Va Ma Nos, Lake Mary - Closed

On Wednesday I had lunch at this new Taqueria on 46A in Lake Mary. It's aiming to be an upscale Chipotle. And while different and pricier, it really doesn't have the potential to be much better (even when they get the bugs out). The menu is conceptually like Chipotle. You choose tacos (soft only = mistake), burritos or tostados (difference) and then the meat that goes into it. They try and make it sound fancy, but, it's basically chicken, beef and pork. The also offer fish and pork chop meals. But, both are chopped up so it basically just falls into the cat food category with the others. How one offers a pork CHOP without the bone is a head scratcher. You can choose lettuce, pico de gallo, tomatos, onion, crema, and 2 types of cheese as toppings. Guac is extra of course. They have an interesting salsa bar (probably the best thing about the place). The place seems like an Angel's diner (white walls). It seats 80-ish. It's self serve. The people behind the counter were nice. Although, the mexican guy who starts you out is a mumbler and a low talker so you can't understand a word he says. The music was also very loud and made it hard to order and gave me a headache. Additionally, they try and relate that you can adjust the menu to your liking, but, this just makes a confusing experience worse.

Back to the meal. I had the tostadas tinga (chicken) for $6.50. The tostados (3) were tiny and burnt. The chicken was luke warm. It was shredded chicken which is far superior to diced. It was all white meat. If they want to be the top of the fast food chain they need to execute better. They have the opportunity because they offer more than Chipotle and Qdoba at around the same price point. Moe's gives chips (a huge plus) but, their meat is so salty it gives you 5 pounds of water weight with every meal. Tijuana Flats also gives chips and has hard tacos, but is less authentic. I still say Taco Bell for value and Taco Riendo in Sanford and on 436 past 434 for the real thing for $1.50. All these $8 taco places leave you hungry.

Best part about this restaurant is that they don't put that damn tip line on their receipts. It's self serv bitches. Stop making us feel uncomfortable for not tipping at a fast food joint.