Restaurant Review: Taco Tonto's

A new fixture in Lakewood that is already receiving some hype is Taco Tonto's.  From what I understand this location, on Madison Ave. is their second location in the area with a location in Kent being their first.  I'd heard a few people talk about this place, so when a friend suggested it for a girl's night out I was excited to try it out.

The atmosphere is reminiscent to me of Melt.  IT's a little dark, and a bit more of a bar setting than typical restaurant which is exactly what I think they are going for.  It's small, probably seating about twenty at tables, and another 10-15 at the bar.

You order your food at the bar and give your name and then they bring it out to you.  The staff was friendly. I was surprised that there was such a line on a Thursday night- though to be fair, it is the week between Christmas and New Years where I feel more people have off or are on vacation home.  They specialize in freshly made Mexican food from scratch so I ordered their vegan guacamole and chips (their regular guacamole has sour cream in it) and two beef tacos without cheese.

My order came out quite quickly- in fact they gave me the guar immediately.  That was the best part of my meal.  I'd definitely order it again- lots of avocado and the right amount of onion and other ingredients.  I also appreciated that there was no price difference between the vegan and regular guacamole as I often see places.  My tacos were individually wrapped in foil and were HUGE.  Seriously, the amount of meat on one taco is what I'd probably put on two or three at home.  There was also plenty of lettuce and tomato.  Here is where my disappointment comes in.  I was shocked by the saltiness of the meat.  I like salt, so if I notice something is salty it is SALTY.  There was also another flavor that I still can't put my finger on that I wasn't super fond of but I'm not sure it was bad- just not my preference.  A few of the girls I was with also said theirs was salty but I know people who have gone other times did not have that issue so I'm still willing to give them another chance.  Their prices are super reasonable for the portion sizes.

Their drink menu is unique as well with creative margaritas such as blackberry or grapefruit, and many other drinks and beers.  I had a headache so I didn't drink, but I will say their fountain Coke was good which is a big deal because at some bars it's really not.

Overall I think Taco Tonto's is worth a stop.  It's a hip cool place to grab a bite and a drink and to hang out with friends.  Let me know- were your tacos salty too?