bakersfield otr

very tasty tacos and tostadas!! i had the chicken moletacoand chicken chorizo tostada. both had great flavor and weren't messy at all. very reasonably priced food and drinks. they were playing an old western movie on the the two tv's in the bar area which added to the rustic ambiance. i will probably eat there again on my week long visit to cincinnati.. highly recommended!! do it!!

bakersfield is a hip spot with delicious tacos and tequila. it was featured on diners, drive-ins and dives, and that always makes me curious to check it out.we were seated right near the open wall that spills out onto the sidewalk. and even though it was rainy, it was neat to get the fresh air and have this sort of indoor-outdoor dining experience.we went simple with queso, and i got a taco.the queso was tasty - pretty creamy and a little bit of heat.and mytacowas the short rib: braised short rib, queso fresco, crema, white onion, radish, cilantro. it was very good. i almost wish i would have tried more tacos - there just wasn't room in my belly. do you have a favorite here?

bakersfield is a taqueria which is gradually expanding in all directions from it’s cincinnati epicentre. also focusing on mexican food, the booze menu is expansive, not only including traditional tequila but also whisky from the neighbouring state of kentucky. in fact, i was there on a monday night which meant i could get a shot of bulleit for $3. add a $2 boot of pbr and i’m two thirds of my way to a george thorogood song for $5. i felt bad to the bone. as for kibbles, the guacamole at bakersfield was fresh and chunky (which i’m sure is cincinnati style) and aggressively seasoned with garlic which was paired nicely with one of the best (and spicy margaritas) i’ve had in a while.

as mentioned, the foundation of the bakersfield menu is thetacoand there are almost 10 to choose from. they pride themselves on making their own tortillas and ironically, that was the weakest part. i felt they tasted a little raw as if they were only fried on one side. they were nicely presented on a large tray with abundant fillings at a reasonable price point of $3-4 each. the pork belly pastor were a good representation and the spicy cochinita pibil and huitlacoche tacos were quite unique.

a hot, rising chain oftacobars with locations in several cities, bakersfield is a trendy bar that finds itself in the hippest part of town. you’re almost certain to have a significant wait to dine at bakersfield, but the food, i think is worth a try.

very crowded/popular and very noisy. 

the focus here is tiny 3-bite tacos going for 3 to 4 dollars each, and while they are decently good i (and i seem to be in a minority here) have a hard time paying that much for such a small amount of food.   strangely enough, though, we have a bunch of eateries popping up all over the city over the last couple of years offering that same thing and doing well for themselves, so i cant fault them for it.  parking is hard to find and will cost you when you do find it.

update 20151013: had the pork belly el pastortacohere today and it was one of the best things i have eaten in months.  its still a three bite affair for 4 dollars, which borders on outrageous, but i do believe i will be treating myself to one of these someday soon, price be damned

sunday night dinner. we went at 7pm on a sunday and were told that it would be 1 hour 20 minutes for a table (small tables and tables shared with other diners). we opted to sit and the bar with the deep counter, perfect for dining. we really enjoyed the bar.

i loved all the johnny cash and june references...they should have named it folsom instead of bakersfield. whoever decorated it, got it right. it is loud and can be hard to carry a conversation, but it is a fun atmosphere, and relaxed.

we ordered a pitcher of the house margaritas...they came in a huge glass pitcher with a wooden spoon and the most square ice cubes i have ever seen. the pitcher seemed to hold 6-7 glasses, a deal at $24.

we ordered four tacos to sample. all came in soft, warm opentacoshells served on a platter similar to a pizza pan:
fish (crispy mahi, tabasco lime sauce, citrus slaw) - crispy fish, just the right amount of sauce and crunch from slaw.
pastor (chili marinated pork, pineapple, pickled onion, cilantro) - spicy enough to make my nose run, but flavorful.
huitlacoche (corn truffles, roasted poblano corn, onion cotija cheese, cilantro) - corn kernels mixed with other ingredients and just enough spices to make you forget there it is a vegetarian option.
chicken rajas (no longer on the menu)

we ordered guacamole and chips after the tacos. probably among the top two or three best restaurant guacamole i've ever had. my companion loved it and had not previously even liked guacamole. big chunks of avocado and fresh seasonings, crispy fresh chips.

can't wait to go back.

nothing to not like here. since i live so close to northside i have already eaten at tacocracy and django and i really like both of those places and plan on eating there again but i have to say this place more than lived up to the hype from here on the spoon and from friends. we got lucky and were able to walk in and sit at the bar and they had a good friend's favorite western on once upon a time in the west so that was cool.

we started with the house margarita and it was very tart but also pretty dang good. we also ordered the queso and chorizo and it reminded me of a version i had down in merida, mx last month with a lot of cheese and ample chorizo and the portion was pretty large for us to split. we just hung out and enjoyed our drinks and i about finished off the hot salsa which was pleasantly spicy.

after a bit we ordered and the two tacos i had were both top notch. the pastor couldn't have had more meat on it had they tried, thistacopacks in so much flavor i get it whenever a restaurant has it on the menu. i only ordered one othertacoand it currently is not on the menu but it blew the pastor out of the water it was just fantastic. it had mole sauce and that was about all i can remember but it was a great addition.

i can see why there is a wait since it is like most places down here not a lot of room and this is one place that could probably afford to expand. oh yea the barkeeps were both great very friendly, quick and made a great suggestion on that second taco.

great food, good price, great atmosphere. top 3 best restaurants in cincy right now. must try!!

be ready for a wait to be seated. but, while you wait just head to lackman and have a beer and wait for them to give you a call on your cell phone. then pay your tab and go get some great grub.

food:

everytacoon the menu:
~ pricing: cheap $3
~ food: besttacoin cincy
~ portion: perfect size

chips & salsa
~ salsa is dead on authentic mexican salsa
~ i also got the ghost pepper salsa for $3 (only finished half, but was a great experience)

margarita
~ pricing: reasonable
~ portion: perfect
~ quantity: perfect


atmosphere:
simple, relaxing, family friendly or great place to just grab a beer.

customer service:
great every time i have gone but once. there was just one time a female server was a b**** and if that was my first time there i would have never gone back, but i know other servers there are kick ass. hopefully she is fired for having a horrible personality.

in the course of only a few short years, cincinnati has gone from taco-starved to tacos out the ears. multiple choices now abound, includingtacotrucks, authentic and not-so-authentic taquerias, highbrow tacos and lowbrow, hole-in-the-wall tacos. authentic mainstays like la mexicana and taqueria mercado now compete with the likes oftacoazul...

taco brunch is one of the finest inventions. ever. ann and i went to bakersfield for some margies and tacos before drunk shopping in otr. do yourself a favor when you go. get the pitcher. you will not be sorry. a 64oz pitcher of prime margaritas for a very fair price. and my friend, you will be tipsy after. chippos and guacamole came. bakersfield was recently voted the best guacamole in the city and i would quite agree. i am partial to the django but bakersfield gives them a run for their money.  when you order your tacos you will get them like this. it's very pretty and very overwhelming looking. look at all of them. we ordered the huitlacoche (corn smut), short rib, chicken and al pastor. my favorites of those are the short rib and al pastor. i am not a huge fan of a lot oftacotoppings and they do it well. you get a little garnish of some salsa or other topping in addition to some yummy mexican cheeses. bakersfield is a delicious, delicious, delicious place.  

i really don't get all the hype. ok, decent tacos but small and $3 is a bit much. certainly not worth the wait. if this were atacotruck or stand and they charged $2 i would say pretty good. but it is what it is just a taco. get over it hipsters haha

had higher expectations of flavor. went 6/19.. tuesday night around 5:30.. we got a table right away but the bar seats were all filled. guac was great. i loved the chunky avocado. i had the sangria/guy had a craft beer.. both were reasonably priced and delicious. we shared 2 tacos: the pastor and the pibil and the short rib torta. i liked the pibil but we both agreed the pastortacowas flavorless.. torta was good but id probably not get it again.. i will still like this place because our server was great, the drinks were nice and the guac was good.

great food and simply done. there is no fuss, no mess and certainly no certain pompous attitude when walking into bakersfield. the food is not listed in a flowery fashion and waiters do not don a uniform. it's simple. thetacomenu is short, but successful in all that it strives to accomplish. the aroma arrives long before the plate makes its way to the table and the presentation itself is straightforward. i would highly recommend this restaurant. the food and price point are perfect and the service was unique.

affordable meets trendy. awesome bar, awesome food. great spot to grab a quick (gourmet!)tacowhile you sip on a handmade margarita or suck down a $2 boot of pbr. waitstaff is very friendly and prompt, despite the chaos of a always busy tiny restaurant! decor is fresh and well thought out, absolutely worth a look if you're down on in the neighborhood, and if there's a long wait, just put in your name and have a beer nextdoor at the lackman first!

great food and great margheritas. i came here with a friend on a friday night. i ordered the short ribtacoand it was one of the best i ever had. one note, they waiter told me they only serve corn tortillas. my husband doesn't care for them and i love them. this would be a game changer on our date night. i paid for the more expensive margherita because i have had that concoction before and it is my favorite. atmosphere was great, bar was packed at 5:30, server was really nice and very good. definitely will be back.