Description and review of Mas Taco Bar, located on the R Street Corridor in Sacramento.
An out-of-town friend and former lobbyist colleague of mine and I recently enjoyed a mid-week lunch at Mas Taco Bar. Our plan was to have lunch and then afterwards visit some of the nearby shops and art galleries.
The road construction associated with the R Street Streetscape Improvement Project was recently completed with street and sidewalk enhancements along the R Street Corridor between 13th and 16th Streets. This last segment unified the two previous streetscape projects between 10th and 13th and 16th and 18th Streets.
Mas Taco Bar is owned by the Wong Brothers – who also own the Iron House Tavern next door as well as The Firestone Public House, The Mix, Cafeteria 15L, The Park, and Ma Jong’s!
Mas Taco Bar has a nice outside patio, however it was a rather hot that day and we chose to sit indoors. The interior décor is both attractive and colorful, with a nice sized bar area.
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We were greeted upon entering and seated right away. Our waitress, after inquiring if this was our first time there, explained that our order would be served “family style”. On the table were the menu, a list of offerings on which to tally our table’s order (item and quantity) , and pencils. Also explained was how to signal her if we needed anything. Danielle was friendly and attentive throughout our meal.
To start, we each ordered a Mas Margaritas ($9) and then proceeded to review the menu.
Menu
The house specialty is street tacos – but the menu also includes non-taco items such as salads, stew and bowls (brown rice, onions, peppers, cilantro and your choice of topping). For those of you who are vegetarian – Mas Taco Bar also serves butternut squash and roasted cauliflower tacos.
It was not easy to make up our minds – there are fourteen (!) tacos to choose from – but we finally settled on the:
- Baja Fish ($3.75) (blackened salmon, mango salsa, tapatio aioli, cabbage, jalapeno)
- Braised Short Rib ($3.75) (slow braised guajillo short ribs, cotija cheese, pickled onions, cilantro)
- Banh Mi Shrimp ($3.75) (shrimp, pickled vegetables, jalapenos, cilantro, Asian BBQ sauce, laughing bun) and the
- Duck Confit ($3.75) (duck, cabbage, scallions, tamarind glaze, pickled chiles)
Review
We both agreed that the Mas Margarita was especially tasty – and I am pretty picky when it comes to margaritas. As for the tacos, I found each of the four delicious as each had a distinct flavor profile. If I were to use a one word description I think that the term “yummy” fits the bill.
If pressed, I would have to say that my favorite of the four tacos was the Duck Confit. My friend’s favorite was the Banh Mi Shrimp in a laughing bun. When we ordered I did not know what a “laughing bun” was – but it turns out it is a steamed bao bun. You can’t go wrong with a bao bun!
As we chatted and ate we could not help but overhear a person sitting at the next table raving about the pork belly taco. I will have to keep that in mind for a future visit.
How Many?
My friend and I had discussed ordering three v. four tacos each and decided on four – but truth be told we were both pretty full by the time we each ate our fourth taco. Each of us also commented that the very last taco was no longer warm. I believe that three Mas Taco Bar street tacos is the magic number for me.
To Sum Up
I look forward to returning to Mas Taco Bar for both Happy Hour and Weekend Brunch – there are so many other menu items to try!
See related blog post: Annual Sacramento Restaurant Review Recap (2018)
Comments on Mas Taco Bar?
Was has been your experience at Mas Taco Bar? What is your favorite item(s) on the menu?
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