Seriously flavorful, satisfying soul food/Mexican eats! Everything was fresh and the right kind of spicy. The fresh salsas were emptied embarassingly fast. We ordered the smoked brisket burrito (best brisket I've had in FL!) and the blackened catch of the day on the avocado salad, which was loaded with basically everything I love in Mex cuisine. The vibe is modern and bright, the service was speedy and attentive. Really the best I've had a long time!
The presentation could not have been worse. The tacos I ordered (shown in the photo) were $19 before tax. The food was tasteless. Their menu & website rave about a “chef”. He would get fired from Taco Bell.
Only leaving 1 star because there was no option to not leave any stars at all! Would not recommend to someone that enjoys flavorful food. This place was a tourist trap for sure!!!For the cost, the food was VERY below average! We received complimentary chips and salsa while we waited on our food. Pretty sure the salsa was just canned fire roasted tomatos— very flavorless.I ordered the 2 tacos with blackened fish and it was flavorless. The flour tortillas were the size of something from a kids meal and definitely not worth the $16 I paid. Pictured is the portabello Macho Nacho for $20 (requested no sour cream or salsa…did not receive everything else that was supposed to come with it)— 1,000 chips with a spoonful of cheese and dried up, flavorless mushrooms. Could have used flavor, more cheese, and actual nacho toppings (maybe some lettuce, tomato etc). We also ordered the kids nachos and requested black beans as the protein. The black beans were dry. Just as the Macho Nacho, there were 1,000 chips with a spoonful of cheese with 14 black beans—no other toppings. Less than half was eaten for both nachos. After addressing our concerns, nothing was done. We also ordered the MT House Salad with brisket. The dressing was requested to be put on the side. We received the salad with the dressing on it. After mentioning to the waitress, nothing was done. Fortunately, the brisket made it a little better.$75 worth of disappointment!!! 100% will never return!On a good note, the waitress was friendly and patient. The establishment was clean and the atmosphere was nice!
? Macho Taco Cantina was a hit! We started off with the Fried Lobster Bites. Our first time having lobster fried and I’m for it! Macho Margarita was delicious. Tacos are definitely bang for your buck - loaded with meat! The Smoked Pork Chimichurri was my favorite! Thank you for the fantastic guest service! Located conveniently on Hwy. 98 in SRB if you want to avoid Highway 30A crowds.
The meat is the star here! The chef is from Atlanta and came from Kevin Rathbun’s Steak and Fox Bros BBQ… and it shows! I had the burnt ends taco and pork belly taco, both excellent. It’s really more of a high end gourmet BBQ experience with a Mexican twist.
Good flavors and nice atmosphere. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Love they had Gluten free options. Definitely would recommend
Would not recommend to anyone. Went as a family of 4, ordered street tacos ($13) a person and a kids meal. Once we received the bill it was $18 more than we should have paid. They charged an additional $3.50 for a kids drink (should have been included with kids meal) and an additional $12 to add steak to our tacos when it was never mentioned on the menu. Service was slow and they over charge.
So, let us start this with all the cards on the table. Just because I was raised on homemade tortillas and pots of beans and rice daily does not make me an expert on Mexican food, but it does get me close to knowing what it should be like. Our kitchen was my playground since I was the youngest of seven boys. Get the picture!Since then, I have traveled extensively as a photographer experiencing all kinds of cuisine. I do not usually write reviews about Mexican food especially here in the Destin area. Most local Mexican restaurants prepare a mixture of Central and South American cuisine. I adhere to my mom’s words “if you don’t have anything to say nice then don’t.”This week’s review is not about a Mexican restaurant its good Taco Joint. It has taken the one essential dish (the taco) and elevated it. Stephen (Do not tell him but he really reminds me of Chris Stapleton) over at Macho Taco is brains behind this Santa Rosa hidden gem. I am so glad he took the high road and did not call it a Mexican restaurant but a taco place.Dallas in the last few years saw tons of e young new chefs experimented and created amazing novel places celebrated the taco. If this place were in Dallas, you would be there for lunch and back to meet up with all your friends in the evening for Happy Hour. That is how cool this place is.The interior is bight and airy with sitting in outside seating. The bar area allows for ample space to get to your favorite bartender. Let me tell you if for no other reason you should stop by and order one of their delicious specialty drinks. My favorite is The Citrus Grille Margarita. It is amazing. Stephen was kind enough to share one little secret with me and that is he grills the citrus and then has the bartender muddle it in the drinks.Chips and salsa are first things to hit the table. The chips are fresh, and the salsa is mild. If spicy is more of your speed, you might be slightly disappointed. If you have ever ordered Mexican food in California that what you will get.Let us get to the main attraction. I ordered three tacos to be able to get a sense of what he would be backing into these little corn tortilla delights. The sweet server informed me that there was a spice bar that I could take advantage off, but I chose to abstain on order to get the true taste of each taco. The Texas Tacos come filled with fresh grilled Tender pork smoked to perfection right outside the back door. sweet and tart sauce accompaniment it to perfection. I took me back to the South Texas taco stands of my youth. The meats marinated for at least and grilled slowly for hours.Next was the Buffalocal Taco. Whatever the salsa lacks this taco makes up in spicy. The batter lives up to its famous name and takes a fish taco to next level of yum. Warning to those of you who fear spicy. You might consider getting an extra cold cerveza before tackling this one.The last taco on my order was the Cool Ranch Taco. Anything with fresh jalapeños is all right with me so, to see this baby with fresh green jalapenos only made my mouth water. I was wondering why Cool Ranch. Well take one bite of this taco and see if you are not thinking about a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. A zesty chicken filled treat finished off with cool ranch taste.Stephen thank you for bringing a fresh new restaurant to the area, and most of all giving me a new watering hole to continue to visit. I hope all those of you Texans who venture to our area and visit 30A find this place. It will save you the headache of where to eat and save you from a 2 hours wait. I will warn you that this place is not going to be a secret for long.
Very delicious food, portions are just right, excellent service, very fast no wait, five stars ⭐️
Oh my Heavens!! What a great find!! Always one to support local businesses, we stopped in Macho Taco and are so grateful we did. We are fans for life! The smoked meats are amazing, and the menu items are a great change from the predictable options most places offer. My favorite is the tostado salad, brisket tacos are good also. Heck, they are all my favorite ! Coming from the Atlanta area, it’s great to find similar dining experiences close to home in Santa Rosa Beach. Welcome to town y’all!