babalu tapas & tacos

one of the best restaurants in town!. okay, i just wanted to inform other reviewer that babalu's isn't mexican!!!!! it is cuban food. everyone is so accustomed to the typical american mexican food: greasy, a type of meat in a soft or fried shell, tomato sauce, and cheese in huge portions. if you are looking for that, don't go to babalu's. but, if you are looking for different, non- greasy, latin- style food go and try it out. when i went, it was quite loud inside, but it was also a saturday. fortunately,we were able to get a table outside.i am a huge i love lucy fan and loved the show being projected on the wall.first, we ordered the queso blanco and it was amazing! i would definitely add the tomatoes though. it wasn't your typical white cheese dip. then, we got the table side guacamole. it was the best guac i have ever had! for my main meal, i ordered the hongas taco. it's the mushroom one. it was verygoodand much better than the typical taco! the service was nice and i would go back again in a heartbeat.

i like the food at babalu but i don't like the price for the small portions they give. if you are going to charge $15 for something, you really need to give agoodportion of food for what you pay. why pay so much for a small portion? this is such a shame because i thought the food wasgoodbut it just wasn't enough for what they charge.

it's about being more social with your food. something you need to realize - babalu's is more for social calls than dining. this doesn't mean the food is good, but it does mean that if you want to go to sit at a nice, filling meal and head home, you're in the wrong place. babalu is about sitting outside, with a cocktail, and a variety of appetizers/tapas to share with the people you're spending time with. the food is prettygoodand definitely fresh. there are several specials throughout the day. cocktails are also on point and the atmosphere is top notch. it's a fun and very social restaurant, agoodplace for taking a date!

recently ordered the pico, guacamole, short rib, enchilada of the day, and crab cakes. there's practically no cake in that crab cake. i also ordered a few of their pepe' cocktails. great presentation, great taste.

date at babalu!

being vegetarians (periodic pescatarians) it’s kind of tough to find out an eating place that caters to our ways in memphis specially since it is known as “the barbecued pork capital of the world!” and hence, we are always coursing around, looking for a joint that suits our taste.

overall, it was an amazing experience with everything from the “made at table side” guacamole to tacos and tapas – tasting awesome! appetizing, delightful and delish – the food undeniably was scrumptious! located on madison avenue in the very scenic overton square – it is a perfect place to relishgoodfood and have a great time. our server, devin was courteous and pretty knowledgeable about the menu options and attended us adequately. also, we were lucky enough to be seated within 5 minutes of our arrival time! (imagine, on mother’s day!) the music too was upbeat and the ambiance was appealingly amiable and lively!

at a price of $100 (including tip), we were a well-fed couple, appeased with the service, the quality of food and of course the environs! only wish – if the mojitos could be a little more potent!

i met several former coworkers for dinner, and babulu was the chosen place to meet and dine. this was my first time to eat at babalu, and i had been wanting to try it out, because i had heard so manygoodthings about it. i ordered the shrimp and grits, and it was delicious. i told hubby when i got home that i really liked it and wanted to go back. i definitely recommend babalu for tourists and locals, you will not be disappointed.

i went here and got take out but it seems like a very trendy, cool place on the inside.  it's in one of the upscale dining areas of jackson.  there is plenty of parking and plenty of seating both inside and outside.  i got 3 tacos (redfish, shrimp, and carnitas) and the blackened fish was by far the best.  the shrimp weregoodtoo.  they give you chips with the tacos (but no salsa).  you might need more than three tacos to fill up though as i was a little hungry afterwards.  i would go here again.

seriously the best burger in town! sorry huey's, you'regoodbut not this good. babalu's burger has an explosion of flavors.. sweet, salty, tangy.. the sweet sourdough bun is perfectly toasted and so delicious! everything isgoodtho.. the guac, the street corn, the rosti potatoes... it's all amazing!

crazy great menu, fun atmosphere,goodservice. my favorite: tacos! pick three. love the variety. the guac is yummy - the sun dried tomatoes make it unique. we will be back.

great overall experience! like other reviewers mentioned, it is a bit more expensive than the likes of this restaurant. i have had the best tex-mex in austin, tx at trudy's and even their guacamole wasn't $10, however babalu has added their own touch to the guac by replacing regular tomatoes with the sun dried tomatoes which add a world of a difference. happy hour drinks weregoodbut nothing worth boasting about. what i really like about the place is the experience, it's lively, crowded, located at the famous overton square and the staff is excellent. if you don't care about spending money, i would definitely recommend this place for the great experience it offers.

delicious guacamole! first guacamole i ever ate that i enjoyed! they make it fresh there at the table for you, which makes it more fun. also awesome margaritas andgooddrink specials through the week. got the assorted tacos on the taco special, and it's fun to pick the different varieties! great place for a big group of people, can't wait to go back

if i could put zero, i would do it. the place claims to be fresh and natural, yet their tapas (main item on the menu) taste soggy as if they were sitting out. everything tastes rather sugary as if they were adding high-fructose corn syrup to every dish. the only decent thing is freshly-made in front of you guacamole, but you can mesh some avocados at home for less money. the place is rather contradictory in its nature, black-and-white retro movies projected on the wall and loud pop music just don't go well together. overall babalu is questionable place. it ends up to be some cheap american version of mexican cuisine with the natural label on it, whatever natural means these days. if you looking forgoodfood that will make you feelgoodafter eating it, i wouldn't go to babalu. their food is onlygoodif you top it with few shots of strong alcohol.

a great place to take a date (my wife loved it and it was agoodbreak from memphis bbq) and they have an eclectic selection of tapas; all of which we sampled were delicious.

so, i had heard great things from three different people but this was a big letdown. it's overpriced and overhyped. the only thing that excited me was my redfish taco. the carnitas taco and tenderloin taco were nothing special. 

there was nogooddescription on the tamales, and neither of us picked up that these would not be the kind that you'd get typically with tex mex or mexican food. rather, they are the kind you might get at corky's. they were too spicy for me and just not what i wanted. the waiter asked if i liked them and i said no, but my dining companion does. (i was the one who ordered them.) he seemed sad, but didn't offer to make it up to me. i had asked him if they weregoodbefore ordering and said yes, but didn't offer any kind of description. 

we paid $10 for the make-at-your-table guac that was nothing special. they use tomato paste instead of real tomatoes! i had water, my companion had tea and the ticket was $30 for three tacos, tamales and guac.  i had about three bites  of tacos and one tamale and some guac. was hungry three hours later. 

i don't mind paying for great food, but this was overpriced and just not as special as they pretend. fyi - they don't make the tamales there, something the server didn't tell me when i ordered.  that fact should really be on the menu! they also don't make their chips. they do make the blue tortillas though. 

the hamburger is probably what you should order. i hear great things about it.

consistentlygoodevery time. be prepared to wait for a table for a few minutes in the weekend. one of our favorite jackson restaurants, hands down. perfect place to bring out of town guests or family.

wonderful place. this place is wonderful!

the service was spectacular. dre was our server and he was perfectly attentive, helpful and enthusiastic. i was really impressed.

for the food: i ordered the shrimp and grits. the sauce was perfectly creamy and thick. the shrimp were perfectly cooked with chopped mushrooms and cilantro. the grits were creamy and flavorful beautifully placed in the center of my plate like an ice cream scoop. to drink i had a strawberry mimosa which was pretty good. for dessert i shared the bread pudding. it was scrumptious. i could taste the rum, the crust wasgoodand the cream sauce on top with the strawberry garnish was good. this place is quite pricy but wonderful! portions aren't large-tapas style.

the atmosphere was lovely. i love lucy playing on the walls. bottles lined the walls and the windows provided a light airy feel.

i highly recommend this place! overton square's makeover is awesome.