ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Phone: +91 7262809595
Address: 5, Chitralekha Apartment, Ideal Colony, Paud Road, Kothrud, Pune, Maharashtra, India
Time: 11 AM – 11:30 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 400
Cuisines: Mexican, Beverages, Cafe
Facilities: Home Delivery, Free Parking, Indoor Seating, Outdoor Seating
Even though Mexican dishes feature in many restaurant menus, there are very few restaurants dedicated exclusively for Mexican food. Located in Kothrud, Taco Alfresco serves a mix of Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes.
Taco Alfresco, Kothrud, Pune: Decor
Taco Alfresco is a cozy shop converted into a restaurant with an open kitchen on the ground floor, indoor seating on the mezzanine floor and alfresco seating in front of the restaurant. The outdoor section is covered by large blue gazebos and the seating is simple yet comfortable. Their inspiration for the menu comes from Mexican street food, but this doesn’t reflect in the general decor. Some themed embellishments, decorative pieces, posters and frames would have helped create an ambience in sync with the restaurant’s theme.
Taco Alfresco, Kothrud, Pune: Food
Taco Alfresco is a great new addition to the fast improving food scene of Kothrud. The menu features a mix of popular Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes. You can pick from tacos, burrito wraps, nachos, Quesadillas, burrito bowls and salads all of which come with a range of fillings or toppings.
We started with the loaded nachos which probably is most popular dish on the menu. A bed of nachos, topped with some melted cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, salsa and a choice of topping. We tried all the three versions – beans, chicken and bacon and the beans and bacon were our top picks. The beans were delightfully spicy and the bacon was crisped to perfection. The nachos made in-house were perfectly crunchy and it was heartening to see the restraint in using the melted cheese so as to not mask the taste of the other ingredients. The fizzy strawberry lemonade with a dash of salt and mint was the perfect beverage to go with the nachos and other starters.
Among the tacos we tried the spinach corn cheese in a hard shell taco. The spinach-corn filling was a tad bit salty and disappointing. On the other hand, the chipotle chicken soft shell taco was flavorful, spicy and delicious. I am a big fan of burrito wraps and was excited to spot them on the menu. Fresh corn, black beans, salsa and Mexican rice along with your choice of filling is wrapped in a tortilla and grilled lightly. We chose the barbeque chicken sausage and barbeque paneer and both were really tasty.
The burrito bowl consists of a large bowl of Mexican rice, fresh salad, corn, salsa and beans and you can pick your protein to go with it. We tried the cilantro prawns, fajita veggies and barbeque chicken sausage. The prawns were marinated and cooked perfectly and the cilantro flavor was bold and delightful. The fajita veggies were great, but quite spicy for our taste buds. Our favorite was the barbeque sausage where the sweetness in the barbeque sauce added a great balance to the dish. The spice levels on the burrito bowls and even the other dishes can be adjusted. Just make sure you inform the server your preferred level.
There are no desserts on the menu, but a good range of sundaes and smoothies. Among the smoothies the cocoa banana peanut butter smoothie was our pick and is highly recommended. The caramel Sundae was a moist caramel cake served in a jar with ice-cream and caramel sauce. This was the right end to our Mexican meal.
Plus & Minus:
Though not completely authentic, Taco Alfresco fills that gap of an exclusive Mexican or Tex Mex restaurant. It is great to see the use of fresh ingredients, meats, homemade sauces and recipes to make sure they offer a near authentic experience which heroes the complex Mexican cuisine. The menu can definitely do with some more Mexican delicacies and also more choices when it comes to fillings for the tacos, wraps and quesadillas.
