Maki Taco

The worst food truck meal I have ever had. I literally took 3 bites of the shrimp hamachi and threw the whole thing away and made my way to Papi Queso. First of all, when we placed our order. My husband paid the order and he immediately given his dish…“how did you predict I was going to get this”… Was my thought. After waiting for my meal I was horribly disappointed. It was drenched in cabbage, no flavor at all, I could taste the frozen food. Not that great of service either.

We hosted Maki Taco for a food truck Thursday at work. The Hibachi chicken is excellent.

The Maki Taco truck is in Ballantyne at the Brixham Tent every Thursday. Just so happens that I work in one of the Brixham buildings. So I finally decided to venture down and get myself some Tacos! I mean it is a Taco truck right? I went around 1pm and there was no one at the truck. I walked up and was promptly greeted by a man to take my order. I begin the «uhhhh» & was staring at the menu & I guess this told him that I was new because he asked «1^st time?». I said yes and he promptly recommended the Hibachi. In my mind I’m thinking, «but isn’t this a Taco truck? Why wouldn’t he recommend a Taco 1^st?». This immediately deterred my initial craving for a taco, because they must not be the great if the taco truck Isn’t recommending them, and got the Hibachi Chicken with no mushrooms. The wait was about 5 – 8 minutes. As I sat down I thought omg this looks so good. Hibachi with cabbage and onions instead of the typical zucchini was refreshing. The food was pretty good. It tasted fresh. Nothing I got excited about thougg, but no complaints either. It was just ok. The white sauce was unusually runny to me though. Im a dipper but dipping in that sauce just made a mess. Then when puring it over the food It ran straight to the bottom of the paper bowl that they put the food in & barely stuck to the food. I doubt I’ll be back unless I am really pressed for time. Not because it was bad though, but because I’d rather drive to better and eat at a place that recommends what they are known for.

We ordered 2 different tacos, the bang bang shrimp and the shrimp with avocado. Neither had much flavor. Both were overrun with cabbage. The shrimp with avocado had numerous pieces of chicken mixed in. The sauce drenched the taco shells leaving them soggy. The avocado was sparse. The bang bang shrimp had zero bang. I was really excited about this place and waited in line a long time to be completely disappointed. Do to the fact that I would not go back, I will rate ¹⁄₅ stars.

This is easily a 5-​star spot for me. Where else can you get a big pile of flavorful meat and vegetables for a good price? I brought my lunch today but I sure am glad I took a chance on Maki Taco instead! I went with the Low Carb Hibachi Chicken and was thrilled with how fresh and nicely seasoned it was. It’s tough to get a healthy, hot meal for lunch without introducing a lot of bread/​rice/​carbs, but this hit the spot and didn’t break my new years resolutions or the bank. If you’re lucky enough to have them in your area, don’t miss the chance to check them out!

Just found out that area 15 has a food truck rally every Thursday. I had the chicken hibachi and it was delicious. The only thing was I would have liked more chicken in place of all the veggies but that’s only because I’m a meat eater over veggies any day. Also, their shrimp sauce is awesome. I can never get enough of that stuff and I think they make their own. Super satisfied!

This truck came to my work (Premier Inc.) today and I got 2 teriyaki tacos, 1 spicy chicken taco and a Dr.Pepper.
Service was fast (ish), dr. pepper was only 1 $ and the tacos were ~3 $ a piece.
The tacos were really messy, and did not have a lot of chicken on them. They were basically inflated with cabbage. The taste wasn’t extraordinary on the spicy or the teriyaki. The spicy taco wasn’t really spicy, I think they just poured some sriracha on them.
Some people said the hibachi chicken was good though, maybe if I’m stuck at work without a lunch again I’ll give that a shot.

Food taste and quality are good but the price is high for the quantity of food they serve.

Maki was the winner for «where should I spend my Food Truck Friday money» this weekend. I was lucky enough to get there before the massive lines started to form. After I ordered, it was a good 20-​deep behind me.
I went with the bang bang shrimp tacos. They were just okay for me. Not bad, but nothing to sing from the rooftops about. My buddy Tom opted for the spicy chicken tacos. He wins. His was much better than mine. Good flavor combination.
Great price for the amount of food. Three tacos for less than ten bucks. Bonus: Maki takes credit cards. It sends you a text after to show you how much you spent.
The guy taking the orders was extremely friendly. I was most impressed by the fact that he could remember everyone’s orders as we stood in a little group waiting for our food. The wait was minimal.
I look forward to trying more of Maki Taco’s offerings in the future. I’m hoping they will change their policy to let you mix and match tacos. I would love to be able to try a little bit of everything instead of three of the same thing.

I guess they stepped up heir game … My boyfriend and I tried the hibachi chicken and it was delicious! They were friendly and fast. I totally enjoyed he experience. You can even pay with a card since most of the food vendors I purchased from had a cube for payment instead of cash. Super convenient!

The idea of this food truck was so much better than the actual food. Three veggie tacos soaked completely through with a sauce leaving a quarter inch on the bottom of the boat. So disappointed and mildly irritated that I didn’t just go down the street to Cabo.

Pretty cool truck.
Charlotte tends to have this «hip and trendy» factor that drives business. I’m glad Maki hasn’t resorted to flashy paint schemes and marketing propaganda to lure victims. Keepin’ the truck design simple, classic and cool like the OG Kogi truck and relying on their food to run their show.
I applaud them for staying true. That’s a real hipster right there.
The downside of all that is if you’re food is crap, well…
The bulgogi tacos are by far the best thing I ate. That is worth a trip to the truck.
The bang bang shrimp though — simply sloppy and that sauce… well. can we say Thousand Island?
Spicy chicken was just that. Tasty, but nothing special. Hibachi chicken in a tortilla.
Still, I enjoyed the show and I’m glad to have another food truck option.
Stay true Charlotte.

I would crown them the best Taco spot in Charlotte but it would be unfair to the competition because I haven’t had everyone else’s. The spicy chicken tacos are to die for. Hibachi chicken and a tortilla, who wouldn’t love this place? Amazing just plain ol amazing!

Not a whole lot of flare going on with Maki Taco, but good food nonetheless! I picked up some of their tacos right before they packed it up for the night during a minor brewery crawl. I brought a decent sized group, so we got to try the staple tacos.
First of all, the average order is between $ 7-​$ 9’s for three tacos and that is a lot of food!
The food came out relatively quick, around 10 minutes and all four orders were out right after the other. We had the Korean Bulgogi Steak Tacos that definitely brought some heat with the red peppers and tang via the marinade. The Teriyaki Chicken Taco’s were flavorful, but the safe option to choose. Lastly, we split the Thai coconut Chicken Taco’s and they were exceptional! Overall the tacos were seasoned well and juicy, but had more vegetables as filler at the forefront than meat.
The guys running the truck were nice and efficient and I would definitely go back if I ever crossed paths with ‘em in NoDa again.

Finally had the opportunity to try Maki Taco as they were pulled up next to Triple C Brewery yesterday.
The selection of tacos is interesting and they had a menu outside the truck and inside the brewery to help you decide.
So I went with the Spicy Crab w/​avocado tacos for dinner. The staff offered to bring the meal into the brewery which is a great idea and much appreciated.
There’s not a lot you can do with presentation for a taco, especially from a food truck but Maki Taco does the best with it. The tacos were very appealing with mixed greens covering the crab mixture in a crunchy taco. Most food trucks do the soft tacos these days so it was nice to see the crunchy shell.
The flavor was fantastic. The crab mixture was creamy and coupled with the mixed greens and avacodo it had a wonderful flavor. The spice came from sriracha sauce and there was just enough to give these tacos a nice kick. It certainly went well with the beer from Triple C.
Maki Taco is definitely a great addition to the food truck scene in Charlotte.

I was excited to try Maki Taco for the first time at the Chow Down Uptown on Thursday. I went with high expectation. I was a little let down. I got the Korean bbq with spicy kim chi (sp?). The flavor was good, not as spicy as I expected. Nice crunch on the veggies too. The problem was the amount of veggies and sauce. It was hard to find the tacos in there. The first one was really good but by the time I got to the third taco, it just fell apart (soggy) due to the excessive amount of sauce. It made for a messy experience. I’ve got to go back & try them again.

As food trucks go, Maki, in concept, is everything one can aspire to be– mixing and crossing international cuisine borders to produce inventive new food that pushes gastronomic boundaries and challenges conventional thinking. This is, afterall, one of the pluses of a food truck, smaller overhead and freedom to try new things without worry that some will be a hit while others will be lacking.
Maki certianly swings for the fences by incorporating Pan Asian dishes into the convenience of street-​friendly taco shells. For example, bulgogi (or Korean bbq) is delicious all by itself, but it is normally a sit down meal. When wrapped in a soft corn tortilla, however, you now have the distinctive taste of spicy sesame oil, soy, and garlic in a package fit for going mobile. The sauce alone is unique and wonderful. Maki’s beef strips are rightly thin-​sliced and the bell pepper and onion is not overly cooked into mush.
The same goes for their crab and avacoado tacos. This is basically a deconstructed sushi roll placed into crispy taco shell, complete with sesame seeds and cream cheese. I wonder, however, if real crab is used given then uniformity of the shreads of meat that seem to be the hallmark of faux-​crab stricks most commonly used in sushi restaurants. Minor point, but the final product is most enjoyable and different due to the crunch of the shell.
I just think Maki could go even further, however. Rather than just wrap it all in a traditional Mexican exterior, why not include a few Mexican inspirations into your offerings? For example, a verde «salsa» to go with your habachi dishes made from either cilantro or basil. Lettuce shells instead of corn tortillas. Rice paper taco shells to deconstruct a summer roll. «Refried» lentils in place of the ubiquitous beans dropped onto the plate of most every Mexican restaurant. Curried rice in place of mexican rice. I’m just spit-​balling, but my point is there is much more than can be explored here, and I think the chef has the skills to pull it off.
For the price paid, a side or two would go a long way to quelling the many Unilocaler comments I echo here: $ 10+ for 2 or 3 tacos leaves me feeling a bit wanting on the value scale. I understand food trucks prefer a la carte pricing, but either price needs to shift down or something more is needed to add value for the customer.
I will certainly continue to patronize Maki and will encourage others to try the same, but there are sparks of inspriation here ready to ignite and take off– I hope for and want Maki to light that fire.

Maki Taco is my #2 food truck. I was excited to try them ever since they sent me a note on Twitter months before they even got rolling (pardon the pun). I’ve now had them many times as they typically are at the Atherton Mill Market Saturdays for lunch and also at the Chow Down food truck rallies. Just look for the long line.
Their concept is a pan-​asian taco which means instead of latin flavors, they have sauces like peanut, teriyaki or panang curry and the veggies are thick cabbage and red pepper and cucumber. They have some pre-​arranged taco combinations that you can choose, but I highly recommend the make-​your-​own combo. You can choose from chicken, shrimp or veggie, then you choose the veggies or toppings (incl. peanuts) to go on top and then you can mix and match sauces that go with them.
I’ve had shrimp but I HIGHLY recommend the chicken instead and really love the panang curry sauce the best (with peanut as #2). A combo of 3 tacos is $ 6.50 — what a great deal, non? Actually sometimes I think 3 is a bit much and they could get away with a combo of 2, but who’s complaining?
The only real thing to complain about is the aforementioned long line when you go to a rally. They’re getting in their groove and typically the wait isn’t as long once you actually place the order, but the order taking is slow because of the foreign concept, many choices and credit card processing. But I still love you Maki Taco.

So, after being extremely excited to try Maki Taco, I was a bit let down last night for my first experience. Don’t get me wrong, I love the concept, the choices & the price; however, maybe this is a case of: «it’s not you, it’s me».
I had the shrimp, crunchy taco with cucumbers, scallions & shrimp sauce. The presentation, time to wait, price & the taco shell itself ranks high, but here are my issues: shrimp were very small, the cabbage was too much, there weren’t enough scallions, I hardly tasted any cucumber, & the shrimp sauce was very light. I was pretty hungry, so I did eat all three tacos, but I had quite a pile of the cabbage mixture left.
I will definitely give them another try, but next time I want to try the hibachi (which ironically, I initially was going to order it).
Grant seems to be very open to feedback & is great in the social media world — he is an avid user of twitter, always posting where they will be & responds to follower’s questions /​comments.
They’re definitely filling a void in the food truck offerings in Charlotte, so kudos to them for that!

Build your own tacos? Don’t mind if I do.
Heard the truck would be in my neighborhood so I walked over. Was going to bring the dog with me but since he’s not allowed people food I figured that was unnecessary evil. Happened to run into fellow Unilocaler Jimmy D. there too, so that was a nice surprise!
Every taco comes standard with a cabbage and veggie mixture. Then you select your meat (or no meat,) toppings, sauce, and shell. I went with chicken, cucumber and water chestnuts, in teriyaki on a soft shell. Delicious! They focus on fresh, local, all-​natural food, so these are healthy noms, guys. They have sushi listed on their menu, but Grant who was running the truck tonight told me that a city regulation prevented them from serving it. I hope that changes soon!
My tacos took less than 10 minutes. There were no tables or benches in the lot so I got it to-​go and headed home. (I thought about hijacking a CM patio table but I think they might have frowned on that.) My shells got a little soggy with teriyaki by the time I got to eat them, but they were still delicious and I ate it all. Excellent stop for a quick, healthy, yummy meal!