First of all, if you plan to visit - make a reservation! Seating seems fairly plentiful with tables and a bar when you walk in, seating on the second floor, some tables outside, and a handful of bar stools at the chef's table. However, seating seems to always be full, which is great for the restaurant.. bad for guests without reservations. You are able to put your name on a waiting list, but depending on how many people are in your party, the wait might be lengthy.
When you walk up to the restaurant, there is a large open space looking into the small kitchen. Walking into the restaurant gives the vibe of an underground night club with dim lighting and unique decoration. There is a huge painting of the Last Supper, another huge painting of an octopus with octopus sconces incorporated into the design (täkō means octopus in Japanese), and chandeliers made out of recycled bicycle chains.
Love the open kitchen concept.
The food and drink menus were very intimidating to me. I didn't (and still don't fully) understand what a lot of the ingredients were. However, instead of looking everything up like I normally do, I just went for it!
Strawberry Yuzu Margarita: Corralejo Blanco, Strawberry, Yuzu, Stellina Prosecco
For those of you who don't know (I was one of them), yuzu is a citrus fruit originating in East Asia. This made for a very light and refreshing drink. It was so delectable and the perfect start for my täkō experience!
Queso Fundido: poblano, housemade chorizo, shishito, chihuahua cheese, warm flour tortillas
This dish is what will keep me coming back. It was ridiculously enjoyable! Again, for those of you who don't know, chorizo is a pork sausage and shishito is a sweet East Asian pepper. This dish comes with four flour tortillas so we had to get a basket of tortilla chips because we had so much queso left. The queso was so rich with cheese, but extremely flavorful with the right amount of spice. The flour tortillas are homemade and so soft and delicious. Must order dish!
Baja Tacos: tempura white fish, lime aioli. white cabbage, white onion, radish, jalapeno relish, cilantro
These are not your typical tacos! I cannot even begin to explain how fresh and amazing this fish was. The tempura breading was perfectly fried and the fish wasn't "fishy", so you know it's so fresh. The combination of the flavorful ingredients and texture of each bite was so unique. Every taco order comes with two tacos, so they are perfect for swapping with your friends to try more than one!
Have you tried täkō yet? What was your favorite dish?
Eat Well & Sparkle!
