Our food reviewer and writer Mark Heath and his wife Liz visited TACOR, in Bury St Edmunds, for a Saturday lunch. Here's what they made of it...
I've often stated, both in my columns and reviews, that Bury St Edmunds is Suffolk's culinary capital.
In terms of quality of eateries and range of cuisines, it punches way above its weight.
Want fine dining? You've got Michelin star Pea Porridge and surely soon-to-be Michelin star Lark, plus the likes of 1921 and Maison Bleue.
Independent Italian? There's Rustico and the newly-opened Pomodoro - that's on my list, by the way. Mediterranean vibes? Blue Fig is cracking, and Francela is a favourite of many.
Asian? Zen Noodle Bar is banging. Fancy a bloody good sarnie? Wright's is never wrong. Top tier chicken in a bun? Peck is fast-becoming a must-visit.
I could go on, and trust me, I do. But with so many top places to eat across multiple styles, it's actually quite rare for something to arrive in Bury which genuinely feels different, new and exciting.
TACOR opened in Bury St Edmunds last month (Image: Mark Heath)
Enter TACOR, a taqueria opened on Tayfen Road at the end of last month by Hannah Gregory, a former MasterChef star - she reached the quarter-finals in 2020 - and private chef.
That's actually rather an underselling of her journey to this point. TACOR is the culmination of a dream, her first-ever restaurant celebrating her beloved tacos, made a reality after she raised more than £20,000 via Kickstarter.
Hannah's literally built it from the ground up, in the space previously filled by Pizza Shed, along with partner Jon and multiple friends and contacts.
All of which is a lovely story, or narrative as we cynical hacks call it these days. But, now it's here, is TACOR any good?
Well, we rocked up on a sunny Saturday at just gone 12.30pm to see for ourselves. First point of order - get there early. TACOR has already sold out multiple times in its short life. It's creating quite the buzz, and is only open Thursday-Saturday.
The restaurant itself is tiny, with a small amount of seating around the kitchen area, from whence you can watch Hannah and team slinging shells.
But it also benefits from being attached to The Beer House pub, so you can sit in their covered garden while you get your feed on. Drinks also come via the pub, making it a symbiotic relationship.
We plonked ourselves down on a sunny bench, grabbed a menu and went to work. TACOR offers a choice of three tacos - themed by land, sea and plant - plus sides, snacks and a dessert.
Our tortilla chips at TACOR - and that cracking salsa (left) (Image: Mark Heath)
I wanted to get a good feel for the place, so our order was: Land (cochinita pibil, £15), sea (coconut prawns, £16), elotes (£7), masa fried nugs (11.50) and a portion of purple heirloom corn tortilla chips (£4) with pom pico salsa (£3).
Order placed, you're then given a buzzer to take back to your seat. The signal that your food is ready comes via beeping and buzzing, which is good fun and creates a bit of communal anticipation, as you watch those buzzed before you return with their rewards.
After just a few minutes I was summoned by said buzzer, and duly collected the tortilla chips to start our meal.
Now, I consider myself something of a tortilla chip expert - basically because I can often be found shovelling them into my mouth - and these were good chips. Not greasy, great crunch and nicely salted.
The salsa, meanwhile, was a revelation. Little pops of pomegranate seeds alongside onion, coriander and more. Fresh and delicious.
The masa-fried nugs at TACOR (Image: Mark Heath)
We'd barely made a dent in the chips before I was buzzing once more, and returned with the masa fried nugs and prawn tacos.
Nugs first. Buttermilk chicken, coated in masa flour and deep fried. Eat them solo, and some may find them a touch salty. But whack them in the accompanying habanero mayo - a magic little combination of both cooling cream and spicy heat - and it all worked wonderfully.
Tacos next then, literally the name of Hannah's game. These come in threes, and the coconut prawns were teamed with fresh mango, jalapeno, hot sauce, pink onions and a drizzle of crema.
The coconut prawn tacos at TACOR (Image: Mark Heath)
I loved these. Crunch from the batter, soft prawns within and a goodly kick of heat, nicely offset by the sweetness of the mango - very clever - and the gentle tang of onions. All wrapped up in a soft, thin tortilla blanket.
We'd bashed down a taco each before our final buzz of the day, and I was greeted at the kitchen with a smile and another board of tacos, as well as the elotes.
Let's stick with the 'land' tacos. These were essentially pulled pork, slow-cooked and served with a spicy salsa roja, which can be switched out for a milder salsa verde if you're a bit of a wimp.
Our pulled pork tacos at TACOR (Image: Mark Heath)
The pork was plentiful and juicy - so much so that we were soon using our napkins to mop up the escaping dollops - making it a messy, fun eat. The spice, meanwhile, was of the slow build variety. The sort where you say 'ah, this isn't that hot at all' upon first bite, but then get a bit warm and sweaty - in a good way - as you eat on.
All of which just leaves the elotes - corn on the cob, rolled in chipotle crema and parmesan, then covered in more cheese and other toppings.
In truth, this was my least favourite dish of the day. Not because it was bad, but I'm just a corn on the cob purist - give me a bit of butter and maybe some peri-peri salt, then leave me be. So there was just too much going on here for me.
The elotes at TACOR (Image: Mark Heath)
Final thoughts, then. All told, our food came to £56. There was a lot of eating for that money, and it feels a reasonable price.
Service was good, with plenty of smiles, and the added bonus of meeting Hannah's dachshund - a TACOR mascot - thrown in. I tried and failed to befriend the hound, because I can't pass a dog without attempting to bond with it.
Also on the service front, I went home with a takeaway carton full of the tortilla chips I couldn't eat - having asked for a doggy bag, Hannah dug deep into her kitchen supplies to find me a better option. That, friends, is good service. And they were good chips.
The only other note I have is the potential introduction of side plates to make the eating of numerous things a tad easier, rather than relying on napkins. That, of course, means extra washing up and expense though, so I can understand the current approach.
TACOR is open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Image: Mark Heath)
Oh, and while on the subject of notes, it's definitely worth noting that the TACOR menu will change monthly (August's has just been released) and there will be various takeover nights - collabs with guest chefs - to keep an eye out for.
Ultimately, TACOR is friendly, funky and fun. It feels like a place best enjoyed with friends, a social space where you can laugh, drink, eat good food and maybe try a few new things.
And there's not much better than that.
Our food reviews are always independent. They are the opinion of the reviewer based on their experience of the venue when they visited. The establishment is not aware of our visit, is not informed we intend to write a review and bills are paid by the reviewer.
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