Taqueria Monterrey (from the people who brought you TACO BUS!)

With a hankering to try something new for dinner one night, my friend Lisa and I got very excited upon reading the vegan menu at Taqueria Monterrey in the USF area of Tampa. They are a sister restaurant to Taco Bus, and knowing that affiliation, I had a good feeling about trying this place out.

We walked into the tiny "Monterrey #2" fairly late in the evening, so business was quiet, but the Latin tunes were blasting, bringing me back to my Zumba days. We sat at a booth and requested the vegan menu, which is entirely separate.

With several options to choose from, deciding was challenging. Lisa went with a soy chorizo burrito plate

and I went with a two-taco plate: one with faux-steak strips and the other with soy chorizo.

I was not impressed with the steak strips. They were incredibly bland, which made their texture that much weirder for me without some flavor to mask it. I did not finish them.

The chorizo, on the other hand, was much more flavorful, with a little kick to 'em. They're also more on the drippy-saucy side, which is usually a sign of deliciousness, as well as sexiness (because who doesn't get turned on by taco sauce dribbles?).

Somehow I missed photographing the bottomless bowl of chips and salsa, but I definitely recommend that. The salsa is fresh and chock full o' cilantro, just how I like it!

Would I return to Taqueria Monterrey? For sure. I'll just skip the steak strips.