Sometimes you walk into a new restaurant and know instantly that it is destined for success. It’s a feeling we had first visiting The Rug in Sanlitun and Great Leap’s Xinzhong Lu Brewpub. (We imagine someone, decades ago, had it with McDonalds.)
At The Taco Bar we have that same feeling. It’s hard not to be seduced by that sexy black-and-white interior and there’s been an undeniable buzz about the place since it re-opened. Like the aforementioned endeavors, The Taco Bar has outgrown its original hutong location and moved to a smart new Sanlitun home, where it fits in nicely with white walls, oversized decals, a single-page menu on a clipboard and at least five portly gringos with beards seated inside.
The humble menu offers a range of seven taco fillings and a selection of starters and salads, substantiating its claims of being simply a dedicated taqueira. You don’t need to visit the bar to order – we’re brought a sizeable dollop of chunky guacamole with tortilla chips (RMB35) and calamares frito (RMB40) – squid smothered with a tangy, garlic-rich aioli. Rocky’s queso fundido (RMB40) caught our attention given that it is like a Mexican fondue – cheese dip with chorizo – and borders on the sickly. We’re not sure why we don’t get any chips to scoop it up with, as this is essentially molten cheese.
Main taco fillings include chorizo, pulled pork, marinated pork belly and tempura-battered tilapia (RMB45 for 3). The actual shells are quite small (we almost have a Spinal Tap miniature bread meltdown) but they’re generously filled. With garnishes like pickled onion, pineapple and radish, they all carry zesty punch and are bursting with color.
Critics may bemoan the fact that it’s lost its original hidden-gem charm. And you’ll have at least one friend complain that it’s not an authentic Mexican taco (and he’d know, since he ate one while backpacking on the Yucatan peninsula sometime in 2003). But the evolution of somewhere as popular as the Taco Bar was inevitable and is to be celebrated – at least it’s a Bar not a Bell.
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