Taco Bus

Although I loved the food, Taco Bus downtown Tampa gets my five stars for customer service.
I went on a Friday afternoon (Jan 15, 2016 I think) with my wife, 5 y.o. daughter and my wife’s uncle who is, shall we say, eccentric…(Aspergers). I was worried we might get thrown out. Instead the staff not only filled his outlandish requests, but did so with a smile and even went beyond what was requested.
Granted it was not crazy crowded but it was busy… on top of that, the food came quick.
Thank you ladies, you are awesome!

Worst tacos I’ve ever ate! We went late night on a Saturday at the referral of our hotel. I ordered 2 beef tacos with rice and beans. The beef was dry and had no flavor. You needed a large drink just to choke them down. If this place is popular, I don’t understand why. Just horrible! I don’t write a lot of reviews, but had to for this place because of the disappointment.

May have had a bad experience because they close in less than an hour?
My 1^st time here and not experienced with the menu… I asked the girl behind the counter if they have a burrito bowl or similar, she was short in her response «no» she did not ask or suggest another option… I got the Ensalada added the Carne Asada, guacamole and sour cream. The salad was a good size, I had hoped the meat would be warm but it seemed as if it were premade/​pre packed Togo container even though I dined in. The salad was fine, nothing special. Consisted of mixed greens and the romaine lettuce was brown:(
No reason for me to return.

Being a SoCal native, Mexican food holds a special place in my heart. Unfortunately, Taco Bus has yet to fill that niche in my heart nor my stomach.
I came to Taco Bus for lunch and was heavily disappointed. First, Taco Bus is way overpriced for the amount of food you get… and don’t even get me started on the quality of the food. My tortillas were drenched in oil and I felt like my tacos were just a haphazard of random ingredients thrown together on top of oily tortillas.
To be honest, I’d probably enjoy these tacos a lot more drunk than sober, but leaning towards Taco Bell because of the price. Will I come here again? Most likely no. Sorry Taco Bus.

I’m from out of town and was craving tacos. This place came up as one of the top places near the hotel I was staying at.
Usually, «hole in the wall» places are really good but this place was unfortunately nothing special. I went on a Sunday and it was dead and I thought the service would be quick. Nope. The food was ok but nothing that would drive me back there.
The avocado was barely cut up in the guac– it was left in quarters. Thought at least the chips would be fresh? No. Cold and stale.
Maybe the original establishment has more to offer that this location but I probably wouldn’t come here again.

Downtown Tampa offers very limited choices for food later at night. This is one of those kind of places, like White Castle, that might not exist if it weren’t for ethyl alcohol and marijuana. The prices are high for Tex-​Mex but that’s what happens when there’s no competition. The décor is fun, it looks like you’re walking up to a bus and ordering in the window, and it’s walking distance from the Riverfront hotels. It’s not what I would call «authentic» Mexican cuisine, but it’s better than Taco Bell. It’s pretty clean, open late, the food quality is good, I got good, fast service in spite of the fact that the inside was full of drunken revelers. It’s a better choice than downtown pizza delivery, and judging by what I saw waiting for my to-​go-​order, the food is much tastier if you’re heavily inebriated.

WOW!!! If you haven’t visited the Taco Bus, and you are in Tampa, shame on you! Authentic Mexican cuisine served out of a bus, and it rocks.
The quesadilla was my favorite. It reminds you of the best grilled cheese in the world gone wild. The beans and rice are also a must try as well as the carne asada tacos on corn tortillas.
Their hand made sauces are wonderful, but very spicy… as it should be. The portions are enormous, the food is amazing, and the prices are low. My wife and I spent about $ 15 for our meal. They have a nice patio area that you can eat at, or you can order to go. This place is worth a try, and no excuses not to.

I liked the food. I didnt’t love it but I ate it.
I had a taste for queso and this place definitely hit the spot. My boyfriend orders tacos and while the tacos were good, there were a little on the bland side.
The service was pretty decent, the place was clean and I like the hours (they’re open a little later than surrounding places on weekdays).

My first experience with Taco Bus was the St Pete location years ago. Loved it. Moved to Tampa a couple years ago and went to this location. Originally I loved it, but I’ve not been blown away in awhile. The flavors are just ok and there really aren’t any toppings included other than tomatoes and cabbage (per the board, there should be ‘pico de gallo’ and cilantro, then cheese is extra $. I ordered it once but it was just a sprinkling.)
I’m vegetarian and I LOVE that they offer multiple vegetarian options. So big props for that.
However, they seemed to have changed their vegetarian options. They took the tempeh away, so I started trying the vegan strips, but it tastes and looks like beef bubblegum. They had their catering truck at a recent Ybor event and the only vegetarian option was the squash. It had no flavoring added at all. Just plain, cubed squash. So I won’t be trying that again. This last visit, I tried the tofu. I’ll stick with the tofu.
We also ordered the guacamole and chips. Guac was unfortunately watery and not very flavorful (I make much better guac). I stopped eating it and let my boyfriend have… but he also gave up on it. And the chips are nothing more than just a vehicle for the guac.
I’ll also give them props for offering beer. Oh and their sauces are good too!
We come here on occasion when we need something quick downtown, it’s an easy option for me being vegetarian and my boyfriend being a carnivore… but we’re no longer excited about going.

The food at this location seems to be lack luster compared to the other locations I have been to (seminole heights and st. petersburg).
I also had an experience one evening here where I showed up at 2:25 AM when they closed at 3 and was greeted with rude employees and denial of service «because they closed soon» in reality it was obviously lazy employees at the end of their shift neglecting they are a restaurant and they serve any customers until the end of the stores hours. Extremely disappointing experience and unfortunate compared to past experiences with other taco bus locations.
It seems to be a pretty common review for this location that they need new employees or management.

This location is ok. I’ve been here a few times now– most during the night and once on a Sunday afternoon. Have never had a bad experience but the food was just ok. Nothing really stood out to me that would make me crave coming here.
I’ve had the carnitas and carne asada in burrito form. Burritos were fine, not horrible. Portions are huge, so that’s a plus. Nothing stood out to me though the times I have been here. Ordered the flan once… I love flan, but this flan did not impress me much. That’s a Shania Twain song– stuck in your head now?

I’ve just got to say — there is nothing like the original Taco Bus. Even the food seems less authentic at the other locations. Maybe it’s all just in my head?! Maybe the A/​C got to me!
Either way, the food is good — just not the same as the FANTASTIC food at the original location!

It’s a bit strange that different Taco Buses bring out different desires. When I visit the original location on Nebraska, I always get their tofu burrito. I just feel like it tastes better here than at any of the other locations. When I visit the USF bus, I don’t really pay much attention to what I order because I know they don’t pay much attention to getting the order right. At the downtown restaurant, I find myself constantly gravitating to the Portobello Ranchero.
The sautéed portobellos give the burrito a nice meaty taste. They are then wrapped in a burrito alongside fire roasted poblanos, potatoes, tomatoes, onions and cilantro. A spicy salsa tops it all off. I find potatoes in burritos to be definitely underused. I know that certain Vallarta’s have a french fry burrito as well as California Tacos. I think all burrito restaurants should be required to have one. The bit of fried just gives the burrito a nice crunchy/​chewy consistency. The Portobello Ranchero burrito is served alongside a sliver of lime. I suggest you squeeze some onto your burrito after each bite along with Taco Bus’ famous red sauce, you won’t be disappointed.
Vegans be aware, my first time visiting this location I ordered the portobello ranchero and even though it said that it is vegan, they put cheese on top. Let them know, if they don’t ask, that you want it without cheese (or if you play the daiya game, you can ask for that instead).

Oh Taco Bus! Why must I only crave you in the evening? The evenings that is already dark and no one is around but a few friendly faces?
You can never go wrong with taco bus.
Tacos, burritos… Oh and the ceviche! They are all delicious. People go here solely for their tacos but I have to recommend the ceviche. It’s definitely scrumptious. It’s basically seafood that is slightly cooked with lime. Fresh and made to order.

Walked in on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Just beat the lunch crowd. I had my daughters in tow. They ordered the steak tacos and chicken tacos respectively. My oldest loved her steak tacos and begged for more. My other daughter who eats like a bird only ate one of her tacos. I finished the other happily which had great seasoned chicken in it. I ordered a chicken burrito was was quite large and full of deliciousness. I added some of their house hot sauce and was in Taco Bus heaven. The only reason I didn’t give them five stars was that for my burrito and two kids taco plates I spent $ 25. I do recommend you try them out though!

The food is good.
Also it came out very quickly.
Décor is cheap and cheesy.
Bathroom needs more upkeep.
I had two tacos: Carne de res Desebrada (shredded beef in tomato mix) and Cochinita Pibil (pulled pork Mayan style)
I’ve never seen these names before so they got me curious. Glad I tried, I would def recommend both to anyone. Desebrada is juicy roast, with surprisingly delicate flavoring. Cochinita has a striking citrus kick to it, and bright orange peppery coloring, tasty and energizing.
Later when we were driving St Pete I noticed same Taco Bus, much larger, with a real full-​size yellow bus parked in front. The BBQ shack like seating area is right behind the bus, and that looked much better, breathy, and cool.

Pretty crappy, guys. Like most spaces in downtown Tampa this space had an odor. :(The only thing authentic about this establishment was the spanish being spoken behind the counter. The food was mediocre at best and really tasted like microwaved or canned to me. Was disappointed since the reviews made it seem like a really good option for vegetarians.
Staff was really friendly, helpful and professional, though. Well done on that front!

Somehow we were able to stumble here after a long night of fun at Flybar a few blocks down. all i can remember was stuffing my face with the torta which has always been my staple when ever i go visit the big yellow bus.
The torta is a hot Mexican miracle of a sandwich that will just soak up all the nastiness you have put in your body after a long night at the bar. in fact i dont think ive ever seen this place frequented by hoarded until thoae hours of the day!
This place has alot of room to sit so finding a seat shouldn’t be too bad.
hoping to try their fish tacos one day as ive heard good things about it !

In my opinion, Taco Bus is one of the top over-​hyped restaurants in the area. This is the second location that I have visited and it was a pretty bad experience. In their defense, it was around 1am on a Saturday night. However, they were out of almost EVERYTHING. No tortilla chips, no Cochinita Pibil, no Chicken, no beans.
I ended up ordering a dish that had a protein I didn’t want and was missing half the ingredients. Maybe this is why the food was super disappointing? It also took a REALLY long time to receive that food. They were busy, but they had about 10 employees there… definitely enough to handle the 7 – 8 small groups of people that were there.
This Taco Bus just confirmed my original opinion of the restaurant. I will only come when there are no better options in the middle of the night. Hopefully next time they will have my Cochinita Pibil.

Giving a good review based on the amazing vegan options! First you can choose the «style» you want: tacos, burritos, tostadas, salad, rice etc. Then you choose your protein/​topping: the usual meat stuff, but also tons of vegan options such as butternut squash, portobello mushrooms, vegan «steak», tofu, rice & beans. They even have Daiya vegan cheese for quesadillas! All vegan items are clearly marked with are symbol on the menu.
I really enjoyed my butternut squash tacos. A light meal that allowed me to eat yummy vegetables and not just «faux meat» as a vegan. I really enjoyed this meal and would love to return to try the other options too!
Pricing: 2 tacos were $ 5.99.
The exterior is cute and you cannot miss the Taco Bus if you pass by.