Tampa Tacos

I want to write a little foodie post about the great tacos we had in Tampa. When we go on vacation, anywhere, I like to do a little research into the food in the area we're going. I like to use TVfoodmaps.com to help with my search. By no means is this the end-all of finding good food, but it's a nice place to start. One of the hubs and my favorite dinner shows is Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. If you're not familiar with the show, Guy Fieri travels across the nation searching for delicious food. It's like a visual nugget of where to eat when you're in town. There's no way that I'm going to remember what towns were featured on what episodes, so that's where my favorite little website comes into play. So we typed in Tampa into the map search, and came up with a list of restaurants that have been on TV. We were looking for somewhere to eat while we waited for Jim to be done with work and AJ to get home from pre-school on Thursday. There were 2 recommended taco places; The Taco Bus and California Tacos. Obvi we needed to go to both of them. Conveniently, they were on the way to Jim and Michele's.

We went to The Taco Bus first. By the name of it, I totes thought it was a food truck. I was wrong. It's a cute little place in downtown Tampa that is shaped like a bus that serves bomb ass tacos. We shared a total of 4 tacos: 
COCHINITA PIBIL - Shredded pork marinated in achiote and bitter orange, then wrapped in banana leaves and slow roasted in a smoker
CARNE ASADA - Diced steak marinated in Mexican seasonings and grilled to perfection
BARBACOA - Braised beef shredded and seasoned.
BISTEC RANCHERO - Beef Steak, Poblano peppers (MILD), onions, tomatoes and potatoes.

Totally awesome tacos. I would recommend this place to anyone going to Tampa. Definitely worth a trip out of your way. These were very authentic Mexican recipes. The tortillas were soft and fresh. And there's a little patio that you can sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. My favorite was the Carne Asada, and the hubs favorite was the daily special of the Bistec Ranchero.

Next on our taco trip was California Tacos. This place was like home to me. I instantly felt comfortable at this place, definitely had a great vibe. The staff was super friendly and welcoming. There's just something about sitting outside in the shade of an old oak tree dripping in Spanish moss, listening to chill music (Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, a little Marley), near a body of water, eating some fresh seafood. Here we tried the seafood ceviche, fish tacos, and a breakfast chorizo taco. Everything was fresh and delicious.

If I had to rate the 2 restaurants on food alone, the Taco Bus is the clear winner. California Tacos was absolutely delicious, don't get me wrong. Taco Bus just did a better job of developing their flavors. If you're looking for a chill place to hang out and eat some delicious food, California Tacos is your place to be.