babalu tapas & tacos

banality was awesome. thetacosand quest dip are absolutely delicious, and the drinks are great. the wait staff, especially joseph, was very friendly and informative. i would recommend this establishment to anyone looking for tasty bites and great drinks.

good latin, but don’t come hungry without your wallet. went for the first time for lunch on cinco de mayo. the place was packed. appearance is far classier outside than inside, which looks like renovation stopped when half complete. tables and chairs were adequate, nothing fancy. plus there is a couple of bar areas for seating. the wait staff was busy but attentive, knowledgeable and friendly.

i suspected the portions were small, and i was right. we ordered 3 lambtacosand 3 chicken tacos, plus an order of empanadas to share. thetacosare on 4 inch soft tortillas which are easy to eat with one hand. it was enough food for lunch, and maybe dinner for a women. the chickentacoswere tasty, much better than the lamb. the empanadas were outstanding; i just wish there were more than 2 per order.

the food is pricy, with what i’ll call the fondrin tax. it’s a tax on items where pretty people hang out. babalu is a hip place, worth going to once.

went with one pollo taco, which is an herb roasted chicken taco with bell pepper salsa, roasted poblano vinaigrette and an avocado slice, and two carnitas tacos. the carnitastacoshave braised pulled pork, roasted peanut slaw, salsa roja, and pickled red onions. the corn tortillas thesetacosare served upon are some of the best around—much better than any flour tortilla!

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 totacosand 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 relish good food 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!

fresh, fresh, fresh... everything is good. they even make homemade sangria ( red and white). tacosare real good, staff is knowledgeable but it can get crazy loud in there

good trendy experience. red fish was excellent, duck and porktacoswere good. ceasar salad was very good. skip the queso, gummy and overpriced.

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 3tacos(redfish, shrimp, and carnitas) and the blackened fish was by far the best.  the shrimp were good too.  they give you chips with thetacos(but no salsa).  you might need more than threetacosto fill up though as i was a little hungry afterwards.  i would go here again.

we have been to babalu in jackson many times and we're looking forward to that vibe in memphis. it's a little pricey but the guac is really delicious. the chips are always hot and salty and sooo good. thetacoswere soggy and disappointing today. and they tell you food comes out as it is made which is great if you are all eating the same type of food. we were all finished when the last entree, the cuban sandwich finally arrived. service is thoughtful and the bar is creative. management should insist that those white shirts on the servers are clean. i was a little grossed out by our guac makers shirt.

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 and good drink specials through the week. got the assortedtacoson 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

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 no good description 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 were good before 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  oftacosand 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.

great service, food came out quickly, waitress kept our glasses full. we had the tableside guacamole (awesome), tunatacos(wife liked them, i didn't care for them), shrimp and enchiladas (both awesome). the air conditioning was excellent.

good food this visit, bad service. showed up and ordered sometacosand a side on beans and rice, thetacosshowed up. they were fantastic. the waitress refilled by diet coke three times as was good. unfortunately the beans and rice never arrived. i waited, and waited, but in the end we felt like a jilted bride at a redneck wedding. paid the bill and left...without the beans and rice. so disappointing.

where the hell are my beans and rice? what the hell?


-----19 sep, 2013-----

let's talk about this.... i have eaten at babalu many times. i have always loved the food and they have a great bar. the place is pretty cool.

during my last visit however, all of that changed. i went in for a simple lunch. i ordered the cuban sandwich and patatas bravas. they arrived and here is what i got:

sandwich was swimming in mustard. i love mustard (or moutarde, as the french say..but i'm not french, so what does it matter), but this was a dripping, slathered, overdose of mustard. the bread is supposed to have a hard, flaky crust, but this was almost impenetrable by my choppers. oh, and its supposed to be pressed and toasted, not burnt.

patatas bravas were hot, and seemed to be cooked properly. unfortunately they were then drowned in oil/sauce and rendered virtually inedible.

service started well, but then out server took his time in bringing us our check when we requested. it was like we were forgotten once the food was served.

come on babalu, i love ya like a brother, don't blow it now!

definitely a good place. cannot say enough about this restaurant, my wife loves it, she has been with all her friends and she love driving around up and down mclean afterwards.. i love thetacosthe burgers and the drinks. first of all driving around up and down mclean makes it better. thanks will be back. steve

disappointed. i have heard so much about babalu since i moved to midtown and was so looking forward to eating there. not impressed at all. first, the ambience is horrible; but i was expecting that. loud and feels like you are in a cafeteria. however, i had heard the food was outstanding. the best thing was the queso dip (very good) and the rose sangria. but i had the threetacosand did not like them at all. might would have liked better if they had been flour tortillas. not sure what they were. anyway, won't need to go back.

really like babalu. fun atmosphere. i love the mexican street corn and pan roasted red fish. drinks are a bit over priced but good. i have hadtacosthat weren't that great though.