Recently, Akshay’s sister was raving about this new taco joint that opened up right next to the Irvine Spectrum called Puesto. Apparently, they have really delicious filet mignon tacos and are a great deal on Taco Tuesday. We decided to go check it out!
We arrived at Puesto around 6pm and were seated within 10 minutes. You can tell a lot of thought went into the presentation, colors, and decor. It’s definitely a nicer more upscale taco spot. They do give complimentary chips and salsa (pretty bland though)!
They have a great selection of drinks including tequila, mezcal, cerveza, and wine flights. Since it was a weekday, we decided to stick to non-alcoholic drinks and ordered a mango-limon agua fresca. Muy delicioso! Homemade and really refreshing!
Puesto also has a unique array of tacos, which was a nice change from the usual. Akshay and I each ordered 3 tacos. We both ordered the filet mignon, but the rest of the tacos that we chose were different. (click here for menu):
1. Filet Mignon: Pieces of sliced steak, avocado, crispy melted cheese drizzled with spicy pistachio serrano.
2. Chicken Verde: Shredded white meat chicken, crispy melted cheese topped with cilantro-cumin tomatillo sauce and caramelized onion & serrano tinga verde.
3. Chicken al Pastor: Shredded white meat chicken, crispy melted cheese, hibiscus chipotle tinga, avocado, piña habanero pico
4. Cochinita Pibil: Ancho chile-marinated pork, pickled red onions, tomatillo roja
5. Taco of the Month: They change this up every month, but the one in February was called Pork Tinga.
First off, the taco prices are pretty ridiculous, so I highly recommend checking this place out on Taco Tuesday so you don’t pay $5-6 per taco! The Taco Tuesday deal starts at around $3, with an additional $1-2, depending on the meat (i.e filet mignon, shrimp, fish are naturally more expensive).
Akshay and I loved the filet mignon tacos, and I personally would come back just for these! The other tacos were good, but not $3-6 worth “good.” Unfortunately, I wanted to try the tamarind shrimp taco, but it was sold out…probably a sign that it’s delicious! (Akshay’s note: Or it means they have a really crappy notion of supply and demand.) (Tika’s note: He sounds like a bitter old man.) I recommend starting out with 3 tacos. I was pretty full.
The service was painfully slow. I think it was just the waitress we had, but we spent almost 15 minutes to give our taco order, and another 25 minutes to get our tacos.
All in all, I would come back on Taco Tuesday and order myself 2 filet mignon/1 tamarind shrimp tacos and maybe a cerveza flight :). Akshay, on the other hand, probably wouldn’t. (Akshay’s note: she’s right I wouldn’t come back.) Who wants to go with me?!
Fresh Mango-Limon aguas fresca with some salsa and chips
Taco Tuesday Plate of 3
