Long Island Eats: Dirty Taco & Tequila

The inspiration for this concept claims to have been Los Angeles taco truck meets Miami liquor stand with an urban feel. Mexican food meets Asian food. Dirty Taco has definitely been a spot that hass received tons of hype with multiple locations now popping up on the island.

Let me start off my experience saying that I completely loved the vibe. I think the description they gave was right on the money. It felt very urban with that colorful graffiti decor and food cart style food. It definitely felt hip like where the cool kids come out to play. The servers were super fun, helpful, and even funny and entertaining making for a really nice overall experience.

Here’s a little more on the food rundown

First things first the margaritas are excellent, so definitely start off with one of those, and there are lot’s of great and unique options to choose from. I tried the spicy blood orange. For an appetizer we went with the Asian styled wings which definitely have a lot going on and are unlike your typical nachos. Every bite is a surprise and it comes across as a flavor profile that you cant really pin point but in a great way. It’s a tasty and exciting dish to eat but be warned it is also very filling.

BIRRIA TACO: stewed beef, guadijillo peppers, cilantro, onion mix, melted cheese, pan fried and served with dipping marinade
KOREAN SHORT RIB: slow briased short ribs, kimchi slaw, spicy mayo and cilantro
VITENAMESE SHRIMP: flour fried shrimp, cabbage and carrot slaw, thai peanut ,sa uce, tasted peanuts and scallions

So I ordered the three tacos you see above. While I did enjoy them all, I do have a couple critiques. The Birria taco was really good, don’t get me wrong, but strangely enough I felt like could use a little salt. I think that the cheese was so mild that it kind of mellowed out the flavors where I expected a little more oomph. Paired with the sauce it definitely makes for a better bite. The shrimp taco was definitely tasty but a touch on the dry side. I would have liked a little more sauce with it personally. I think the Korean Short Rib was definitely my favorite pick of the three. Flavorful, nice texture combo, a little kick of spice. My only complaint here is that it felt a little redundant from my pick of the Asian Style Nachos since the short rib is really the star in both.

I hope this doesn’t sound like I left disappointed because I definitely wasn’t. The food WAS really good and in all honesty, there are SO many taco choices, deep down I feel like I kind of knew better and even had my eye on some other ones to try instead. There is always next time. I would definitely come back to try them and will keep you updated when that happens.

Another fun fact to share is their slogan to “live clean and eat dirty” Cute dirty taco, cute.

Dirty Taco Website