taco guild gastropub

the gm shane smith came to table next to me to inquired about their lunch, skipped my husband & i and continued to inquire with the all additional tables (we were the only african americans in the establishment). thefood& drinks were good and so was the staff. i thought it was just me who acknowledged it, but when the couple beside me apologized for what happened, i decided to write a review. won't be returning!

loved the decor. a restaurant in a former church. great ambiance. sadly thefoodcould've been better. the shrimp tacos were a little bland, not my favorite but the steak tacos were great!

i had a pretty good experience here. i like how this place is nested in an old church. i really enjoyed looking at the paintings on the wall and the cool chandeliers while waiting for my food. i always appreciate any place that gives you chips and salsa. the chips were a little salty for me, but i like the variety of dipping sauces and salsa for them. i ordered the three tacos plate with the red beans (which were delicious). my favorite was the yucatan shrimp. it was full of flavor and had a generous amount of shrimp in the taco. the al pastor pork was good but i found the guild chicken just ok. i never know what to think of the prices of these street tacos. i think i'm used to getting $1 street tacos in mexico where the whole point is goodfoodat a cheap price. majority of the places here in the u.s. i have visited (like joyride) charge $4 to $5 a taco. i guess that is just how things are these days. overall, i had great service and thefoodwas pretty good. the story of why they named it taco guild is kinda cool and creative (on their website).

i genuflected when i walked past the bar (where the altar used to be) but the respect was intended for the 1893 margarita which is most definitely worthy or worship! thefoodwas fast and superb and the staff were especially sensitive over my concern for making sure i got a corn taco not a flour one. the crowd was young and worth watching and the ambience is definitely unique. prices were reasonable and the service was super fast which meant thefoodwas hot. will return to further explore the menu and cocktails (just don't miss the 1893 with its genius dash of organic elderflower liqueur).

i love the location. the service was great as well. as for thefoodand drinks, i guess i was a little disappointed, although the chips and salsa plate was a good start. my "tacos" were pretty flavorful (i went with no cheese- lactose intolerance yay!) and i loved the amount of veggies. my husband's tacos on the other hand were extremely dry and tasted as if the meat was sitting out in the kitchen all day. our server took one of the tacos off of the bill, which we didn't ask for, but it was a nice gesture.

if you want a surprise in a taco be sure to try this place. it's a given that latin based cuisine features exciting and often times surprising flavors, but even more so with thefoodhere. they will blow you away with the interesting combinations of flavor they have going on. beef with mango, duck with plum sauce and apricot compote. très delish! i still find it a little unsettling though that it was once a church and the bar is located where the alter once was, if you're a really religious person you might be a little shocked about that. butfoodwise, i still find thefoodto be exquisite and original.

some of the bestfoodin phoenix. taco guild is amazing and should be on the top of anyone's "must try" list. my favorites are the chipotle cherry steak tacos; just perfection. make sure to order the street corn as well.

taco bust. the space is very cool, but that is really all that i can say is good about taco guild. the service was poor, and the music and crowd noise is so loud not only can the servers not hear you order, you can't hear the people sitting right next to you. there is nothing to absorb sound, all the surfaces are hard and reflect all noise back causing complete sound chaos. everyone that i had talked to that had been here had said that their service was poor and it was too loud, but i figured they were just being old farts. i was wrong.
next, i ordered the chicken taco, and my friends got all theirfoodabout 10 minutes before i got mine, and after all that wait, it came on a cup saucer, and was only about 3 inches across with almost nothing in it. i cant imagine why it took so long to get my mini taco.
we finished our meal and no one wanted to order dessert. we all just wanted to get out of the noise. on our way by the hostess, normally your are asked how things were or told to have a good evening. this one pointedly ignored us. it was a relief to leave and get back out into the quiet.

i really did want to like this place, but with the noise, the prices, and the tiny quantities, there are 5,000 other places in phoenix that can beat anything at taco guild. and you won't leave hungry and deaf.