West coast favourite taco shop has a new location in White rock, and we had to drive all the way down to check it out! After all, every restaurant has a similar energy, but slightly varying menus.
This is a smaller space, with pockets of seating and minimal decoration. Like all other locations, with their counter ordering, it makes them ideal for grab and go service. This is especially the case considering the courtyard just outside, equipped with outdoor seating and perching spots available by the water feature.
Visiting for lunch, we ordered one item from every section of the menu, to go. For tacos, we went with the seafood.
The Pacific cod taco is breaded and crispy fried fish, cabbage, chipotle mayo, and salsa fresco. As a lighter option I was left craving for sour cream, more salsa, guacamole, and even tartar or a tzatziki sauce to perk the order up.
Looking for more fresher fish, then go with the tuna taco. A healthy amount of seared albacore tuna with kale slaw, wasabi mayo, wakame pickled ginger, and nori. Between the two fish tacos this one had more flavour. Although overall I have the same grievance. I was missing a tangy dressing or a dipping sauce of some sort. Here, a spicy mayo and more acidity in the pickled ginger would’ve been complementary. The fish could have also used more seasoning, for a tight squeeze of lime certainly brighten.
This was my first time seeing and having what they call a “soft and crunchies”. This is essentially a regular taco, but instead of choosing either a hard shell or a soft shell, you have both layered. The results is the best of both worlds, a nice base to enjoy your chosen filling with.
For this, we went with chorizo as our filling, thinking a dense scoop of minced pork would help fully flavour along with cabbage, salsa, verde, pickled onion, and cilantro. We would be correct. At this point I realized the fish above were just lighter dressed options and for more flavour to look out for the meat choices instead.
My absolute favourite thing on their menu is the Gringas. It was described as a quesadilla by the clerk, but it is actually a soft shelled taco given an extra crunch by way of a melted cheese skirt. Not only does the cheese add texture, but offers are wallop of salty flavour as well. Crispy fried cheese is probably my favourite way to have cheddar. For this we went with the chicken and it came with cheese, lime crema, and salsa Fresca. No complaints, this still remains my go-to and the one I would recommend.
And if you are looking for something a lot more heartier, it has to be one of their loaded burritos. My favourite is the crispy chicken. I find it consistently has the most flavour with just a hint of spice. Plus it is the only one with a nice crunch from the breaded and fried chicken pieces that well contrasts with the filling rice and chewy tortilla.
And be sure to save room for dessert and their Diablo cookie. This is is a chewy, dark chocolate cookie spiced with chilli. It is sweet and spicy with a nice back of the throat tingle. It is memorable and leaves your meal on a sweet note without being too sugary.
And for drinks they have beer and cocktail options, but considering that we were taking our meal to go as a picnic, we opted for one of the bottles of Jarritos in our usual choice of guava. It is a refreshing tropical fruit juice that you don’t see often.
In closing, it is great that another Tacofino location has opened to serve its local community. And considering the line up and the excitement on faces, this is definitely a welcomed addition to the neighbourhood.
Tacofino White Rock
1405 Johnston Rd, White Rock, BC V4B 3Z4
(672) 896-2480
tacofino.com
