What: El Taconazo Taco Bus, 913 E. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa
Must-Do? Says Who? CL Tampa
Casualties: Roughly $5 for a full meal, though it depends on your flavor
Key feature: Sink, complete w/ soap dispenser, on front of bus
It was that perilous time of day when collective tummy rumbling makes it impossible to focus on work…when nourishment is imperative… when nothing can save you but hefty burritos and salsa verde.
Luckily for Creative Loafing, El Taconazo is a quick jaunt up 275, just east of Nebraska on Hillsborough. Brian and I tagged along with Ranette and Shawn to place orders for the whole office—marinated pork, chicken and steak burritos, ceviche with shrimp and octopus, fine yellow rice and fresh baby limes. Mariachi horns blared through elevated speakers as the lunch crowd gathered behind us. Ranette even tested out the port-o-sink on the front of the bus.
"This isn't Taco Bell," several people told us. "This tastes like it's supposed to taste."
And it did—perfectly cooked chicken cushioned in hot corn tortillas served with sidecars of yellow rice and refried beans, as well as different salsas depending on one's sense of adventure.
Back at the office, staffers who hadn't gotten on the bandwagon (bus, whatever) looked greedily at my feast-in-a-styrofoam-box; their eyes glazed over, and drool oozed unnoticed from the corners of their mouths.
I ate quickly to keep them at bay.
Next time I'll try the ceviche, which Brian insists kept him "buzzing" for the rest of the workday. (He's a hypochondriac/chronic exaggerator, so I'm not too worried.) Check out the audio file—it's the sound of lunchtime at El Taconazo. And check out the bus itself—meals on wheels for realz.
—Ted Scheinman
This article appears in Jul 18-24, 2007.