Taco Loco Cantina on Mount Albert Road is one of two Taco Loco cantinas in Auckland, serving traditional Mexican food with, as the team puts it, 'plenty of tacos and a whole lot of fiesta.' The Mt Albert cantina is a neighbourhood spot for tacos, burritos, quesadillas and nachos, with margaritas, mezcal and cervezas behind the bar and churros to finish.
The kitchen's calling card is the Chicken Enmoladas - smothered in a rich, scratch-made mole, they have broken the restaurant's own sales records - while celebration days like Mexican Independence Day bring out traditional al pastor, the marinated pork classic. Taco Tuesday runs weekly from 5pm to 9pm, pairing an order of tacos with a house drink.
Beyond the dining room, Taco Loco caters events with sharing trays, a food truck and a burrito cart, and happily customises menus for vegan, vegetarian, coeliac and halal guests. Families are welcome - there's a dedicated kids menu with fun-sized tacos - and takeaway is available by phone.
On Mount Albert Road in Owairaka, Taco Loco Cantina serves up traditional Mexican food with what the team calls 'a whole lot of fiesta.' It is one of two Taco Loco cantinas in Auckland - the sister store sits on Garnet Road in Westmere - and the brand talks about bringing 'pure heart, authentic homemade Mexican food, and serious taqueria vibes' to its neighbourhoods. The Mt Albert cantina wears that banner proudly: a local hangout for after-work tacos, long family lunches and the occasional full-blown celebration.
Tacos lead the menu, and they get suitably ceremonial treatment. For Mexican Independence Day on September 16, the cantina has served traditional al pastor - the marinated pork classic - alongside classic cocktails and its own soundtrack, with bookings encouraged to secure a spot.
The dish with real legend status, though, is the Chicken Enmoladas: smothered in Taco Loco's rich, scratch-made mole, they have broken the restaurant's own sales records. Around them sits the full cantina spread - burritos, quesadillas, nachos, jalapeno poppers, and guacamole with chips, where 'way too much guac' is the officially encouraged serving size. Churros close things out, in keeping with the house eating philosophy posted on its own feed: cutlery is optional, hands are mandatory.
Taco Loco's flagship ritual is Taco Tuesday, which the team bills as world-wide recognised. Every Tuesday from 5pm to 9pm, both cantinas pair an order of tacos with a house drink, and the rooms fill accordingly - bookings are recommended. The rest of the drinks list leans properly Mexican: margaritas with unique twists, mezcal for the true believers, and cervezas flowing the moment spring arrives, ideally alongside chips and guacamole.
A big part of the Taco Loco story happens off-site. For events, the team offers three formats: the food truck, promising the full Taco Loco experience wherever the fiesta is; the burrito cart, for burritos that are simple and delicious; and sharing trays of Mexican favourites made for passing around the table. Trays can be mixed, matched and stacked into a custom menu that fits the event's vibe and budget, and the kitchen is notably flexible - vegan, vegetarian, coeliac and halal requests are all part of the routine, right through to the meat lovers.
Back at the cantina, kids get their own menu built around fun-sized tacos - big smiles guaranteed, per the announcement - and the overall vibe is deliberately family-friendly. If you would rather eat at home, takeaway is available from 179 Mount Albert Road; call 09 215 8542 to order tacos, nachos, burritos, quesadillas and more.
The Mt Albert cantina serves Sundays from 12pm to 8pm - a good slot for a long family lunch with enmoladas on the table - and Tuesday evenings run 5pm to 9pm for Taco Tuesday. Tables can be booked online, which is worth doing around events and busy nights, and gift cards are available if you are ticking off the taco lover in your life. The team signs off every post with 'nos vemos' - see you there.