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A visit to Taco Lobo is in order if I'm in Bellingham. It's best to come with a group - have someone snag a table and someone else dispatched to the salsa bar while you wait in line - Taco Lobo fills up quickly, especially around lunchtime!
The menu is both extensive and typical of Mexican food locations. I've dallied around the menu and most recently enjoyed the carnitas tacos ($2.50/each with 2 filling me up amply). The carnitas were fresh, if a little covered in juices, breaking down my tortillas pretty quickly. Topped with a helping of cabbage, onion, and cilantro, they were delicious on their own and made phenomenal with some of the salsa verde. If you order a platter with other menu items (burritos, enchiladas) your food is served with a side of beans and rice - a more-than-ample lunch that a co-worker made it a mission to finish ("I ate soooo much foooood," was his later lament).
Better Mexican food, especially considering the location (Washington State is not exactly synonymous with delicious Mexican, though Bellingham does make a better showing than most other places), cannot be found.
I define my Mexican dining experiences using Taco Lobo as the benchmark. It's either better or worse than this place.
I love taco lobo because the ingredients are always fresh, the food is lacking (thank goodness) of the heavy sour cream and cheap cheese that characterize most (American) Mexican restaurants. The people there are very kind, very human; so you could forgive their odd (very odd) screw up. I am a very content, regular, customer of this place. It is also very affordable.
Do you need another 5 star review to convince you to go to Taco Lobo? Get your buns over there and order your self up my favorite meal: pork tamale (best I've EVER had) and a birria torta! mmmmmMM. I'm drooling just writing this.
Some reviewers say "best Mexican food in Bellingham" -- well, we've lived in Texas and really like Tex-Mex and authenic Mexican cuisine, but I'd say that Taco Lobo is the BEST MEXICAN FOOD IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. When our kids visit from Oregon and California, they always want to have lunch (at least once) at Taco Lobo because they can't find anything to match TL's flavors in Portland or San Francisco!
Not only is the food outstanding, Taco Lobo is affordable, the staff is attentive and professional, but also the place is cheerful, clean, and the salsa bar is outstanding!
Service SUCKS
Food is mediocre at best and kind of expensive for a taco
Mi Mexico is a much better choice
Tasty, Authentic Mexican food at a family-owned and run restaurant. Fast and friendly service! The salsa bar is amazing -- freshly made and spicy. Cheerful and colourful decor with lots of neon, and lively Mexican music playing. Clean and spacious. Definitely a good place to go when you are craving Mexican food.
Dear Taco Lobo,
I came in for dinner with some friends a while back... l waited to write my review because I was so pissed off Im sure I would of used words for grownups, and called you names.
I have eaten your dinners a number of times, and the food has always been decent, no complaints there, some of it is downright good. Its what I call mock mexican....not authentic by any stretch, but still tasty
The annoying part has been your, at best, mediocre service... thing is I have pretty low expectations of you to begin with.... since I order at a counter and you simply have to match me to a number on a table...yet you still manage to have screwed that up more than once. As often as not your tables need a good clean, and your staff isnt too helpful, its obvious you are busy there, but you might want to stop overworking them so much that they have bad attitudes. The general vibe I always get from your staff, is stressed out, rushed, understaffed, annoyed, and fed up.
On this occasion I came in with about 10 friends and our food took over 60 min to get (the first one), and close to an hour and a half later you had delivered only about a third of it. It took FOREVER, your people were clueless, we kept asking.... it sucked, your people sucked, and the food we EVENTUALLY got sucked (actually the food only kinda sucked, but sitting here writing this, its getting me remembering how pissed I was and what a crap evening you provided for us... so its hard not to toss that "it sucked" tag on the food too)
No-one ever gave us even a halfway acceptable reason why it took stupid long, your staff had attitude, because we were not the only ones in the place pissed off and waiting WAY too long for food....so after a while your workers were fed up with your customers getting annoyed about not getting what they had paid for even relatively promptly, and they were being dicks about it, that made for an even more pleasant evening as you might imagine.
Sooooo bottom line, I haven't gone back, and I have gone out of my way to veto any suggestion from friends that ever want to go there, unlike most places even if they are average Ill keep my mouth shut and go anyway, its about the social aspect, not the food or service so much.... In your case I"l toss a hissy fit if I have to, your never ever getting another of my dollars..and I go out of my way to make sure as many of my friends dont put money in your pocket either ( YES, it was that big a CRAP of an evening!)
Instead of a pleasant social evening we ended up a bunch of cranky, hungry, fed up people...
I doubt this review will have any effect on your business, since many of your reviews are glowing, they obviously haven't had the crappy experience I have, but buyer beware, if it starts going south on you, its going to be a bumpy ride!
ONE STAR IS WAY TOO MANY
This is my favorite local restaurant in Bellingham. I've been told, it's as authentic as you can get (and still be in Bellingham). Their margaritta's and chili relleno's are awesome!
I love Taco Lobo~It's the only Mexican restaurant that I would recommend.. I love all the salsa's and that everything isn't covered in cheese like so many of the other Mexican restaurant's. I give it a 5 stars!
Man...Taco Lobo has some great Mexican food! While visiting Bellingham, my husband and I wanted some Mexican food and referred to the handy Yelp application on the iPhone. Yelp did not disappoint and lead us to this place. We ordered our food at the counter and were given a basket of chips (you get a basket of chips if your order is over $5). The salsas they had available were quite tasty...I loved the pico de gallo. For my entree I ordered the three taco plate combination (2 beef & 1 chicken) and my husband ordered the Chicken Asado plate. Both dishes come with rice and beans. We loved our dishes but the chicken stood out to both of us. The chicken pieces in my taco and his Asado were juicy and well seasoned. And, the rice and beans were really good too.
The staff here is friendly and efficient. We didn't wait very long for our food after we ordered. The prices here are also reasonable. I wish they would open location in Seattle. They would totally make a killing!
They have a nice salsa bar and self serve water station which is good because I hate waiting for refills. The food quality is pretty consistent but the tables are always a mess. Try to eat here when its not very busy.
Probably some of the best Mexican food you can find in Bellingham and with all you can eat pico de gallo and guacamole for your chips and entrees I can't say its not worth the price.
People like to argue about the "authenticity" of Mexican food. I don't really get into those kind of discussions - I've been outside the tourist zones in Mexico and had carnitas, pollo asado, tamales and tacos that are an awful lot like the ones at Taco Lobo. You are not served a platter with something that could be an enchilada, burrito or chimichanga slathered in cheese and tomato sauce, which is pretty standard for Americanized Mexican food.
But that really doesn't address whether it is good or not. Taco Lobo is ranked on Yelp as one of the best restaurants in Bellingham. I could argue with that, but I wouldn't argue that it is the best Mexican food in Bellingham. The tamales come wrapped in a corn husk, like they should, and aren't dug out of freezer like you will find at most other Mexican places. The salsa bar has the kind of variety and flavor you would hope for. The tortillas are freshly pressed and quality and care is taken with every dish on the menu. I personally recommend the tamales, pollo en salsa verde, any of the tacos and the carnitas. I'm not a fan of Chile Relleno but I'm told it is excellent.
Taco Lobo is ranked No.1 for Mexican food in Bellingham with good reason. If you're traveling in Mexico, you can find restaurants that specialize in carne asada, carnitas, ceviche or pollo asado that is superior to what you find at Taco Lobo. However, you won't find anything better in Bellingham.
Best Mexican in Bellingham
I am thankful to the person who first introduced me to Taco Lobo - I am a regular and anyone who knows me will tell you it's my favorite lunch spot in town (great for dinner too).
The food is great! I love their Carnitas and their pollo verde, but really it's all good. There's about 4 things that set Lobo apart...
1) Tortillas: their tortillas are hand-made fresh, on the spot and they are great. I always order something that comes with 3 tortillas on the side...awesome! Taste just like the ones I got off the street in Mexico.
2) Salsa Bar: they have a great and big selection of salsas: I love their guacemole and Pico de Gallo
3) Value: You get a lot of food for 6.95-8.95 - every order comes with chips too...I'm always stuffed.
4) Authentic food: their food is not smothered in cheese, but is very authentic. If you're looking for generic Mexican ala Las Margaritas, Azteca, etc. you won't like it here...
If you come for lunch, come early (before 11:45) or you'll be in the lunch rush.
Who knew that you had to travel so close to the northern border to get amazingly authentic and tasty Mexican food?
Of particular note is that they serve yummy aguas frescas. The jamaica is perfectly refreshing on a hot summer day.
LOVE THE LOBO....
and it appears if you are a super hot
gay mexican 20 year old you can also have a job here!
Thank you lobo....for being here...but open up on sunday...
daddy needs burritos on the speacial day too.
UPDATE: Although I wil stick by my word on the deliciousness of their food, I now have had several experiences of extremely poor service! Last time I went in, we ordered close to closing time (annoying I know) and paid cash. The staff were indifferent at best, and we waited a long time for our food so I went to check if it looked ready. The guy was cleaning up the kitchen and hadn't been given our orders! He refused to make us our food, and could not offer a refund because the register was locked!!! The next day i went in to get my refund and the guy (who i think is the owner) barely apologized when giving me my cash. No attempt whatsoever to secure my business in the future, just a lame sorry and a promise to "see who'se fault it was" WTF!!???!!
Original review: Taco Lobo is the shit!! The only authentic mexican food in town besides the taco trucks, and here you can sample from an awesome fresh salsa bar and get delicous margaritas. Try the pork al pastor (pineapple) it's an amazing mix of spicy and sweet. I have never had a bad meal at taco lobo, and even though its probably not the healthiest thing you could be eating, nothing there is smothered with cheese or grease. If you are craving delicious mexican food at a reasonable price, try it out.
Oh and yes like Ty said, there is a hot 20 year old gay guy who works there for those who care.
Bellingham doesn't know how lucky they are to have this place in town.
The food is authentic, they have the best homeade corn tortillas, rice, and beans.
The service is always good but the prices are little on the high side.
NOT the most authentic Mexican food in Whatcom County (try El Gitano in Sunset square or better yet - Chihuahua's in Ferndale) but it's the best in the downtown area. The rice and beans here are pretty solid - moreso than any other spot downtown, but the big draw for me is the salsa bar. Not as many fresh cut salsas as Banditos (their saving grace) but the Pica de Gallo here is good and if you mix it with a bit of the red sauce you've got a pretty solid dipping salsa. Not to mention it's all-you-can-stuff-your-face-with ... a good lunchtime option if you want to save half a meal for later - go fill up on the chips and take half your entree home.
Another plus for these guys: there are actually Mexicans who are running the show here, rather than some dreadlocked college students making your "mexican" food. It's still not Yakima, but it's better than the other downtown options.
Most authentic Mexican food in town, I believe, and all-around tasty!
Not as cheap for what you get as a couple other downtown "Mexican" places, but certainly more like Mexico - down to the beers and other beverages. It's always a good sign when the staff is communicating mostly in Spanish, I'd say. Also, there's plenty of room, so you can bring a good-sized group in without a problem unless it's at an especially busy time.
A colleague and I were driving from a business meeting in Vancouver to Seattle and were getting hungry for dinner. I opened my laptop and courtesy of my Verizon aircard and yelp, began hunting for a decent place to eat. Neither was in the mood for a particular type of food, so we contemplated Middle Eastern, Japanese, Mexican, etc. The reviews for Taco Lobo sounded good, it was convenient from the highway, so we decided to give it a try.
WOW! It was not fancy, so don't expect tablecloths and fancy lighting. Judging from the exterior, it is most likely a place we would have passed by were it not for Yelp. Walking in, we were foolishly waiting to be seated until we were told to order from the menu board first then grab a seat.
The food was amazing. The homemade tortillos were warm and tasty. The salsa bar had a delicious array of colorful condiments in varying degrees of hot -- all freshly homemade and spectacular. I tried 4 or 5 different sauces. I am a vegetarian and the small Veggie Taco combo platter; my colleague had the steak burrito which he raved about. Total bill with one drink (mine only), came to $27. A bargain for delicious food.
If I lived in or near Bellingham, WA, I'd be a regular. Unfortunately I live near Bellingham, MA -- a mere 3,113 miles or 46 hours drive. But next time I have the opportunity, you can be sure I will be stopping at Taco Lobos!
This place was great! I had the chorizo taco. It was very delicious. The salsas were nice and spicy. The guacomole was very different than what I am use to, but it tasted very good.
YUM!
That really sums it up. If you are looking for delicious Mexican food, the Lobo is where you should be headed. The good: Authentic, made fresh to order, a great salsa bar, and margaritas/beer if you want them! I usually stick to the pollo asado burrito when I go (so good!), but most everything else I've tried has also been great.
The not so good: A little spendy (in my opinion), at times pretty busy, closed on Sundays, and sometimes a long wait for food (even when you're the only one in the restaurant)..
Best Mexican in Bellingham.
But seriously, what's the deal with being closed from Dec 25th to Jan 9th. You're killing me!
My partner & I are very limited on time due to working different schedules, and like everyone else on the planet, we're limited budgetwise too. So when we decide to spend our 'food credits' at a restaurant, it's a big decision.
That being said, Taco Lobo is the place we go to more than anywhere else in B'ham.
I've never been to any other restaurant where the sides (beans & rice) are as tasty as the entrees. Everything tastes so fresh and every flavor stands out. You can look into the kitchen and see the refries cooking, and when you order, you can hear them chopping up ingredients right then & there. I'm a tamale junkie, and their masa is wonderful, fluffy and light and savory. The pork filling is a perfect spicy complement. I also love the birrio. Smokey, saucy pork, with just-right tortillas for scooping.
My partner (who has travelled extensively in Mexico) says this is the closest to Mexico she has tasted anywhere. Her favorite is the tacos al pastor. Messy but oh-so-good!
Free chips & salsa (and such yummy salsa!), friendly service, great prices....and we haven't even tried their margaritas yet!
Let me add, we drive all the way from Everson to eat here, it's that good. Dang it! I'm trying to find a new place to spend our 'food credits' tomorrow, and now all I want is Taco Lobo....
Some of the best Mexican food in Bellingham short of going to one of the Taco Wagons. Carne Asada tacos and the Carnitas are super tastie.
Service can be hit or miss. You order at the counter and they bring the food to you. I have had my lunch completely forgotten twice when I arrived right before the lunch rush, and I no longer go by myself to try and prevent this.
My favorite Mexican restaurant in all of Bellingham - this place is run by a family and is entirely authentic. They have great specials and giant margaritas. Their salsa bar is amazing, with 3 different salsas to choose from and lots of cilantro. I always order the bean burrito entre, delivering a five pound burrito with loads of rice and beans. You can eat off of that sucker for a week, if you had to. It's full of flavor and not a grease pit, plus they just expanded the restaurant to include more seating and a margarita bar. Beautifully decorated, as well. Prices vary from about $8-15 per meal.
Always fresh, always fast! The frestest Mexican food I have ever tasted hands down. Very rriendly staff and you can enjoy chips and salsa (5 different kinds) while you wait for your food. Sarah is the nicest waitperson in the world!
Fantastically fresh Mexican food, they make such awesome homemade tortillas, it's really ridiculous how delicious it is. I love hitting up Taco Lobo for their guacamole.
They are alright. I haven't really eaten there that much, so I might change my mind later.
Bellingham, WA
Category: Mexican
Bellingham, WA
Category: Mexican
Bellingham, WA
Category: Restaurants
Bellingham, WA
Category: Italian
Bellingham, WA
Category: Pizza
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