Featured by Guy Fieri on Diner’s, Drive-Ins & Dives, Yayo Taco certainly provides diners with a new and flavorful twist on Mexican dining. This Taco joint/Bar is located across the street from UNLV and has both inside and outside seating. Yayo Taco mainly caters to the UNLV campus crowd. There are over 200 varieties of beer listed on their menu. The atmosphere is more bar than anything else and may not be suitable for family dining - you will need to make your own determination.
There are rave reviews for the tacos on the various internet review sites and prices are rated anywhere from “cheap” to reasonable. Their 4 taco platter with two sides starts at $7.25. The tacos themselves are in the $1.75 to $2.25 range and most of the sides are $.75 each. Most reviews, including this one, have found the food to be outstanding. The only complaint found is that occasionally, you will be served a dish that is not up to temperature (cold). If that happens, bring it to their attention and they will redo it.
Sides include Barracho Ranch Pinto Beans, Aztecan Quinoa Salad, Garlic Onion Pepper Black Beans, Garden Salad, fresh Fried Chips & Salsa, and fresh cut French Fries, or for .$25 more, Plantain Chips. The Chips and Salsa are wonderful – the salsa is different from what you would expect – kind of sweet – was that pineapple in there? That is the interesting thing about their taco toppings – they are so unique and will keep you trying to identify the wonderful mixture of flavors.
The menu lists 15 varieties of tacos – and these would have to be classified as “gourmet” tacos, as they are not at all what you would find in most traditional Mexican restaurants. Examples of the tacos for $1.75 (called Tacos Classico) include Carne Asada: Yucatan style mojo marinated very slow roasted charred and braised steak with Cilantro onion relish; and Pastor: Slow brown beer-citrus braised pork with Grilled Pineapple Salsa. Examples of their $2.25 selections (called Tacos Loco) include Carnitas: Fiesta pineapple Coke marinated braised port with Cilantro onion relish and Tomatillo Serrano Verde; Texano: Succulent slow braised Hickory Barbacoa pulled pork with Yayo Sour Cream; and Bombay: Roast chicken sautéed in Yellow mint Coconut Curry and sweet tangy Tamarind Chutney sauce. There are also veggie and seafood offerings.
To see the wide variety of tacos available, check out the menu at:
http://www.menupix.com/menudirectory/menu.php?id=2803860
One word of caution – Yayo Taco’s business hours are sometimes spotty – for various reasons – and they are closed on Sunday. It is a good idea to call first and make sure they are open if you are going to drive any distance to get there. They don’t always answer the phone, so they may be open regardless, but there have been times when the store has been closed down for several days at a time and you might get there and get an unpleasant surprise. If you are in the area and have a craving for Mexican food, it is worth it to drive by and see if they are open. If you do get there and they aren’t open, there is an excellent Mediterranean Grill – Stephano’s – right next door, so if you like Greek food, you can’t go wrong with Stephano’s. http://www.stephanoslv.com/
For a unique taste in Mexican food, give Yayo Taco a try. It is worth it for the flavors alone!
Yayo Taco
4632 Maryland Parkway #18
Las Vegas, NV
702-262-0201
Hours: Monday – Saturday 11am – 1am
Sunday: Closed
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