Travis - Taco Tour stop #52 - Bento Cafe - 550 N Ridge

So this week we were attempting to plan ahead again - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  Shon had apparently been to this place before but suggested we take the next tour stop at Bento Cafe Mexican Grill & Sushi. Yes. I thought it was a weird combination too...  I didn't even know the place was there - but it is! Chris had to bail due to a customer coming in from out of town, but we went anyway because he said he would go that evening (guess who didn't go that evening).

Upon walking into the establishment, it felt really similar to a Chipotle - like down to the colors and menu and everything. It was weirdly familiar and yet....not.  Anywho, they only have 3 taco options to choose from so I got all three:  Grilled chicken, steak, and shredded beef.

They make the food in front of you at a counter setup (like Chipotle) and toasting the tortillas on a flat iron grill.  Ingredients are put on to your request and you're given a choice of salsa.  I took their tacos just like they typically make them (lettuce, shredded cheese, & tomato) and added cilantro.

They didn't look too bad, but since I've become a big fan of more traditional tacos, it seemed like the other ingredients were excessive and "over-Americanized".  Sidebar, I did try their chips and salsa and although I'm not convinced the chips weren't from a bag, they were fresh and tasty. The salsa is served warm (not chilled) - which is kinda weird and interesting, but it was good.  It wasn't enough to convince me to pay extra for them if I go back, but they were enjoyable.

I went for the grilled chicken first.  It had plenty of meat and was tender with a good taste. It definitely wasn't dry like we sometimes run into with chicken.  Overall the taco was fine, but nothing memorable.  The steak was next and it was a little chewy but not bad.  There wasn't a ton of flavor and not much heat either. Last taco was the shredded beef. It had a decent flavor and was juicy. She did drain it before she served it, so it wasn't excessive, but it was enough to drip out a little.  The meat was slightly chewy.  I added some warm salsa and this brought more flavor out.

I think the tacos were okay but it wasn't anything I would rave about. The common theme I found about this visit is that the toppings are excessive.  They should compliment the meat, not cover up the flavor.  I just think they could have toned it down with all the toppings. I'm also pretty sure the meat isn't freshly prepared. The steak and chicken were diced too perfectly and uniformly to be hand-cut on site. I could be wrong, but pretty sure I'm not - I think the meats came from a box/bag.  They had that texture/flavor.  I know for a fact the shrimp did because I saw them pull it frozen out of a box.

I just felt like it's probably not much different than if I bought the ingredients myself and assembled it at home.  If that's what you're expecting and you're okay with it, then you'll probably be fine going here.  I think this is probably popular with a lot of people, but just not for me. Overall not bad, but not really the flavor I'm after.  I prefer something else and less "Amercanized". 

So here are my ratings out of 5 tacos:

Food Taste:
Value:
Cleanliness:
Service:
Overall:
Likelihood to return: