The wait is finally over. The restaurant formally known as Rusty Taco makes its debut as Rowdy Taco today at 10am. I got a sneak preview last night, and I have to say it doesn't disappoint.
The first thing I noticed was how fast my food came out. I don't want to call it fast food, because it definitely isn't fast food, but my Pulled Pork BBQ taco and chips and queso were ready before I made it to the drink station to get my drink. Last night was a soft opening, and they were staffed with an army of Rowdy employees, so that combination may have contributed to the fast service. But if they can keep that up consistently, that will definitely set them apart from Torchy's.
Rowdy offers a fast casual, counter service dining experience with communal seating in the main dining area (think Rudy's but with a different style of table), and a great covered patio facing Valley Mills with picnic tables for extra seating. The menu offers a choice between tacos, bowls, salad, nachos, or cheese quesadillas.
For those of you who like a little kick, try the ghost cheese. It's cheese made with ghost peppers, and it is no joke. I tried a little bit of the ghost cheese it was more kick than I could handle. I am a huge wimp when it comes to spicy foods, so don't let me scare you. If you like spicy, I think you'll love the ghost cheese.
I ordered the Pulled Pork BBQ taco on a corn tortilla along with an order of chips and queso, and it definitely did not disappoint. I happened to sit down with one of the Rowdy owners, David Weaver, and he made sure to let me try at least one more taco before I left. So I ordered the Baja Shrimp on a corn tortilla, and it too was delicious. Weaver also brought out some of their fajita meat, which is marinated in their own custom gravy, so the Beef Fajita taco is definitely on my list of things to try this summer. Finally I tried the Rowdy Corn Queso. It is a blend of their queso with corn and rice, and that flavor combination is addicting. The queso is a bit spicy, and the corn adds some nice sweetness to it. It's definitely worth a try.
I also happened to sit across from David Smoak and Paul Catalina from ESPN Central Texas, and they informed me that they will be doing their radio show on Monday live from the Rowdy patio. This could become a regular thing, so this would be a great opportunity to grab a couple of tacos and talk sports.
For those of you wondering about the Rusty-Rowdy switch-up, I didn't get a lot of details, but Weaver emphasized that Rowdy Taco is a Waco concept that is going a different direction with the menu than Rusty Taco. When we start seeing Rowdy Tacos pop up everywhere, we can be proud and know that it all started right here in Waco.
If you go for their grand opening today, hop on WacoFork and write a review to let us know what you think.
