Discerning Diner back on the beat...
Located right in the heart of the town of West Chester on Gay Street (directly across from Iron Hill Brewery), this cute little Juice & Taco bar is a page right out of The Venice Beach Boardwalk in L.A. The vibe is laid back and colorful and feels like you are in a beachside/boardwalk surf shack that serves authentic tacos alongside trendy smoothies and açaí bowls.I am not so much a smoothie/açaí bowl guy, so my review will be limited to the taco side of the offerings.
I wanted to try a sampling so I ordered three tacos (they are individual but discounted if you order two of the same); the Fish taco, the Tijuana Street Pulled Pork taco, and the House-made Chorizo taco. All were very very good and authentic SoCal/Mexi offerings. All of their tacos are served in house-made soft corn tortillas. The tortillas were terrific and very light. Sometimes corn tortillas can be a bit thick and grainy but these were light and almost could have passed for thin flour tortillas but with the authentic flavor that you can only get from a corn one. That was the first thing that I really liked so was excited to dig in!
The first one I tried was the Fish taco, which to me is always a tell of how good a taco bar is going to be. It was delicious! Generously filled with North Atlantic Cod and topped with pineapple salsa, pickled cabbage slaw and a roasted poblano crema. The fish was seasoned and lightly grilled to perfection as opposed to fried, which I really appreciated and made the taco very light and a bit healthier as well. This taco had great flavor, as the sweetness of the pineapple salsa was a nice juxtaposition with the smokiness of the poblano crema. I immediately wished I had ordered two of these.
Next I went with the Tijuana Street Pulled Pork taco. I was a little confused on the menu description for this one as it's listed as pulled pork, but much to my delight (as I had hoped), it was really more of a Carnitas as opposed to a vinegar/bbq based pulled pork. It came simply with some diced onions on top and finished with cilantro. The pork was tender and clearly had been slow roasted for hours as it melted in your mouth, but it could have used a little more salt in my opinion or some additional seasoning to elevate it, however I get the simplicity the chef was going for. I added a sprinkle of salt and some hot sauce and it was great!
Last but certainly not least was the taco that I was most excited about; the House-made Chorizo taco. I L O V E Chorizo in just about anything especially a good taco, so it was game on, and this taco didn't disappoint! It was loaded with chorizo which was finely crumbled and well seasoned, then topped with caramelized onions, shredded lettuce and some more of that poblano crema. It was my favorite of the three taco and really was outstanding. Only complaint on this one would have been that it was truly loaded with chorizo, so much so that it was breaking the soft corn tortilla as I ate it and I had to use a fork to eat the rest of it from the plate, however too much chorizo is not too bad of a problem to have!
The menu is also teeming with smoothies and fresh juice concoctions but that was all a bit more than I was looking for today, but might look to try one next time I go. Jaco Taco also has a second location apparently in Media, PA as well. I have my eye on a couple of the breakfast burritos so my next visit will likely be a breakfast one and then can have one of the drinks to go with it. So stay tuned for that in the near future.
Overall this was worth the trip for me (as I was already up on 202 anyway this morning). Location is really nice too as it is right on the main drag there. Can hit it for lunch, then shop up and down the cool stores on Gay St, stop in Iron Hill or Kildare's for drinks and then take home a 28" giant pizza from Lorenzo & Sons for dinner (which is also right across the street).
Try it out and thank me later! read more