Kyja W.
Yelp
From the outside, it first appeared that parking would be a challenge. However, conveniently attached to Torchy's is a parking garage (don't forget to bring your ticket with you because they validate!). My boyfriend and I parked and then walked upstairs, leading us straight into the building to Torchy's interior door.
Upon walking into the trendy restaurant, we headed around to the counter to order. There was a line but it moved quick. Surprisingly, although packed, we also managed to snag a high top table.
To start, my boyfriend and I ordered a "threesome" appetizer (chips with queso, guacamole, and your choice of salsa--we chose red). It came out quickly and we gobbled up the entire app. That "award winning queso" was definitely the star of the show. It's very special! Second place for us went to the salsa which had the perfect amount of spice to it, and third went to the still delicious guacamole.
For our taco choices, we each got a limited time special "Holy Diver" taco on flour tortilla. It's: cooked cabbage slaw, achiote grilled shrimp, diced mango, pickled onions and jalapenos, cotija cheese, jalapeno tartar sauce, cilantro. We also wanted to get the "FoSho" or one of the other avocado tacos, but the associate at the register informed us that they were out of avocado. No worries. Instead, we each got a "Mr. Orange" taco, and my boyfriend got a "Baja Shrimp Grilled" taco. We also ordered a side of rice and beans, and an order of street corn.
After finishing our appetizer and sitting for quite a while for the rest of our food, a manager came over to our table and apologized for wait time. My boyfriend and I were feeling very relaxed and unbothered, so we thanked him and told him it was okay. I really appreciated him doing this because a lot of places don't. It was professional and kind. Later, we were told that they didn't have the shrimp that they use for the Holy Diver but had smaller shrimp they could use--we okayed this because at least they still had shrimp! We waited. Finally, our tacos and side of rice and beans arrived and they looked delicious. Another server also stopped by and asked us if we were told that they were out of the corn as well. We said no and he offered to bring some kind of replacement. I asked for the "damn good tots" without bacon, and they delivered. These had the same queso on them as the app so they were delicious! It was such a tiny portion though. For so many "sorry, we're out of..." moments and long wait time, I feel they should have done a little more for us. Maybe a full size tots order (because this had to have been the 1/2 size) or a drink on the house or something. I'm not one of those types of people constantly looking for a freebie, but it was kind of a turn-off to consistently have to say "it's okay" for not one (avocado), not two (standard sized shrimp), but three (Mexican corn) different things... two of which we weren't told until after placing our order, paying, and waiting. I get that they are popular, but to run out of so many things before 6:30PM looks ill-prepared.
All in all, while we typically prefer more authentic Mexican restaurants to Tex-Mex (although still honorable) , we found this place to be fun and flavorful! Despite the flubs, I'm sure we will return to try more things.