veggieburgh

We’re always hopeful that good Mexican food in Pittsburgh is just around the corner, either in time or in space, remaining somehow hidden just of the path of our culinary travels. Taco Loco, tucked away on Jane Street in the South Side, was a tantalizing contender. Though it has been at that location for two years, it came to our attention only recently. It’s a large family-run restaurant offering the standard array of Mexican(-American) menu options plus a few more. Notably, in addition to the usual meats, Soyrizo (chorizo sausage made of soy) is offered on most items.

We visited for a Saturday dinner on a warm, beautiful evening and chose to sit outside on their lovely, expansive back patio. Both the patio and large dining room were sparsely occupied, suggesting you would never have to wait for a table. The patio has a fountain and an easy, casual ambiance. Another perk of Taco Loco is that alcohol is Bring Your Own, with no corkage fee. And if you bring a bottle of tequila or cheap wine, they’ll use it to make a pitcher of margaritas or sangria (though from past experience here, both are from a mix and the sangria should really be avoided). Between the atmosphere and the BYOB policy, it seems like a great place to bring large groups and have plenty of space to gather and carouse.

Our meal started with a high and low point. The beverage menu includes aguas frescas, a mark of an authentic Mexican restaurant and a real treat if you haven’t tried them. They were out of the cantaloupe so we went with watermelon. The huge cup (the two of us split it comfortably) of delicious juice was well worth the $2.75; it tasted exactly like a fresh-pressed watermelon, with a bit of foamy pulp on top. On the other hand, the guacamole ($6.95) was a serious disappointment. It tasted carbonated (bubbly), an indication of bacterial activity that some foods get after sitting too long, refrigerated or not. When we (carefully, tactfully) told our waitress about this, she brought her uncle, the manager, over. Unfortunately, rather than consider or investigate our concern, he insisted it simply could not be the case that the guacamole had gone bad, that they make it fresh every day. We asked if he had made it that morning and he said yes, that morning. It being 8:00 pm at the time, we started to explain that all day was rather long for guacamole to sit out, but he wasn’t listening. He said that other people were eating it (they were), but if we didn’t like it, we could send it back. So we did. Fizziness aside, the guacamole was not that great anyway.

Nor were the chips, which Moira felt were bland, while Josh felt were merely standard Mexican restaurant quality. Moira made the point that good Mexican chips can be transcendent, light and crispy with just the right amount of oil and salt, although chips like this don’t exist in Pittsburgh (as far as we know). The salsas, however, were quite good. Yet the $2.95 charged for chips and salsa seems steep, considering these are complimentary at most decent Mexican restaurants.

For entrees, we chose the burrito with soyrizo ($6.95; not on the menu, but they readily accepted the request), and one of the specials — sopes with soyrizo ($13.95). The soyrizo on both was a small-grain soy crumble swimming in yellow grease. It was flavorful, but the flavor was reminiscent of Taco Bell. Another Taco-Bell-like feature was the soggy, micro-shredded iceberg lettuce that had probably been sitting in its shredded state as long as the guacamole. The strong suit of both plates was the refried black beans. They had a rich, smoky flavor which led Moira to suspect lard was involved. After intensive questioning which compelled two trips by our server to the kitchen to ask questions, we determined they are indeed vegetarian, cooked with vegetable oil and browned onions. Moira considers them the best refried beans she’s ever had. The thick corn tortillas that served as the base of the sopes were also quite enjoyable.

We wanted to like Taco Loco. It has some good things going for it. Unfortunately the food is not one of them. Overall, it was decent and filling, but the flavors were not refined and the ingredients were not as fresh as they should be. Especially considering the prices were steep for the level of quality we received, Taco Loco is most worth visiting only if you have a large group or a craving for fast-food-inspired Mexican food.

[3 veggies]

Recommended dishes:

• agua fresca watermelon
• refried black beans