Before diving into this review, it’s crucial to acknowledge a significant bias: before coming to Summerville, I lived in San Antonio, Texas. My standards for Mexican, Tex-Mex, and any type of Mexican fusion cuisine are very high. San Antonio is, after all, the true home of Tex-Mex. With that in mind, let’s proceed. Here’s a quick look at what I ordered:
- Appetizer: Queso With Chips +Beef
- Appetizer: Taquitos
- Main: Burrito with Carne Asada and Sidewinder Fries
- Dessert: Churros
Service Observations
The service experience was very lackluster. My server offered no real explanation of menu items or how dishes were served. Crucially, there was no mention of daily specials, like the $5 Margarita Night, which felt like a missed opportunity for the business. There was also a notable lack of effort to upsell or genuinely engage. Appetizers were mistimed, arriving simultaneously with the main courses, even though the restaurant was not busy. This suggested a fundamental lack of coordination. Even at the end of the night, a food runner delivered our order, while our server did side work to be able to leave earlier. The entire interaction felt rushed, yet paradoxically, there was no actual pressure to justify it. Another case of new age servers thinking waiting tables is a zero effort job with high returns.
Appetizers: Hits and Misses
Queso with Chips: The homemade chips were a definite hit. Their texture and seasoning were excellent, expressing how they were homemade and authentic. The queso itself, however, was very bland. I went with the option of adding the ground beef to the queso itself. It definitely provided some much-needed flavor, but without the beef and the seasoning from the chips, the queso lacked any real flavor. I’ve had better queso out of an H-E-B container (Texas’ most popular grocery store for those not familiar with Texas.)
Taquitos: I specifically asked the waitress for a recommendation between wings and taquitos; she suggested the taquitos. This proved to be an excellent choice. The chicken was beautifully seasoned and very juicy, which is impressive for something that was deep fried. The crema with a cheese crumble on top was light and delicious. I decided to avoid the tomato and lettuce base, allowing the taquitos themselves to shine. The tortilla had that perfect deep-fry crunch, and the seasoned meat coming out from the ends of each side provided a delightful, crispy bite. These were, hands down, the best taquitos I’ve had in quite some time.
Main Course: A Disappointing Burrito
Burrito with Carne and Sidewinder Fries: This dish had several issues. I had anticipated the sidewinder fries as a side, but they were, unexpectedly, intended to be inside the burrito. Something the server should be mentioning to first time visitors. The first visual cue to the quality was the cheese, perfectly melted along the entire length of the tortilla, suggesting the chef prioritized melting the cheese before assembly. This is what originally caught my attention when examining the food. While visually appealing, the entire burrito was under-seasoned and bland. The carne, described as beef tips, was tough and chewy, definitely not worth the $7 upcharge. On a positive note, the accompanying side salad was good, and the cilantro lime vinaigrette was one of the better salad dressings I’ve had.
Dessert: Churros – A Revelation
Churros: The churros were by far the highlight of the meal. These churros gave me all types of XXX food porn feelings. The creme filling was amazing and providing a delicious richness; very custard-like. The churros themselves had a perfect crunch and were served with whipped cream and dulce de leche on the side. Usually, when you order churros from random places, you get that heavily sugared with dense dough. These churros had a substantial weight, which came from that delicious filling and not the frying oil. The fried dough itself was very airy and light which is definitely a quality check. The pistachio-dusted sugar was a fantastic touch. The one tiny problem I had is that the whipped cream was advertised as “Bourbon Vanilla”. There was no bourbon flavor to that cream. I don’t even care about it and I didn’t at the time. The only reason I am mentioning it, is because it was on the menu, and I have to note for accuracy.
Overall Review and Conclusion:
Score: My Experience: 5/10 | Value: Price Is A Bit High For Price To Quality Ratio
Taco Boy presents a mixed bag, with high highs and low lows in both service and food quality. The homemade chips, the taquitos and churros showed that the chef in charge of the recipes knows what they are doing. The under-seasoning and blandness found in the burrito and queso also tell me that they are also afraid to take a bit of risk.
The service points to a need for more comprehensive staff training and attentiveness to basic customer experience. Give me specials. Sell me on dishes. Explain what to expect. When you ask if your guests have been there before and they say no, tell them what you think they need to know. How the tacos are served, the portions, the sizes, fan favorites, best sellers, don’t be afraid to give simple information.
The prices were average outside of that burrito. Chips and Queso is $10 with an additional $2 charge for the beef. Not really worth it after the fact. The taquitos at $10 were easily worth it considering the flavor packed into them. Burrito was $12, plus $2 for the fries and $7 for the carne asada which made it a $21 burrito; which is insanity considering I would much rather eat a burrito at Chipotle. Churros at $8 is great value; 4 of them at $2 a piece is easy value, especially when they taste like that.
Despite the notable disappointments, the standout items prove that there’s potential here. Every kitchen can benefit from quality control. The biggest problem I see in the restaurant business seems to be a pattern of is non-consistency in flavor and seasoning. The fact that Taco Boy has high highs and low lows, tells me that if there is a person with a spoon in the back tasting everything throughout the day, the restaurant would benefit.