Today I was performing my judging duties, as one of the judges for this year’s annual Vancouver Foodster Taco Challenge. Four restaurants have submitted their tacos for scrutiny to see which one reigns supreme. As a judge, it was my pleasure to try them all and score them all based on taste, presentation, and originality. For those wanting to participate, you too can try them all and vote for your favourite as people’s choice winner for 2025.
My first stop was Miso Taco, I visited their original location in Chinatown 2 years ago, when they first opened. So was curious to see how they evolved since then and this move.
They still specialize in Japanese and Mexican fusion street food, now with a paired down menu, and gone are their sushi options
They leaned into their Japanese inspiration with sketches of anime characters at the threshold, welcoming you in to enjoy their tacos. We grabbed a seat by the window and settled in for some. Miso Taco is the only competitor to have created an all new taco for this challenge. All the others are competing with items from their regular menu, offered all year round.
This is the Cochinita Shoyu Tacos with corn tortilla, pork cochinita with soy sauce base, crispy shallots, chard habanero and mango dressing, fujisenzuke pickles, and toasted sesame seeds.
I actually got two servings of this, the first was so salty that I had to force myself to take a second bite, in order to be a more discerning judge. It was so salty, taking the “shoyu” in the name, too literal. My guest and I both drank multiple cups of water trying to get this down. When our server came to inquire what we thought, I was not shy in my honesty. I expressed how much I did not like it, and that I could not have any more. She said they are normally good so was surprised that we didn’t enjoy them, so went to the back to speak with the chef.
It turns out the meat was prepared at the other location, and there were difficulties with it. However, according to her, they decided to run with it instead of wasting it. There was no offer to replace the tacos, but we did have the option to try something different.
Midway through our meal, they did bring out another plate of the same tacos. At this point, we were turned off and quickly refused them, only to learn that the chef did remake them from scratch for us. Considering I was meant to judge them, I did find it helpful to get a proper taste.
The second batch was far less salty and runny, I had to squeeze and drain the last ones. Here, you could actually make out the seasoning of the pork, and there was a lot of it. A little bland, I could have used a syrupy-like sauce to coat the meat. Either a crispy slaw or a creamy dressing would have also been nice to balance things out. There was no freshness in this, the pickle was too competitive, and better served as a pallet cleanser.
I appreciated their creativity, but did not find it cohesive. With each order of tacos, you have the option of side sauce. I went for the avocado one, and found it a great help to this and a necessary addition.
The replacement tacos we chose were the Teriyaki Cheesy Tacos made with teriyaki style beef, crispy cheese crust, green onion,
cilantro, and a chipotle mayo. My guest and I both agree that this should have been there taco challenge entry, we enjoyed it so much more. This was a good example of fusion done right, especially if you add on a side of their chilli oil for some acidity. These tacos too were saucy and drippy, but in the right kind of way. There was a good amount of gristle on the chewy beef, a generous amount of green herbs for balance, and a crispy cheesy layer that brings it all together.
I also liked the Squid Skewers. Baby squid skewered on a stick, breaded and deep-fried, dressed in a jalapeño tonkatsu sauce with tartar sauce and green onions. Each stick was individually dressed, each morsel was tender and chewy with a good amount of cream and green onion for the balance that was missing in the first set of tacos.
The Fried Rice Taco Bowl was a mushroom fried rice that you can add any protein base to. We went for the chicken pork chashu, but this was not what we expected, and nothing like traditional chashu. All of it topped with their secret sauce, shredded lettuce, and pico de gallo.
The chasu did not have any char or marinade, it was dry shredded meat and didn’t quite feel like it belonged, much like the fresh tomato that added a tang that too felt out of place. Of it all, the raw cabbage felt the most misplaced, it offered nothing but its crunch. I didn’t mind the cream though, and thought this was the only thing holding this non-cohesive concept together. At this point we learned that we couldn’t over think the food.
For dessert we wanted to try this Hojicha Caramel Chocoflan, but they were out, so got their popular Kinako Mochi & Churros instead. This was exactly the same as I remembered having it two years ago. I remembered, enjoying it then as much as I did now, clearly a popular seller. Housemade churros and grilled mochi. dressed with condensed milk, and kinako powder. Eat this hot for crispy sugar crusted churros and gooey mochi that contrasted one another harmoniously.
In conclusion, Miso Taco has unique dishes you can’t find elsewhere. I recommend not overthinking any of them. The secret to their menu is simply enjoying them as what they are before you, and not what they could or should be.
Miso Taco
3456 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC V5Z 2W8
(236) 471-8011
misotaco.ca
