. Very nice meal. UPDATE-3: It's summer and the restaurant is back to its Mexican menu. Enjoyed a taco salad with...

Would I recommend? A reserved yes

How far would I travel to go to Boom Boom? Just a few miles. None of us considered the visit a great taste experience.

Sandwhich shop meets cafeteria meets mexican is how I would describe Boom Boom. I found the menu confusing and unless you know exactly what you want the ordering is a little intimidating and confusing. Apparently they think everyone coming in has a strong understanding of thier products. I didn't. Pictures of typical offerings would be a big help as would a few standard offerings. A suggestion would be offering something like a California burttio and similar for those unsure of what they want. I also think they should offer seasoned steak as well as beef as a choice for meat.

I had a burrito loaded it up with lots of items. While ok I wish they had several recommended suggestions with pictures. My wife had a chicken quesadilla that was ok but she thought Taco Bell's was tastier. My grandson had the 3 taco offering. He ordered them pretty plain with just the beef and cheese. I tried a bite of the taco and liked it and if I return I would get the tacos but with lettuce, tomato, and...