mixed review. the jury is out on this one, for a number of reasons.
here are the good things about bmc market:
it has a great location in a cute little building on south osborne. you can't miss the bright blue and inviting colours! it is very accessible by bus and car, but be prepared to park on the street.
the warm soft shelled tacos are soooo good. they are perfectly sized to be held in your hand and enthusiastically eaten.
the price is incredibly reasonable! $5.00 for three, yes, three well-stuffed, filling tacos. lunch, including a drink, taxes and a tip was easily under $10.00. where else can you get that kind of excellent taste and value for the money?
bmc market is not a chain. (i am very supportive of that.) everything is made by hand from fresh ingredients. quality is clearly a priority.
the staff is very hard working, and friendly.
the not so impressive things:
it was our first time there, and we weren't sure what to do. nobody greeted us. patrons were standing around. i asked someone, and the menu is written on the left hand wall--not seen when we entered. you place your order at the counter, find yourself a seat, and wait. signage to that effect would have been useful.
the room was warm and humid. there was an air conditioner, but it didn't seem to make much difference.
bmc is very popular, so it took a while at a saturday lunchtime for a table to become available. we were concerned that our food would arrive before that, but we did not have to worry. likewise, because it was busy, it was louder than what we would have preferred.
an initial disappointment was that there were only 3 taco selections. you can mix and match, or have the same variety for your meal. that's a great option. unfortunately, the sole vegetarian selection was unavailable. the suggested alternative was chips and salsa. that was not what i was hoping for, but we did not wish to go anywhere else. happily though, the veggie mushroom taco, made with generous chunks of green pepper, cilantro and cream became a possibility again, so i had that. it was tasty and filling, but messy. the "medium" salsa was runny and could have been hotter. it was barely mild to my taste.
my friend had the barbecue, pastor, chorizo tacos which she enjoyed. neither of us thought we could eat the big servings, but somehow we managed. ;-)
the mango soft drink was delicious!
there are some people who really love this authentic mexican gem. it's nice to see that a local ethnic eatery being so successful. i am glad we tried it out.