Restaurant Review: Taco Casa
Posted Sunday, May 22, 2011Taco Casa is one of those enduring city institutions you'd think would have died off years ago, but somehow manages to survive in spite of a culinary landscape overrun by corporate restaurant chains.
The Tex-Mex, Taco Bell-inspired business has been around well before my time, founded in 1968. There are three locations, each with its own batch of loyal followers.
The location I most often frequented was in Oakley, but it has since closed. Taco Casa still has two other locations in Montgomery and in Norwood.
Taco Casa offers some of the most Americanized versions of Mexican food I've ever seen, Taco Bell notwithstanding. I'm not even sure it's accurate to call it Tex-Mex. Most of the food appears to be prepared from canned ingredients --though I have no idea where their meat and seafood comes from. Casa fans would say this is all part of its charm.
The obligatory tacos, enchiladas, burritos and quesadillas are here, but what I suspect keeps people coming back are Taco Casa's interesting "house specialties," like their unusually addictive Taco Salad, served with tortilla chips and filled with iceberg lettuce, seasoned ground beef, beans, onions, tomatoes, shredded cheese topped with ranch dressing.
The specialty I always have a craving for is the Tuna Boat Supreme, served in a plastic tub and looking a lot like a fat enchilada filled with tuna salad, cheese, onions, jalapenos and topped with the aforementioned ranch sauce.
Everything here is artery-clogging, cheesy, meaty goodness, although you can go vegetarian replacing meat with refried beans. That certainly won't help you on the calorie front.
Recently, Taco Casa added a rare new menu item: fish tacos. I'm a fish taco fiend and gave them a try. Unlike more "traditional" fish tacos you'd see in California using a white fish like cod, mahi-mahi or tilapia, these were made with salmon and not fried. Each taco was served on a single corn tortilla and topped with tomatoes, lettuce and that same ranch sauce.
By the time I got the fish tacos home, the sauce had absorbed into the tortilla and made it impossible to pick up without falling apart. The fish was moist, flaky and seemed to have been prepared with a spicy rub --there was definite, welcomed heat dancing off the tongue. They're worth a try, though I'd recommend keeping them in their wrapper since one flimsy corn tortilla won't stand up to that sauce.
Taco Casa is an old stand-by whose long-standing success is thanks to the one constant in the universe: we all occasionally crave food served in a cardiologist's worst nightmare. Long live the Tuna Boat.
4600 Smith Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45209513-827-9440
Rating: 2.5 out of 4
= Outstanding
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
The best TACO joint in the city. I go there as a treat to myself every Monday. TEX MEX TACOS are delicious culinary treats that look beautiful and taste great. I'm so impressed with this place that I never explore the other items on the menu. If you don't get your taco fix here, you're losing in life.
posted: Tue., Apr 27th, 2021 @ 2:37 PM
My Wife and myself dined at Ferrari’s on Saturday and the Food and service was great/ I had the Butternut Squash Ravioli with misc nuts and sauce and it was the best meal I’ve had there/ My wife had the Fish and Vegetables and was very happy/ I also got a couple of their pizza and olive loaves of bread/ The bread is always a hit at work.
posted: Mon., Nov 23rd, 2020 @ 1:14 PM
@Rick: Thanks for the suggestion! I'll have to remember to give them a try.
posted: Sat., Nov 21st, 2020 @ 9:06 AM
Try Joe's Pizza located at Airway and Smithville Rd. You might like it...That's one of favorite haunts. I definitely think it beats Cassano's.
posted: Fri., Nov 6th, 2020 @ 4:19 PM
Hands down the best Indian in the area. I have yet to find their yellow Punjabi dish anywhere. It is my favorite, and what keeps me coming back time after time. I think I have been here over 100 times. I love this place.
posted: Thu., May 28th, 2020 @ 12:03 PM
I found a gyro I keep thinking about
https://www.yelp.com/biz/tazikis-mediterranean-cafe-cincinnati
their lamb gyro is about 2-3 bucks higher in cost than a gyro elsewhere - B U T - it is made with whole pieces of lamb meat, not the lamb and beef loaf that all other Gyro joints in Cincinnati seem to do
it is a chain. A minus for me, and I suspect for you as well.
But its good.
really, really good
one caveat: skip the baklava as it is not made in-house
posted: Mon., Dec 9th, 2019 @ 12:43 PM
I'll take your word for it, then.....it is fairly close to work so it'll be an upcoming lunch
I also need to try out this little taco wagon near Quatmans in Norwood
posted: Mon., Sep 9th, 2019 @ 6:21 PM
Hi @TJ - We were pretty impressed with the quality of the items, which I think justifies some of the pricing. I really liked the house-made tortillas and their salsas. Chilero offered some extra little touches that were a pleasant surprise. :)
Just by way of comparison...that same week we'd tried the new Mazunte location downtown...and our experience at Chilero beat them out.
posted: Thu., Aug 29th, 2019 @ 10:18 PM
Great food and fantastic atmosphere
posted: Wed., Aug 28th, 2019 @ 8:29 PM
Seems very pricey for a mostly carryout/counter-service joint
posted: Wed., Aug 28th, 2019 @ 5:51 PM