Your free advice for the day: sometimes first impressions aren’t the best ones.

I was all set to write a bad review for Taco Mesa, detailing all the minutia I found wrong with the location in Orange on my one and only visit. I decided, however, that it’s not fair to judge a restaurant on one bad experience, and perhaps visiting again would help to round out my review.

That turned out to be the right decision.

First off, they’ve got a good vegetarian selection — vegetarian rice is listed as such on the menu, and I was told their refried and black beans are also safe. Two other items are listed as “vegetarian” — the Vegetarian Tostada and Vegetarian Nachos. In addition, the Burrito De Queso, Mesa Burrito, Mesa Torta, Cheese Enchiladas, Chili Relleno, and Cheese Quesdilla all can be ordered with the vegetarian rice and make for a rounded, meat-free meal.

They’re by no means a strictly vegetarian place, but that’s OK — I’ve yet to see anything close to “authentic” Mexican that was. The location in Orange we went to was busy, and many people there seemed to be regulars, which is always a good sign. The diners also seemed to be enjoying their food — another plus.

Unfortunately, on my first trip, I didn’t enjoy mine.

I had one of my Mexican food staples, the cheese enchilada platter. We got our meals after a long wait, and my Cheese Enchilada Mesa Combo looked like it had experienced some heat lamp fatigue, with a slight crust on the beans and sauce. If anything, enchiladas often suffer from being too mushy after sitting, but mine had the opposite problem — about 1/4 of each tortilla was too chewy to even cut through without a knife, which is not an appetizing proposition on a foam plate. Even in bite-sized pieces, these parts were inedible.

Ignoring my tortilla issues, the flavors were generally good, although the too-thick sauce wouldn’t have been my first choice. The beans and rice were both fine, but nothing special. I did appreciate that there were fresh greens served on enchiladas — they provided a satisfying textural difference. It wasn’t enough for me to recommend it, however.

I decided to go a different direction on my second trip and get a burrito, a la cart. Their Mesa Burrito, while not labeled “vegetarian,” contains all the standard veggie Mexican goodness: rice, black beans, mushrooms, spinach, red onions, guacamole and cheese. It’s then covered with a caldillo sauce — rich, thin and peppery without being overwhelming.

The burrito itself was very fresh-tasting, full of flavor, and “light” — even filled with beans and rice. The tortilla was tender and easy to cut into on my foam plate, and the mix of ingredients held up well to both the sauce and each other. I’m glad I got it without beans and rice on the side — it would have been too much food, even for a big eater like me. If there was one dish that could make up for my unfortunate enchilada experience, however, this was definitely it.

What else is good about Taco Mesa? First and foremost, the price. My burrito was $4.99 for what appeared to be nearly a pound of food. The enchilada platter was also under $10. Even with a drink you can get out of there for less than most FreshMex-style places. The location is nice and open, the salsa bar has a variety of condiments you don’t see at your local chains, and the atmosphere is fun and what you’d expect. They’ve also got considerably more vegetarian choices than most places, once you go looking.

If you’d asked me this morning if I’d recommend Taco Mesa, you’d have been lucky to get a “maybe” out of me. But one lunchtime and delicious burrito later, I’m much more willing to say “try it out, see what you think” — it’s entirely possible my first trip was the exception, rather than the rule.

Taco Mesa has locations in Orange, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, and Ladera Ranch.

Posted in: Restaurants • Reviews • Vegetarian • Vegetarian Mexican Restaurants |

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