This week we headed to Kendal to try Pappy’s Taco Bar’s famous Taco Tuesday on a beautifully sunny day.
We’ve previously covered their sister restaurant Pappy’s Smokehouse Bar and Grill which offered up flavours of traditional Texan BBQ that transported us straight to the American South.
Robin, owner of both Pappy’s Smokehouse Bar and Grill and Pappy’s Taco bar, told us the taco’s were authentic to Mexico with ingredients that have been specially sourced from the country that created them.
Robin standing outside her smokehouse bar and Grill and Pappy Taco Bar.
For starters we were offered Totopos chips (similar to tortilla chips) with a serving of Roja Sauce.
The Totopos came warm as they were cooked by hand with a sprinkle of sea salt for good measure and the Roja sauce was served up cold offering refreshment in each bite which was something we needed on the baking hot day.
The flavour profile of the Roja had a slightly sweet taste from the tomatoes with a mild heat offered up from the Mexican jalapenos and was balanced beautifully with the zesty lime.
The Roja is definitely a savoury sauce that can be enjoyed by everyone as it has the right blend of tang, sweet and spice and all of the aromas together made for a winning starter.
Totopos with Roja caption: The Totopos with the Roja sauce.
For our main we ordered a selection of different tacos to sample. We had a spicy pinto bean soft taco that could come either vegetarian or vegan, Carnitas and on Robin’s recommendation of her favourite taco the brisket birria queso tacos.
We started off by trying out the pinto bean taco that was packed with cheese, tex-mex spicy pinto beans, pickled red onion, diced gherkins and finished off with crispy onions & Pappy’s Texas BBQ sauce.
Having already tried their Cumberland Super Dog’s crispy onions and their signature Pappy’s texas bbq sauce and tex mex pinto beans with their dirty vegan fries we were intrigued to see how they play out in this taco alongside the other ingredients.
Robin’s family recipe Texas BBQ sauce won over our taste buds again with its trademark taste and it complemented the secret recipe pinto beans perfectly that were amped up by the crunch of the pickled and crispy onions.
As a spice lover, my only complaint is that I wish it had the option to come with a couple more jalapenos to spice up the dish but the sweet sauce was enough to make my mouth tingle with joy.
The pinto bean taco stacked with tex mex beans and smothered in Pappy’s Texas BBQ sauce.
Next up was their Carnita taco. Stuffed into a soft taco you could find their self described ‘signature’ slow-cooked smoked pork with added citrus and spices for aromatics smothered in Pico de Gallo and served up with a wedge of lime.
The secret to the success of this Carnita is in the succulent fall off the bone smoked pork which in unison with the freshly chopped tomatoes, onion and fragrant coriander from the Pico de Gallo is a match made in heaven.
The Carnita, a soft tortilla served with smoky pork and topped off with Pico De Gallo.
On the advice of all staff as being their favourite taco we saved the best till last and that’s their Brisket Birria Queso Taco.
The crunchy taco shell is loaded with slow cooked brisket stew, melted american cheese, coriander and onions all served with a pot of their stew to dunk your tacos in.
The hype did not disappoint, the brisket had soaked up the moisture of the stew it had been cooked in leaving it mouthwateringly succulent and the cheese melted in your mouth simultaneously.
The famous Brisket Birria Queso taco served with a good helping of slow cooked brisket and smothered in american cheese.
The coriander didn’t really come through but I didn’t mind as the heartiness of the meat was the real star of the show and the few sprigs of coriander were an afterthought at best.
The slow roasted onion added a small amount of acidity that blended in delightfully with the meat and cheese.
I'm rarely left speechless from food but this taco could’ve come straight out of Jalisco, the birthplace of Birra - especially the pot of stew you get to saturate your taco in. Me and Robin joked about drinking it.
Dipping the Brisket Birra in its own sauce.
Kendal’s food scene is on the up with places like Pappy’s Taco bar. We’ve eaten at various Mexican restaurants across the county but Pappy’s is probably one of the few places you can get really authentic Mexican cuisine and the hospitality is great too with infectious Robin who runs the shop.
Best of all, if you visit Pappy’s for Taco Tuesday you get three tacos and a free beer or wine starting from just £12. So what are you waiting for? Get some TexMex sunshine in your life at Pappy's Taco Bar.
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