Review: Tantalizing Baja Flavors at the Beaches

Originally published October 3, 2019

TacoLu is a Jacksonville classic: a quirky little taco joint that was inspired by the flavors, and especially the tequila, of Baja, Mexico. Their nontraditional take on traditional Mexican street food makes for an incredible dining experience. I have been to TacoLu many times, but on my latest adventure down Beach Boulevard, I was hungry for something new.

I am typically not a fan of corn in any form, but after hearing so many good things about TacoLu’s Mexican street corn, I decided to give it a try. Traditionally served on the cob and roasted on a stick, corn off the cob was requested so often that it became a permanent menu item. The street corn is now so wildly popular that it’s their most sold menu item, according to manager Eric Douglas. It’s not hard to see why. The sweet roasted corn blends perfectly with the mild saltiness of Cotija cheese and the mellow kick of their signature chipotle crema and spices. Let’s just say I have converted fully to the corn side, but only if it’s from TacoLu.

On a side note, TacoLu’s menu is very vegan and gluten-free friendly and they are more than happy to accommodate all allergies, sensitivities, and preferences. Several of the items on their menu were vegan-friendly already, and most of the rest of their menu has some kind of vegan counterpart. I am not vegan myself, but I have a non-dairy preference, and I was delighted when I found out a couple months ago that they now offer several vegan cheese and crema options. They rolled out the updated menu in May of 2019, after working on it since February.  It was TacoLu’s third menu change in eleven years of business. Substituting delicious non-dairy alternatives was the most difficult part of creating the new menu, said Douglas, since it can be tricky to find good vegan cheeses. They were able to pull it off excellently, however, much to my delight. 

And now for the main event: the tacos! I ordered four; my two usuals: Deb’s Verde and the Bangin’ Shrimp, and two new ones: the Brisket taco, and the Carne Asada taco, at the recommendation of my server, BJ.

“I’m kind of a plain guy,” BJ said, “and I like a plain taco. The Carne Asada is one of my favorites because the way we do it here is very well done and flavorful because of our special marinade.”

The Carne Asada was the simplest out of all the tacos that I tried, but that didn’t make it any less appetizing. A simple flour tortilla is the best foundation with which to build in the culinary world, and what better fillings than zesty blackened skirt steak, melty cheese, onions and cilantro to finish it off. This is one of the tacos to start with if you’re new to TacoLu, or if you’re like BJ and you prefer your tacos straightforward and delicious.

Moving on to one of my usual favorites: Deb’s Verde taco, named after one of the owners, Debbie Nicol. Debbie and her husband, Don, founded TacoLu in 2008 after an already impressive career in restaurant business, as well as an inspiring stint in Baja California. The Verde taco is made with juicy, shredded roast chicken, jack cheese and salsa verde, a tomatillo salsa with pickled jalapeño for an extra tangy kick.

The Brisket taco is another classic, albeit one that I never tried until today, and oh, am I glad that I did. The Dos Equis braised beef brisket is just one of the best things about this taco, the second being the pleasantly piquant ranchero sauce that perfectly complements the meat. Ranchero is a tomato-based sauce that is seasoned with chili peppers and spices, typically found in Tex-Mex style cooking, but it has found a lovely home alongside the flavor of the Dos Equis beer. Cotija cheese, onions and cilantro are the perfect finishers to this taco, and a framed picture of Debbie and the Most Interesting Man in the World smiling above my table seems to agree.

Last but not least is one of their most famous tacos, and my all-time personal favorite: the Bangin’ Shrimp. Sweet and spicy shrimp is the star of this dish, crispy fried and nestled in a bed of cabbage and scallions. The chipotle crema makes an appearance here once more, drizzled over the top. The phenomenal Asian flavor of the shrimp is a whole ocean away from the rest of the Mexican flavors at TacoLu, but as we’ve already established, they’re anything but traditional here at the Lu, and that’s just the way I like it.