Baha Taco, located in Norwood was our first stop, and it wasn't a bad start to an amazing food journey!
This small and cozy cafe restaurant brings authentic Mexican food, contemporary and urban aesthetics and flippin' strong G&Ts!
The moment you walk through the doors, you're smacked in the face(in the good way) with bright colours, enticing smells and the smiling faces of owners Dave and Kat.
Dave and Kat had their interest in Mexican food peak when in California, and after a successful takeaway spot in the UK, they generously decided to return to the busy and bustling Grant Avenue.
Hailing inspiration from street and festival food, you order meals (displayed quite neatly on a chalkboard) from the counter, take your seat and wait patiently for the deliciousness that will soon be grace your presence. To be fair, you're not going to be waiting long. At least not in our experience. Our whole trip took a total of an hour and ten minutes, but not in a rushed sense.
Our first bite to eat was a fundamental part of Mexican cuisine - the corn tortilla chips and roasted tomato salsa. If you're a Mexican restaurant and can't provide a decent salsa, what are you even doing??
Thankfully, this was not the case with Baha. This salsa was sent from the Gods in a rustic wooden serving dish. It was delicious. This simple classic done well emulates the entire objective of Baha Taco.
Our mains continued the theme of street foods, served in cute take-out inspired plastic boat containers. They could've been a bit larger, as the food we had ordered was slightly messy, but you're not exactly going to get a full dinner setting at a festival, are you?
I'd ordered the chicken quesadilla (which they nicely demonstrated how to pronounce on that chalkboard I was speaking about earlier and Connor ordered the pulled pork soft shell taco. Now, to be honest, this is where our experience was let down. While my quesadilla was quite yummy (especially that drizzle of guacamole!) and had good textures, Connor received a chicken taco that had bones in. While it was tasty, it was not what he had ordered or was craving.
It was at this point, we started noticing the other shortcomings of Baha.
You see, having ordered from them for four days straight at Oppi Koppi, and getting splendid food every time, we had high expectations, and didn't really want them to let us down. We'll get to these other faults later, so for now, let's finish up on the food.
For dessert, we had a bit of a hope re-instilled in us. We ordered the churros (as you do at Mexican restaurants) and were impressed by the freshness and plain yumminess! The churro pastry itself was delicate and airy, and weren't greasy at all. The chocolate sauce, which I could've had a cup of, mind you, was delicious and homemade.
It left our food experience on a high note. Some other cons we noticed were the amount of flies. The establishment wasn't exactly open air, but was breezy.
The attention to detail we found could have also used some improvement, we found. For a restaurant that has been around a couple years, you wouldn't expect cables and extension cords to be hanging about. The same issue can be applied to the food, with regards to the bones and incorrect order. All simple things that can definitely be improved on! (We believe in you guys!)
From there, we went into the "cantina" for some flavoured tequila. Alas, their supplier was at fault, so I tried the G&T.
Guys, if you're looking for a classy way to get drunk, this is it. It was as all good G&Ts should be - bitter, strong and cold. Even better though, Baha Taco has banned the plastic straw, and fully supports the #refusethestraw movement, which is phenomenal - every little bit helps.
So friends, that was our experience at Baha Taco, a bit up and down, but good nonetheless. With quirky and bright decor, delicious and authentic food, a great and convivial bar area and the happy-to-help Dave and Kat, Baha Taco is definitely a must stop visit with your friends or family. While there are a few things that need to be improved upon, the good outweighs the bad.
We do recommend Baha Taco, specifically that salsa (currently erecting a shrine for it).
Stay hungry for adventure, friends.
Steph and Connor.
3/5 Tacos.