Taco Bus

The only reason I gave this place two stars instead of one was because the queso was actually pretty good.
We had to find someone to take our order. I ordered a drink (water in a cup) and then had to ask a second time for the drink. Our orders came out without the sides we asked for at the counter and it took the waitress a while to bring them to us.
The waitress had an extremely grim look on her face and did not smile once. We were out with some friends and their kids, and the kids had been handling the number on our table, so it happened to be tilted away from waitress when she came to bring our food. When she spotted our table, the only thing she said to us when she handed us our food was «I couldn’t see the number on your table because you faced it away.» — or something of that nature. We weren’t unhappy with her taking two seconds more to find our table. There was no need to be defensive.
The blaring music was horrible.
I was shooing flies away from my food, and I was bit by mosquitoes.
The burrito I ordered did not taste good at all. Oh, how I longed to be at Miguel’s or Margarita’s. My husband’s steak quesadilla was tasty.
I realize this place is supposed to be a greasy dive, but I was uncomfortable and underwhelmed by the food.

I love Mexican-​Not-​Tex-​Mex food, and I thought when I moved from Northern Michigan to Tampa I’d have mucho selection of authentic Mexican restaurants. Not so. So, whenever work takes me up by Nebraska & Hillsborough, I have lunch at Taco Bus. I usually get the cochinita pibil, because I can’t get it anywhere else, but honestly I haven’t had anything that I didn’t like.

Wasn’t very
Good on the food, accuracy of order or
Customer service. Everything was meh. My one friends order was wrong on every request. My other friend waited for his food a very long time and they had to take his receipt to make his order

I was not impressed at all. The food was mediocre and very minimal food. The prices were above the quality that is received. I really didn’t enjoy this experience.

When visiting from out of town, we go to the Taco Bus. The food is very tasty and I enjoy it very much. The Staff is friendly and always ready to take food orders. The only problem I incur is the menu, as I’m not familiar with some of the varieties of food. So it takes me time to decide what to order. I would recommend going to the Taco Bus!

Hands down one of my top five places of all time!!! I give them 6 out of 5 stars if I could! Combines my fav cuisine (Mexican) with my fav thing for a restaurant to have (multiple vegetarian options). The portobellos, the butternut squash, and the vegan steak strips are my favs but the tofu and rajas con queso are delish as well! This was the kind of food I’d dream about at night! Thank goodness they were ²⁴⁄₇ because I lost count of how many times I got dressed at 2 or 3AM to drive 20 minutes for some of this amazing goodness!!! Now if they would just expand to Alabama! I miss my bus since moving back home!

I love taco bus!!! I’ve been coming here since high school and now whenever I visit Tampa, I must make a stop. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu because everything is delicious every time. One thing I love more than anything is the pineapple water. I could buy this stuff by the gallon and take it with me to Houston if I could. Last but certainly not least is the service. Everyone is always kind and helpful!!!

The original location, and still the best. Taco Bus is one of those quirky, yet quintessential Tampa eateries that you need to try at least once.
The original location of Taco Bus is a small cluster of buildings, picnic tables, and two school buses parked near the intersection of Nebraska and Hillsborough Avenues. You actually order your food at the side window of one of these school buses (the yellow one), and your meal is prepared in the kitchen which is contained within the other (white) bus which is parked at right angles.
Taco Bus nailed the whole food truck concept long before the trend became cool in Tampa. Those of us who’ve lived in Tampa for a number of years have fond memories of staggering up to the bus in the middle of the night, and ordering some very good Mexican street food. Over the years they have expanded from one bus to two, and added some additional seating, but this is still the same relaxed place to roll in, order some tacos, burritos, tostadas, tortas, quesadillas, and ensaladas with your choice of proteins and toppings. The menu is posted on a banner, alongside the yellow bus, so start over there, and then place your order with the ladies.
If you’re eating in, then grab your drink cup and walk over by the other bus (the white one) where you’ll find a Coke Freestyle machine. Sit outside at one of the covered picnic tables, or under the covered patio, or inside the little building which also houses the rest rooms. When your food is ready, they’ll bring it out to your table. If you like your food spicy, be sure to ask your server for the homemade red and green salsas to punch up the flavor.
I generally get the two taco platter, and my favorite protein is the conchintina pibil which is a traditional Mexican slow-​roasted pork dish, which involves marinating the meat in strongly acidic citrus juice, seasoning it with annatto seed which imparts a vivid burnt orange color. I also like the carne asada, chorizo, and shrimp. Taco Bus also offers a variety of chicken, pork, fish, and vegetarian fillings.
Order your food, then kick back and laugh about their motto of «Broken English, Perfectly Spoken» while you enjoy your meal.

My fiancé and I needed some Munchy food around 9 pm and our food truck search began. Lately my go to comfort food had been tacos! So we stumbled upon this taco bus location. They have a lot of parking and a nice little courtyard area in between the 2 buses– 1 for ordering and 1 for the kitchen. About 7 or 8 tables outside with covered seating. They were running a taco special– 1.99 a pop! I got the chorizo and scrabbled egg taco and the chipotle chicken taco. Both came with tomato– onion– cilantro and a raw cabbage. So tasty! Very moist– a lot of meat in both and a ton of flavor! You also get to choose flour or corn tortilla for no up charge. They have the soda machine where you pic your soda and flavor which was cool. Food came out quick and fresh– also got chips and salsa. Could tell the salsa was fresh and very flavorful– not watered down at all! We will definitely return for some late night tacos they are open till 4 am and 24 hours on weekend!

All I keep reading is how the green sauce is amazing. Unfortunately, there were no sauces on any of the tables around me. I would have noticed because the whole thing was so dry and that was all I wanted. The tacos were tasty otherwise and I enjoyed the queso… what’s not to like. Looks like they’ve blown up into a novelty thing around the area, but I was happy to find tacos from a bus instead of stopping for fast food somewhere.

A bit disappointed that we weren’t afforded the opportunity to eat on the bus. But the Vegan Strips were lit.

Taco Bus– I used to really dislike it because I was ordering the wrong things. The vegetarian choices were a tad overwhelming and I rarely liked what I picked. Now as a pescetarian, I’ve had better success. Taco Bus is one of those places I like, but don’t love. It’s convenient, the hours are excellent and the people are friendly. I normally have at least one issue with my order though (once they forgot the chips and salsa, another time an item was made without the specified modifications, and another time they gave us someone else’s order and we had to wait forever for the right things. I do love their agua frescas though, and for late night food they’re one of the better options, which is why I give them a 3^rd star. The Mexican food in South Florida is far better, but when in Tampa, it’s not a bad choice.

In search of taco, i decide to be this place since the other taco place is too busy. This place been in my bookmark for some time. This taco bus is the oldest in the Bay Area among all the taco bus. I thought they must has something special item from other taco bus. They did not.
They open very late to 4 am in the morning. If you cannot find a place to eat at late hours, this place may be open. A yellow bus is a order center. Then you can take your order number and they will bring the food to you.
The taco is below average from our current taco fever. They may need to improve since Tampa already has many mobile taco open and better. Meat seasoning need to step up. The meat juicy need to preserve when they serve. Overall, I would say this is a jewel in Tampa to symbolize the Tampa.

Hold up?! Tacos out of a bus?! HELL YEESSSS! Torta was mouth watering. This place is awesome! You must go… I mean it is definitely an experience. Ya it’s Hillsborough Ave… not the greatest area but worth the gamble for this authentic Mexican cuisine. MUST GO!

Have been here several times and I never regret it. The chips and salsa are fresh and delicious every time. I have tried different tacos each time and never been disappointed. This time I had the pork tacos. Absolutely amazing– especially at 2:30am post downtown fun. That’s the greatest thing about this place– open till 5:30am. It’s perfect late night food option when all the bars are closing and your only choices are gross fast food. I also love the atmosphere. Basically a few buses and trailers strewn together with some tables in between. It’s all outdoors and open. They also give you more fresh chips for free if you ask. Additionally, they now have the coke machine that allows you to mix flavors for your carbonated beverage. Got to love having all those options. But my favorite beverage of all is the horchata. It’s super sweet and creamy every time. If you’re not wanting soda, this is the drink to choose.
Five stars for high quality food and fun atmosphere in the wee hours of the morning.

Wow, talk about fresh tacos! They must get their tortillas from El Chapó through one of his underground tunnels.
I had a Pollo Chipotle and a Carne Asada taco, both on corn tortillas and both were amazing. I ordered takeout and wished I would have ordered another Pollo Chipotle after devouring the first one at home.
If you get want takeout, just drive up to their parking area and walk up to the yellow bus. There will be one person in the yellow bus next to a cash register taking orders. Once you decide on your meal, place the order and chill for a few in the parking lot until they call your number. Usually takes 5 min or so but worth the wait.
I have heard mixed reviews on this particular Taco Bus but it met my expectations. I think some people confuse authentic Mexican tacos with Tex-​Mex. This place reminded me of the tacos I had in Mexico, not Texas.

Sooo far from south Tampa but totally worth the drive. 10x better than the taco bus downtown. Taco Bus settles your every taco craving. I always get the vegetarian quesadillas they are amazing. Also recommend the white queso and chips for sharing!
Staff is always helpful and friendly. They are open late and there is plenty of places to sit and eat there. This location has plenty of parking as well which is a huge plus!

Taco Bus has lost all its mojo. I moved to Seminole Heights in 2007 before the current owner purchased the taco bus. I used to go 2 or 3 nights a week. It was amazing. Always delicious and cheap. A year or two later after the current owner got his hands on it, prices started creeping up, lines got long, and you would find yourself waiting for 20 minutes in a crappy parking lot for a burrito put together in the back of a bus. It was annoying, but at the time the food was still good and relatively affordable.
Now, unfortunately, it just flat out sucks. The lines are short now, but somehow it still takes them too long to put your taco together. And the prices are ridiculous. $ 3 for a taco from a food truck?! They used to be $ 1.50. The other day we paid $ 28 for 2 burrito combos and 2 tacos. Wtf?! It’s still just a bus parked next to an auto parts store in a crappy parking lot.
And the food is mediocre at best.
You used to see real, honest to god, actual Mexicans eating at taco bus. Cause the food was authentic, delicious, and affordable. You don’t see them anymore. Now it mostly white kids with the munchies, bloodshot eyes and mom’s credit card.
Put a fork in the taco bus. It’s been dying for years and it’s officially dead now.

I was so excited to try this place. I had heard so much about it, and I have been dying for decent tacos, since where we used to live in Florida had NOTHING.
So we had seen the Taco Bus in SOHO, but as I wen there, the bus was gone. Not sure what that was about, but I saw the nxt closest one was this one downtown.
Ordered some Tacos with Carne Asada, and and Horchata, and was much less than impressed. There was very little flavor. The Adasa was not very asada, and the Horchata was extremely watery.
So we decided to give it another try, and the second time around, the tacos were no better, but at least the Horchata was closer to good (not GOOD).
So I was told that all Taco Buses are not created equal, and I am supposed to go to the one further north… the one that has the white buses. We’ll see… I need some decent tacos in Tampa!!!

I was first introduced to Taco Bus several years ago when it was just a simple food truck. Wow has this place grown. Several dine-​in restaurants now exist throughout Tampa/​St. Pete and they appear to be continuing to expand every time I come down here. For what it’s worth I still enjoy the original and always head here instead.
I typically go with the carniatas burrito but today I was feeling a bit ambitious to try something new. My brother ordered the Fish (Grouper) and I had the Chicken Chipotle. We each took half from one another and were able to try both. The Fish was definitely my favorite of the two and one that I would absolutely try again. The Chipotle one lacked something, and I think I’d go back to the carnitas instead next visit. One negative I will say is that the burritos appear far less «full» than I remember them. I feel like they’ve starting skimping out a bit on the meat and filler items to the point that the burrito was quite small
Overall, I still love this place and it’s an absolute must when visiting Tampa. Ask anyone you’ve met from this area elsewhere and they will know exactly what Taco Bus is. It’s NOT just great drunk food!

I had tacos from their downtown location a year ago and thought these were some of the best I ever tasted.
What a difference one year makes. The food was okay but definitely not worth what they charge. $ 13.14 for four tacos that aren’t any better than Taco Bell?
The presentation is cool but everything else, from the salsa to the meat, is mediocre. I don’t mind paying more for something that tastes above average, but this place is an absolute rip off as it stands. What happened to you Taco Bus? You used to be so beautiful.

If you are drunk and it’s late at night, come to Taco Bus. You won’t mind the mediocre food and it’s heavy enough to soak up the booze.
I used to love Taco Bus when I moved to Tampa in 2011. Since then, I feel like the quality has decreased dramatically.
I have given it quite a few tries to wow me once again. It is just OK. And I always just feel gross after eating it (too much oil? low quality ingredients?). I want to love it, because I love the concept and it used to be such a gem several years ago.