Upon touching down in Miami I had one objective besides being present enough during a work conference as to not get fired: find the three most popular taco spots in South Beach, try them all over the course of roughly three hours, and crown a champion in a three way heads up review. That's exactly what I did, and in case you're too lazy to read further, the crown goes to Bodega.
Contestants:
- Taquiza
- Alma Mexicana
- Bodega
Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere?
You've got three very different vibes here between the three. Taquiza is essentially a classy taco stand with seating, Alma is a proper sit down spot (or at least can be), and Bodega doubles as a bar. Bodega had by far the coolest vibe, Taquiza had the fastest service, and Alma felt like I was a guest in someone's kitchen. All good.
Taquiza: Star (1)
Alma Mexicana: Star (1)
Bodega: Star (1)
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
I quickly learned that I need to throw away all my Los Angeles-infused preconceived notions as to what a taco should cost here in South Beach. $3.50 was without a doubt the benchmark virtually across the board, and while Alma's ramped up to $4.00 for their fish taco the tacos were notably larger. Even so stars across the board.
Taquiza: Star (2)
Alma Mexicana: Star (2)
Bodega: Star (2)
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
I should be very clear here in saying that all three of these spots dished up exceptional tacos, and below is a summary of what I ordered:
Taquiza: 1x Pastor, 1x Chorizo
Alma: 1x Pastor, 1x Fish, 1x Chorizo
Bodega: 1x Pastor, 1x Chorizo, 1x Crispy Beef
Taquiza came out of the gate exceptionally strong with an out of this world Pastor taco, but it was marginally offset by a slightly subpar Chorizo taco on account of being overwhelmingly too salty.
Alma had a strong Pastor taco (although not quite as good as Taquiza), and a strong Chorizo taco but a subpar fish taco, and Bodega had wonderful Pastor and Chorizo tacos but a slightly subpar carne asada taco.
As far as toppings and salsas were concerned Taquiza was self service with good salsas, Alma dressed up their tacos with tomatoes and a salad of sorts with equally good salsas, and Bodega crushed it with contemporary peripherals and an amazing range of excellent salsas. Believe it or not, all three of these spots deserved and earned two stars here.
Taquiza: Two Stars (4)
Alma Mexicana: Two Stars (4)
Bodega: Two Stars (4)
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
There can in my mind only be one victor here, and on account of their fantastic menu, equivalent prices, great execution and great peripherals, Bodega wins when it comes to south beach tacos.
Taquiza: No Star (4)
Alma Mexicana: No Star (4)
Bodega: Star (5) read more