Taco Mamacita is located in the old Durty Nelly’s building at 109 N. Market St.
photo by Janet Wilson
Wayne and I decided to visit Taco Mamacita, located in the old Durty Nelly’s building at 109 N. Market Street for a Saturday lunch. Since we were going to be in the downtown area, we thought we’d make it a day and combine a few places while we were there. The place looks very nice. You won’t even recognize it as having been Durty Nelly’s.
The name versus the menu has me confused. The name makes me think it is a Mexican restaurant, but the menu has Mexican, Greek and Peruvian. And, most of the Mexican items aren’t what you think of when you go to a Mexican restaurant. I suppose that’s OK; they are carving their niche and using originality and imagination. It’s a very limited menu, as well as a bit pricey in my opinion. Others may not think so – maybe it’s just me.
The first notable after being seated – no chips! If you want chips they must be ordered from the “First Bites” menu - $4.99 for what is called the “Salsa Sampler”. The menu describes it as “A veritable plethora of house-made fresh salsas. Mango jalapeno, salsa verde and roasted tomato salsa. Served with fresh tortilla chips.”
Our chips were not fresh; they were on the stale side and we left a good bit of them. I usually don’t care for the fruity salsas, but I found the mango jalapeno quite good and I also enjoyed the salsa verde. Wayne’s favorite was the roasted tomato salsa, which appeared to be what we usually refer to as tomatillo salsa.
There are three “Roasted Peruvian Chicken” items on the menu with a description of it being “the most unique and flavorful chicken you will ever taste”. I’m sorry I didn’t get to try it but they didn’t have it. I was told the chicken would be in “next week”. Anyway, if you go and they have the chicken, there is a $6.99 lunch special consisting of ¼ chicken served with your choice of two sides. Sides include cilantro-spinach rice, charros beans, chipotle turnip greens, mexican street corn and jalapeno corn slaw (priced at $2.25 if ordered separately). Also listed is a ½ rotisserie chicken served with Mexican Chopped Salad and one side for $13.99, and a Peruvian Feast, (family-style meal with the salad and two sides) for $24.99.
Under “Tacos”, there is a Taco Royale ($3.99), a double-stacked taco filled with roasted chicken, salsa verde, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, crumbled chorizo, creamy black bean mash and chipotle cream sauce; a Shrimp Po’Boy BLT ($3.99), and the General Homeboy ($3.75).
Wayne ordered from the “More Tacos” menu, priced from $3.50 for a Vegetarian Jerk (sauteed plantains served with shredded cabbage, refried black beans, spicy Caribbean jerk sauce and a peach aioli) to $3.99 for three other tacos (Carnitas, Oy Vey, Greek Chicken).
He decided on the Oy Vey – “Slow-cooked chipotle beef brisket topped with Mama’s Ranchero Sauce, crispy lettuce, pico de gallo, crumbled cojita cheese, guacamole and spicy habanera escabeche”. The tacos do have toppings on them that most places do not have, but at $3.99 these are small tacos. Size-wise they are similar to the soft tacos you get in a Taco Bell kids meal. Wayne ordered two tacos (no sides are included) with a side of Charros Beans. He said it was a good taco, but felt it didn’t compare to his favorite tacos (TR), and was quite a bit more expensive. He also prefers refried beans, while I like the Charros Beans.
Since they didn’t have my chicken, I had to give the menu a re-look and nothing really grabbed me. I do like fish tacos, so I decided on the Baja Fish ($3.75). This is panko breaded tilapia with napa cabbage, Mexican white sauce, pico de gallo, sliced radishes and cilantro. There was so much topping, I could hardly taste the small piece of fish – but it was a good tasting taco. I also ordered a bowl of Chicken Tortilla soup ($4.99) since the taco wasn’t very sizeable. The soup is brought to your table with all the ingredients – chicken, diced tomato, avocado, queso fresco, lime and cilantro – chopped up in the bowl. Upon arrival, the house-made broth is poured into the bowl. You get a little container of tortilla strips for topping. I will say the soup is delicious and is worth the $5 – and it was certainly piping hot.
Also on the menu are several other appetizers such as Nachos Mamacita ($5.99), Queso Fundido ($7.99), and Guacamole (served with chips and flour tortillas, $7.99). Taco Mamacita has two salads – Mexican chopped ($3.99) and Grande chopped ($8.99). There are four enchilada plates priced from $9.99 for the brisket rancheros (one enchilada and one side) to $12.99 for the whole enchilada, which is one of each of the others. Maybe it’s just me, but three enchiladas for $12.99 with one side seems a bit high, especially for lunch. Come to think of it, one enchilada with one side at $9.99 is pricey in my book.
So – our ticket for chips, three tacos, one bowl of soup, one side of beans and one soft drink - $28.35. Is it just me, or is that pricey? Maybe I’m just cheap?
Taco Mamacita is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
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