CUATRO’S – Chillin’ & Grillin in West Campus

Posted by Cabeza De Taco | Aug 4, 2008 · Filed under Austin, Campus Area, Reviews

Cabeza is diggin the new campus taco spot- Cuatro (4) Bases covered: beer, burgers, bunnies, and tacos

Atmosphere: just barely recognizable from the space that used to house Bongo’s BBQ-the former occupant and classic UT slacker haunt from Cabeza’s formative years…the new digs are modern, open-air (and dog-friendly) patio – all with a laid-back breezy summertime vibe. For the sports buffs, there’s plenty of big shiny tv’s (but not too many), and a great full-sized bar, with Plenty of young-pros and college hotties mingling about. Plenty of fresh material for AmericanGlute. atmo:[4/5]

Service: quick, friendly and unobtrusive…We did have to order chips & salsa ourselves- a minor annoyance..but the thick, red, chunky table salsa was better than average, and the warm thin corn chips were tasty. We got big ol’ sweet teas that were perfect for sippin’ in the sun, with frequent refills. Their Tacos usually come 2 to an order, but Cabeza requested to split the order with 2 different tacos- which they said “no problem”. Points!
service: [4/5]

Menu: Split up evenly with made-to-order Burgers (maybe next time) and about 10 different Specialty Tacos. This is gringo mexican-fusion style, with dabs of traditional mexican styles, We were instantly reminded of Torchy’s, the Taco-truck gourmet that’s taken Austin taco scene by storm in the past year. They had the obligatory fish taco (baja-style) and somePrices are very affordable for a sit down- 5-7 bucks for 2 big tacos. Points for the mini-tacos: 5 to an order, but i wish it was a sampler platter instead of 5 of the same thing…
value: [3/5]

Kona Taco: Pulled Pork, green-chile sauce, fresh diced pineapples, cilantro & onions wrapped in a fresh flour tortilla.  Very similar ingredients to Torchy’s very popular “Green Chile Pork taco” (sans pineapple)…and i gotta say – the Kona taco wins hands down-the Pulled pork was so moist and succulent, with the tangy green sauce melding perfectly into the meat…it was a real pleasure to eat, and definitely worth a return trip. [5/5]

Chicken Taco: Grilled fajita chicken w/ bell pepers, mixed cheese, carmelized onions, parsley and ranch dressing on flour tort…another Torchy-esque offering…and this one fell flat. It was sloppy and unbalanced. the chicken was a little dry., but i blame the execution on this one…still edible, but nowhere near the taste explosion of the Kona. [2/5]

Fried Shrimp Taco: big, fat shrimp lightly fried with pineapple, cabbage and pico on flour. Very tasty, simple, and perfectly executed…very nice balance with the pineapple. [4/5]

Drink Specials:
MON: All Mexican Beers for $2.50 … Make it a Michelada for $.75 extra
TUE:- Random Premium beers for $2
WED: $1.50 Dom.Pints, $6 Dom.Pitchers, $3 Prem.Pints / $12 Prem.Pitchers
THU: TACKY THURSDAY – $1.50 Cans of Pabst, Pearl, Schlitz & Lone Star Light
FRI: $5 Domestic Pitchers $10 Premium Pitchers / $2 Wells / $1 off Bottles
SUN: $4 Zing Zang Bloody’s / $4 Boca-Cheladas

Overall: The taco’s are great, and Cuatro’s is an EASY winner…They’ve really got all the ingredents- Take a great location, hip, laid-back’ atmosphere, a very Torchy’s-like menu, add big fat burgers and a full bar and TV’s…all that equals a big hit with TacoTown…We’ll be back for sure.

Rating: 85%

-CAbeza De Taco-

Cuatro’s

www.cuatrosaustin.com
download: menu pdf