I am overseas for the next two months. In honor of the occasion, I will randomly be presenting reviews of stuff that I experienced. My goal is to inform people about what I’m up to without angering my family or others that think they know what’s best for my life.
First up, is The Big Taco.
The Big Taco has intrigued me since I learned that our old hangout, Good Burrito, closed a few months after my last visit. Both restaurants are located in Lapu Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines. Finding a Mexican themed restaurant on the Asian side of the Pacific is an interesting proposition. Generally, Mexican food is a safe bet for dining out, but does that hold true here?
I learned of The Big Taco via a search on the Internet and began to follow their Facebook page many months ago. I vowed to try it when I visit the area next time. The other night we took the long drive to get to that side of the Island.
The first thing that struck me was the operating hours. My recollection is that they are open from 7 AM to 1 AM. The restaurant is a small storefront. It could probably seat 16 to 18 people. Upon entering, we noticed that there were random shopping bags on one side of the room with a motorcycle helmet prominently protruding from one. There were two female workers in the place that acted as reception and seating. Some of the tables had dirty dishes on them and were in need of bussing. The table locations were random and scattered about. We were the only customers. The seats that we chose were wet. We learned later that was the result of condensation dripping from the roof. Music was playing on a big screen television in the restaurant. It was dance club themed stuff that I had never heard before. It was loud enough to cancel-out the noise of motorcycles driving up and down the busy street.
We were each brought two menus, one for food and the other for drinks. I picked what I thought was a variety of items on the menu; however, it was pick one of three entrée choices; Taco, Burrito, Quesadilla. Then two sides. Side choice number one was nachos or French fries. Side choice two was salsa or garlic sauce. I picked the burrito entrée and chicken for the meat. For the sides I ordered nachos and choice two was salsa. In addition, I bought one each of chicken, beef, and pork tacos. This was more food than we needed but I wanted a sample of what they had to offer.
Please note that after we were seated, nobody brought us any chips and salsa. Also, it was never offered to us. Our drinks were brought to the table before the food. I don’t recall ever being asked about any refills. Service was not really anything outstanding. The girls were more interested in watching music videos on YouTube; the same ones we got to watch at a high decibel level on the big screen.
The food arrived at the same time. The combo plate and then three plates, one for each taco. The combo plate was a burrito wrapped in foil that was neatly cut in half; also on the plate was a small quantity of chips circled around a cup of salsa. We never saw any nachos, only the chips and salsa we should have been served when we were seated.
Neither the burrito nor any of the tacos had anything resembling Mexica seasoning or spice. The meat was uniformly bland and overwhelmed with a stewed pinto bean concoction that overcame everything else. The taco was presented nicely, and the contents were pleasing to the eye. Also, strangely lacking was any cheese. Sorry kids, but spicy meat, cheese, lettuce, onion, and tomato are the centerpiece of the taco. Cilantro is also a good ingredient on tacos but it too was absent. The tortilla was a nice sized one and easy to pick up, partially because it was not stuffed with much food.
We tried the burrito and then some of each of the tacos. My girlfriend, who loved the food at Good Burrito, said several times that she didn’t like the food at The Big Taco and that she never wanted to return. The pinto beans and associated juice simply overwhelmed everything else on the plate. The chips and salsa were good, the pinto beans on the burrito were ok since they didn’t use refried beans in anything we were served; however, it was a deal killer on the tacos.
Frankly, if they had just copied Del Taco’s food, it would have been better. The Big Taco makes the salsa bars in Elk Grove look like Michelin Star dining.
Per the Internet, there is a bar and karaoke area, but it is not attached to the dining area. It is a stairwell on the left-hand side of the restaurant entrance.
I would give The Big Taco two of five stars. Pinto beans are a side dish, especially for tacos, not a main ingredient of a taco.
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