Metro Pulse/Restaruant Rover/Tijuana Taco Co.

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Tijuana Taco Co. • 120 West End Ave. • 671-8226

by Connie Seuer

In honor of the arrival of Spring (and the small window of time before Heinrich’s allergies transform him into a pink-eyed, sneezing, human handkerchief) we spent this past Saturday selecting a doable house project. We packed up the almost 10-month-old cub in the car, rolled down the windows, and headed west for a little home improvement shopping. But first, we needed sustenance, and Tijuana Taco Co. was ahead on the right.

If you live in Farragut or in the outer reaches of West Knoxville, you’ve probably already been to Tijuana Taco Co. and include it on your list of regular places to get a dependably good, fast-casual meal. If you’re more centrally located, it may not be on your regular route, but soon it can be: a city branch of the restaurant is set to open in Market Square this spring.

Being fast-casual as it is, the menu is presented on a full-wall chalkboard as soon as you walk through the door. All items, from burritos to quesadillas, salads, and, obviously, tacos, offer a build-it-as-you-like-it arrangement. A line of ingredients and toppings, all in plain sight, enable you to add and subtract to the basic order as you please.

On our visit, the entire front of the restaurant was being run by kids who appeared to be mere minutes past the legal age to work. Surprisingly, they were professional and attentive, although the cashier required a bit of prompting when Heinrich ordered a Negro Modelo. “It’s the one with the gold foil on the bottleneck....”

Nachos de papas ($4.89 / $6.78 with meat) were attractive as an uncommon take on tortilla chips and nacho cheese. Sturdy, homemade potato chips served as the foundation without becoming soggy when topped with queso, pico de gallo, and fresh cheese. Where regular nachos can be too heavy, filling up the tum with thick corn chips, the nachos de papas allow more of the fresh tomato and onion to come through. Next time, though, we’ll ask them to hold the queso. It was too much for us, but if you like oozy, dippy queso, you won’t be disappointed.

Heinrich, starving by 2 o’clock on this fine Saturday, ordered a grilled garlic steak burrito ($5.89). All burritos include the basics—rice and beans—but you get to pick what type of beans, refried or frijoles negros. Heinrich constructed his burrito lunch with black beans, rice, steak, pico, and cheese. It was more than merely satisfying; it was a good burrito.

For vegetarians, the bean burrito has always been a mainstay of dining Mexican. The fact that black beans are available, along with grilled onions and peppers, rice, and the make-it-your-way ordering system, Tijuana Taco gets an extra notch for making life a bit better for those of the “nothing with a face” set. You’ll also find vegetarian burritos ($4.89) and veggie-filled quesadillas ($4.09). If you’re a vegetarian who eats fish—and admit it, you’re out there—the offering of fish tacos makes for a happy alternative.

The fish tacos ($1.99 a piece/ three for $5.25), much heralded on the chalkboard and take-out menu, were both above and below my expectations. Allow me to explain.

I had imagined that the fish would be the only stand out difference from the beef, pork, or chicken tacos. Each respective meat, I figured, would be complemented by the standard cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pico and that would be that. Such is the case, except the fish tacos also receive an accompaniment of vinegary, cabbage-rich slaw that sets these tacos apart from the rest. Tartar sauce is also available, if you like. I had also imagined the fish being fresh chunks of just-done flaking white fish. Instead, the fish used was one chunk—an extra large fish nugget if you will—complete with breading. When put altogether in a hard shell (flour tortilla is also available) it worked, but the come-withs carried the creation, not the fish itself.

Lastly, we each sampled a pork and red chile tamale (two for $3.89). Presentation of these eats, wrapped in real corn husks, was well beyond what I’d predicted. Served with a side of seasoned ground beef, which, by the way, was taco-worthy all on its own, and a pile of lettuce, pico, and sour cream, the tamales were a hit. Not only with us, but with the tot, too. He wasn’t even tentative when sampling the mildly-spiced pork—he ate each Pop-prepared bite with gusto and a self-satisfied smile.

Come to think of it, his reaction to Tijuana Taco was pretty much the same as ours.