Taco Disappointment

After the Starship concert, we hit up a few rides (fastpass for Test Track, yay!) and then made some stops for a late dinner. It was still pretty crowded around the world showcase but the line for the Mexico kiosk was much shorter than earlier in the day. We had heard the tacos were good and wanted to try them.

Day photo of the Mexico kiosk from Monday. Not this bright or empty while we were getting food.
The menu had 2 tacos and 1 dessert. The margarita sounded good too and we thought maybe we would get that another time (never did).


First up, the grilled ribeye taco with chipotle pepper sauce and scallions on a flour tortilla ($5.50):

Very dark outside = blurry photos
M's take - This taco was prepared as described and the chipotle pepper sauce added a lot of flavor. It was OK. We have had better meat tacos before, but this wasn't bad. I expected to like the shrimp taco better (more on that later), but I think this one wins for me because the sauce actually had flavor and because I love scallions.

A's take - I was more disappointed by this. The chipotle pepper sauce was more salty than spicy and lacked any smokiness. Also, the meat was tough and overcooked.

We both felt that this taco definitely wasn't worth the price, especially since it was one taco. Over $5? Very expensive. (After all, M has previously ranted about a $4 taco which was more food than this one and had guacamole.)

Next, the crispy shrimp taco with chipotle lime mayo and cabbage on a flour tortilla ($4.95):


M's take - This was just OK. It had a few small pieces of fried shrimp underneath the mayo and giant pieces of red cabbage. If the cabbage had been more like a slaw, this taco might have fared better, but it was a little difficult to eat with that giant cabbage piece (which added nothing). Cabbage should really just be used for crunch and a little bitterness in a taco like this, but instead its presence was kind of overwhelming.

A's take - I was really disappointed by this dish. The shrimp was flavorless, and it was drowned out by the mayo. The red cabbage is supposed to be shredded and not crammed on in giant pieces, and the whole taco was just one big mess.

We both expected more from this considering some rave reviews we had read. And it was overpriced. Just because it's shrimp doesn't mean that one taco needs to be $5. The quality of the taco surely didn't justify that price tag.

For dessert, flan (vanilla custard with caramel) ($3):


M's take - The flan was OK. Rich and sweet like flan should be, but nothing very special. Not a huge fan of very rich desserts so it wasn't my favorite. The description on the kiosk menu was that it was vanilla custard with caramel, but the one given in the mobile app is much more elaborate. It's described as "smooth as silk" (it was pretty smooth) and a "decadent" dessert (it was) with a "complex blend of fruit flavors - including apples, bananas, figs, lemon, papaya and pineapple - along with a hint of honey, oak and spicy vanilla." It was sweet, but not as fragrant as that description makes it sound!

A's take - I thought the flan was quite good. It was nice and smooth outside of the small film on top that had formed. There was absolutely no fruit flavor as was described by M, but that's not something I expect from flan. I expect caramel flavoring and sweetness. In the end, that's exactly what I got.

We love Mexican food and eat it frequently here at home, but this kiosk just didn't live up to the taco deliciousness we normally get at our food carts and trucks. Kind of disappointing. Also, we know that at a festival like this the prices are going to be high for small portions, and we haven't really complained about it before. But at the Mexico kiosk, it was kind of egregious. Maybe it's because we get more Mexican food here and know the price point at which you can execute good Mexican food. A $5 taco should be something really special and these just weren't.

Favorite dishes at the Mexico kiosk:
A: Flan
M: Ribeye taco