The Domo Taco Truck Has Nacho Tots!?

We’ve been tracking the Domo Taco Truck since they tweeted that they were attempting to settle down in Midtown a few weeks ago. I’ve been excited by the prospect of inventive new tacos that were for once not specifically Korean-themed. These tacos seem to be influenced by different Asian cuisines (mainly Japanese, but Chinese and Filipino too). If it’s worked for Korean food, why not expand the options, right?

At Domo, you get 3 tacos for $8, which is a bit steep, but I was happy to see you could mix and match to try different fillings. I ordered the first three, which sounded the most delicious. I also couldn’t resist a side of Japanese nacho tots for $4, which officially brought my lunch past the ML limit. God forbid I wanted a drink!

The tacos were made with a flour tortilla instead of corn, so they were slightly larger but actually a little stale. All three of the tacos were covered with crema, which overwhelmed the flavors. The carnitas had some nice pulled pork it was a fine taco with pico de gallo and pepperjack cheese, but nothing about it tasted Asian to me. The Kare beef was a little on the tough side, but had an unusual peanut flavor and some crunchy sweetness from the cucumber pineapple salsa.

The fish tempura consisted of two meaty pieces of white fish which were ice cold by the time I got to them (I did have to walk a few blocks to find a place to sit) and crispy shredded cabbage. But again, because it was smothered in that crema I couldn’t really detect any other flavors. And forget about hot sauce – there was none anywhere (and I looked through the bag – twice!)

I was most excited about the nacho tots. These got closer to bringing out some Japanese flavors since they were topped with bonito flakes, but it didn’t quite hit the mark. There’s no doubt these are inspired by takoyaki, but there wasn’t a depth of flavor here. No sweet brown sauce, no tangy ginger, no hit of umami. The potatoes were okay, but missing a level of crunchy brownness. They were topped with cheese, tomatoes, and again with the crema. It was a mishmash of flavors that was easy to eat, but didn’t come close to my expectations of this potentially mindblowing dish.

After trying Japadog a few times downtown (when are they opening in Midtown??), I know the concept of Japanese flavors in unexpected places (like hot dogs or tacos) can work wonders. But Domo Taco hasn’t quite hit that mark yet. The guys running the truck were really nice and I wish them the best of luck, but I just want the food to be better. Granted they’re still getting their feet wet (although it turns out the truck’s been around since October) and maybe things will improve – the menu is written in marker which indicates changes are imminent. Let’s see if they can live up to the surprising and delicious flavors of Korean tacos.

According to their Twitter feed they’ll be parked on 47th & Lex today. If you do decide to check them out for yourself, let us know what you think in the comments.

5 Comments

  • By this I mean the tempura taco.
    Looks like proscuitto on those tots.

  • Every single item on the menu sounds delicious. We’re hoping that maybe this New York food truck will get better with time.

  • I checked this place out yesterday. It’s a little different than the other taco trucks. I had the Fish, Kare, and Carnitas tacos. The fish was pretty good. The kare was also interesting. I liked the sauce with it. I wasn’t a fan of the carnitas.

    I tried the nacho tots. They are a heart attack special. I think the bonito flakes were a bit much, but I’m sure some people will like them. It’s a pretty sizable dish of fat, so it should be shared. I didn’t finish them.

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