My Saturday journey to Excelsior felt about two months too soon. The snow was flying, the sidewalks were sloppy, and I could barely see Lake Minnetonka. But I came, because a friend’s mom told me to. She adorably sent me a recommendation to visit Lago Tacos, with her own one paragraph review: “Favorites were the Monster walleye burrito, grilled shrip tacos and Mahi Mahi tacos.”
Shelly said go, so we went.
And hey—it’s pretty good!
First, consider the food scene in downtown Excelsior. You’ve got the restaurant inside Haskell’s right near the lake, the always reliable Jake O’Connors Pub, and Biella. The area needed something else, and Lago Tacos has a lot going for it.
First, don’t miss the fried jalepeno appetizer. It’s beer-battered jalepenos, stuffed with cheddar cheese. The batter was delicious, the pepper had nice heat, and it came in a serving of four! (As you may recall, getting three appetizers is one of my pet peeves.)
The tacos also come in servings of three, and that’s my biggest problem with Lago Tacos. You can’t order a la carte, so if you commit to the Mahi Mahi tacos, you’re getting three of them. And they’re huge! Three was simply too much to eat for me, and after having one, I wanted to try one of the others on the menu. For $12 you get the tacos and a side (refried beans, rice or these really delicious corn cakes—kind of a sweet corn pancake).
I preferred the ahi tuna tacos, which had a nice smokey chipotle aioli on it. These were fantastic. My mahi tacos were a tad overcooked and got a little lost in all the cabbage on the tuna.
The drinks are excellent. I really enjoyed the Devil’s Advocate margarita—spicy with jalepeno in a lowball glass, and my wife’s mojitorita was quite nice too.
Lago Tacos is one of those places where it’s certainly worth a stop if you’re in the area, or live nearby, but I wouldn’t say it’s worth a special trip. That’s not intended to be a rip on their efforts, but the reality is, you can find tacos of equal or better quality all over the Twin Cities. Just not in this pocket—which is why it’s such an excellent addition.
The service was great, the place was jammed at lunch on a Saturday—I think Lago Tacos is already a tremendous hit for the people in Excelsior.
Lago Tacos
30 Water Street, Excelsior
Facebook.com/LAGOTACOS
