Foulmouthed, pink, and LOUD, Taquero Mucho slings affordable Mexican, inventive drinks, and more fuschia than Mary Kay’s love shack. The Millenial/Gen Z offshoot of Gabriela’s, the food has Gab’s goodness and visual flair paired with a TikTok-ready setting for the youngsters.
After bathing in an explosion of pink and DJ-spun reggaeton upon entering and getting seated, the salsa sampler ($6) arrived with four tasters of tomatillo, molcajete, chipotle, and salsa taquera and a large basket of spiced chips that complements and lasts through dinner. I’m a sucker for a good molcajete, and this one fit the bill with smokey flavor and plenty of peppers. The chipotle was saucy and flavorful but not spicy. The bride had a Pink Margarita Clasica on the rocks ($10), and I imbibed the New Year New Fkn Me special (Tito’s, black cherry, champagne; $14), which came in a pouch with with a tiny disco ball (yeah!). The trademarked Anti Bitch Juice similarly arrives in a pouch (and is similarly pink). There’s also a shot called X Boyfriend.
The Bride came here for lunch earlier in the week (it’s much quieter then), had the Crispy Shrimp Tacos (breaded shrimp, cabbage, pico de gallo, queso fresco, and chipotle mayo with roasted jalapeño-lime salsa on the side; rice and beans; $14), and raved about the place. For our evening foray, I had the Pollo Asado Tacos (grilled chicken thigh marinated in a lime rub, guacamole, pico de gallo, and radish with rice and beans; $12) and The Bride tried the Avocado Cream Enchiladas (two chicken tinga enchiladas topped with creamy avocado sauce and cheese and rice and beans; $14). The beans are really, really good, almost a soup with veggies mixed in and not overadorned with spices. The enchiladas had a slight pang of pain with a full dollop of flavor. The tacos burst at the seams leaving my one, tiny paper napkin begging for assistance.
This place is so pink, it hurt my masculinity (or at least what’s left of it after being [essentially] married for several decades), but my inner metrosexual (remember metrosexuals?) LOVED the decor and goofiness. The drinks are pink, the tortillas are pink, and just about anything that could be pink is pinked. Indeed, there were LOTS of women there, probably a 8-2 split. As it turns out, Gabriela Bucio created Taquero Mucho for women to to “feel loved, celebrated, and empowered.” She clearly succeeded.
web&where: interwebs; 11101 burnet road, (512) 401-3504
what’s the deal? pink with a side of Mexican; sit-down service
overall: *** (food***; atmosphere****; service**; instagrammability*****)
cost: $$
our scale:
– meh [think twice]
* OK [it’ll get the job done]
** good [solid neighborhood joint]
*** damn good [we’ll definitely be back]
**** yippity-yikes that was amazeballs [fantastic; one of the best]
***** holy sh!t [transcendental; best of the best]
each $ = $10; cost is based on a typical dinner entrée and appetizer (no drinks)
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