Mark T.
Yelp
TL;DR: These aren't hyper-traditional tacos, nor as they supposed to be. These little pieces of heaven are delicious, varied, creative, and balanced. The margaritas are also top-tier, and as fresh as they come! Great service, fair value, and an awesome vibe and location rounds out a terrific experience.
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After reading one of my usually long reviews, a friend commented they are more like blog posts. Ever since, I've truly embraced that concept!
Yelp is chock-full of simple and effective reviews; the kind that would make Sebastian Maniscalco* happy. These are a paragraph, maybe two, not a 18-page essay on asparagus! Maniscalco unabashedly called me out as at times I write up to the character limit! Sometimes even past it, having to trim and summarize while cursing under the my breath.
So, I have some Story-Times for you:
1. When I was younger, my parents would always buy pulp free OJ. That was until one day they bought "Grovestand" loaded with it. You know something? We all loved it!
2. I have been on a quest to find the best taco in the greater Boston area. The best I've been able to come up with is in Manchester, NH (until now, hooray!).
3. I once bought one of the spicier hot sauces I saw on Hot Ones, the "Morita Bourbon Maple Reaper." Delicious and hot, but manageable, despite having reaper peppers in the mix. I say this so you get an idea of my spice tolerance.
4. I once tried a Dyson vacuum with that laser-enhanced brush head. Sounds like a gimmick - it is not.
With that out of the way, onwards!
First, the margaritas: I had the opportunity to try the regular and spicy Bartaco Margarita. I thought the limes being squeezed in front of you was a gimmick, it is not. This makes the drinks as fresh as they get, and the teeny bit of lime pulp that makes it in adds to the freshness. The margs themselves were top-notch! They were superbly balanced in all domains. The house tequila they use was smooth as silk. I didn't *think* these were too boozy, until I felt like dancing on the bar top after one (slight exaggeration, but you get my drift). Final note: the spicy margarita is properly spicy - I am not saying you cannot handle it, but I am saying this is not for the faint of heart and/or those who think green Cholula is hot.
Then there were the tacos - I will [uncharacteristically] spare you from agonizing detail on each of the eight tacos I ate. However, I will say these were all distinct, interesting, creative, and of course, mouthwateringly flavorsome! The protein is not skimped on, nor is it falling out. Similar to the spicy marg, the spicy ones were fire! I mean.... can I get a glass of milk, please?! (j/k - but not really). My only critique is that in the pork belly taco, while delicious, the protein was a little tough. Otherwise, all around fantastic, and I didn't even reach for the homemade hot sauces.
There is a time and place for authentic, meat/onion/cilantro tacos. However, sometimes you want something a little more fun, and this is the case with Bartaco.
Speaking of fun, the location is modern and hip, and despite being very busy, the service is kind, attentive, and speedy. A great atmosphere for a Friday night without having to bring earplugs. I'm not about the club scene, anyway.
As for value, while $3-4 per taco is not the cheapest around, the eight tacos I ate (a large helping, if I say so myself) came out to ~$30. Not at all bad for the quality and location! Similar with the margaritas, $13.50 in light of everything seems more than reasonable!
* No shade intended, he is genuinely hilarious, and can call me and my antics out any day the week.