Tacopocalypse

Great team of employees.
Very interesting flavors. Always keeps me on my toes.

Good tacos with fun flavor combinations. The Asian Mexican flavors work really well. However, this place is a dump. The HVAC system is all jacked up so that you can almost not open the doors because the pressure differential is so great. There is no cold air distribution, it all dumps out of one supply duct, the result is 3 freezing windy tables and the rest of the space is super hot. The exhaust from the bathroom is a fan that blows the exhaust air from the bathroom into the kitchen! This has to be some sort of code violation. The place is messy and dirty and just gross.

I was really excited to try Tacopocalypse since moving to Iowa from Los Angeles. I thought this was a «hip» restaurant like on every corner in Los Angeles (I took for granted and miss soon much!). Anyway, I ordered beef Korean tacos and the «fries» which are made out of I don’t know what.
I regretted very much spending $ 16. It just was not good. Sorry Tacopocalypse it was just awful. I stopped at McDonald’s to get a McFlurry to wash my mouth out of the sour/​spices/​yuck taste out of my mouth. :(

We came right before they closed and the cashier was a jerk… no patiencw or willing to explain! The brown sugar cinnamon ice cream is tiny and not great… for $ 2 say NO!!! The burrito was great ginger tofu pan fried noods snow peas cashew bok chpy plus… must eat LOVED IT

This was a pretty cool taco place. Being from Texas, we have some pretty high standards for Tacos. For Des Moines, it’s pretty damn good. The girl at the counter was very helpful to find my wife some vegan options. The vegan chorizo was a bit different, however the Korean brisket was unbelievably outstanding. Next time I will try the Wasabi Brisket. Great job guys, hope it stays forever.

Sonofabitch! These might be the best tacos in the whole damn country. I make it a point to seek out the top taco spots when I travel for baseball and damn… easily top 5. And I’m a fatass about my Tacos so I’m talking top 5 out of hundreds! I live in KC and I will damn sure make that 6hr RT for tacos (and baseball, Go Cubs!). Thanks Iowa

Nearly everytime I venture into DSM, I like to stop here. Patrick T, the awesome CM of the city, turned me onto the Red Curry Burrito. At first I was like «you cannot put curry on a burrito», but then I had it. OMG! So perfectly delicious and balanced.
It is a great spot in East Village and needed to fill up for your debauchery that is sure to come afterwards.
I have heard tales that you can BYOB, but have not tested it. I am told that it is ok to just have water or soda with your meals, too.

Here’s the skinny on this place:
It’s all about fusion Mexican/​Asian cuisine here. This is not your standard Tex-​Mex place, so if you are looking for typical fare, you might find the odd item or two on the menu, but the rest is all original. Many creative dishes combining Mexican and Asian tastes to come up with something completely new.
The menu items here appeal to a wide variety of tastes: meat eaters, vegans, gluten-​free. If in a group and in doubt go here, as any special diet needs should be catered to well here.
As for the food, I had the Seitan Andouille burrito which to my discovery I was unintentionally vegan for this meal. It came wrapped with Chipotle seasoned potatoes and topped with w/​a smoky, moderately spicy tomato sauce. I would give this a solid «A» for creativity, as I would have never considered seitan as a burrito filling.
Only gripe I have is I would think it would be great if the dish came with a side that complemented the delicious flavors of the tacos/​burritos. Yes, they have side items you can order separate but let’s face it when everything’s a la carte, you are less likely to buy those separate items than if it would have been a combo. Other than that, perfectly fine place to enjoy some very unique fare!

Pros:
1. Cool, modern, hip little shop in a nice little neighborhood near the Capitol.
2. Excellent chips, wish I would have gotten the chips with guacamole or salsa.
3. The menu does have variety and has lots of options for vegetarians (tofu, tempeh, and veggie) and meatatarians (chicken, pork, steak, etc.).
Cons:
1. The food was lacking punch in my opinion and somewhat bland. I had the burrito special, perhaps the other menu mainstays are a better option.
2. I didn’t feel the seating was all that comfortable, not make or break, but I wouldn’t have wanted to sit there for a long period.

Went here based in DDD. It didn’t impress me like the show. The flavors are creative and I enjoyed the flavors. Had the burrito of the day which was good. But the flavors didn’t capture my pallet. I would try it again if I was given the chance to order something else. The service was friendly and helpful explaining the options as they aren’t normal ways of ordering. Try it and I hope you get a better outcome.

Gluten free friendly! My wife and are both gluten and dairy free, so it’s hard for us to eat at restaurants. The staff here though were able to tell us what we could or couldn’t eat, and we didn’t walk home with upset stomachs! We had a few tacos and masa fries with Poblano chorizo.
Also, the food was absolutely delicious. So good, we ate there for lunch, then went back again for dinner.

So Guy gave this place a spot on his show and it sucked me in. Tv spot might have been a bit hyped. Seems to me like this place used to have a lot of potential for a sweet hipsterish place to grab an antiestablishment taco but I came away feeling like I’m glad I’m up to date on my inoculations. Little elbow grease cleaning the place could bring it back full circle but as of 3−8−16, this place might be looking at a few code violations (food crusted to the table tops and seats, food bits spilled on the floor, bathroom nestled away behind the kitchen, general look of disarray).
I had the bulgogi burrito which was way heavy on the rice but still pretty tasty all things considered which is why this gets a 2 instead of a 1. I’d try it again but for some reason I have a feeling this place is near to going out of business, don’t skimp on the cleanliness.

The food is eclectic so I would say most kids wouldn’t like it. The food is delicious though. I had a potato taco and seitan taco which was suggested by the woman who took my order. She did not lead me wrong. I also had the vegan masa fry. It was VERY good just didn’t care for the cabbage on top but that is just a personal preference not a flaw in food. Very thing seemed fresh.
One thing –they could really make the inside of the restaurant a bit cooler. Such a great name and logo they should improve the inside.
That is all

I was kind of excited to try out this place but unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed. My friends and I ordered the Bulgogi & Kimchi Fried Rice Burrito, nachos, and braised pork tacos. The Bulgogi and Kimchi Fried Rice Burrito was extremely salty and so were the braised pork tacos. As for the nachos, we could’ve done without them. The tortilla chips were swimming in cheese.
I can appreciate the fusion concept here but this place just didn’t do it for my friends and I. I’m interested in trying some of the other menu items though like the Banh Mi.

For a taco place in Iowa, this place surprised me in the best way possible.
I was passing through Des Moines on a super long road trip from Chicago to Los Angeles. Call me a snob, but I didn’t have high hopes for such a small city, let alone Mexican food not in LA. But we saw that Tacopocalypse had been on Diners, Drive-​Ins, and Dives, and Guy Fieri yet again led me to awesome food in the most unexpected of locations.
WOW, their tacos are so cool. The menu and interior is like Chipotle gone hipster but 10 times better quality. The tacos were all on soft corn tortillas, but far from the classic handmade ones. Somehow, these were more rugged, and the cool texture paired so well with the wild combinations of taco fillings. I’m gluten free (celiac) and don’t eat pork, so those two limitations narrowed it down to one option: the potato poblano with red cabbage. I’ve never had a taco like it before, and I doubt I’ll find one like it again. There aren’t even words to describe how awesome of a combination it was. And best of all, I had no reaction!
Dare I say I would drive back to Des Moines just for these tacos??? Seriously, they’re that good! If you’re nearby or passing by, gluten free or otherwise, absolutely stop here.

Passed through en route to a wedding last year. Had the barbacoa waffle and some tacos.
Personally, those didn’t land for me as well as some of the other options on the menu might have, but don’t let that stop you. I was probably just in the mood for something a bit more vibrant than barbacoa.
Glad to see a place like this. Certainly worth a look — I will definitely check it out again if I have the opportunity. Such a delicious looking menu!

Drive 3 hours for lunch? Sure, if lunch is at Tacopocalypse! Saw the venue on Triple D with Guy F. One evening (2 days ago) in The Twin Cities and thought it made for a good road trip idea. Not disappointed at all!
I’d recommend sticking with the 2 for $ 5 taco menu which has a nice blend of Asian flavor in the familiar taco format for consumption. Wasabi Beef was my favorite (see photo) I also tried the ginger tofu, kimchee taco, and bulgolgi taco. All were fantastic.
There was a breakfast waffle and a breakfast burrito we tried and they were good — just the tacos are Great!
BYOB for drinks with alcohol, just so you know. A beer with lunch would be nice.
Only regret — not buying a Tacopocalypse t-​shirt on the way out so I can advertise this great place back in the Twin Cities.

VERY good food. Not so good interior. It’s very dark and frankly looks super cheap on the inside. The food quality and taste does not match the décor. It’s set up like a $ 2 taco place with terrible food, but serves unique and 5 star food. If they would just fix up the place, it would be top notch. I HIGHLY recommend the Wasabi Brisket. And I don’t even like wasabi.
There isn’t even any lighting by their menu, and the whole place is pretty dark. It looks like it’s closed from the outside.

I’m a burrito addict. There, I said it. That being said, Tacopocalypse gets not only the burritos on their menu right, but has incredible things like masa fries and ceviche on the menu.
My most recent visit I just wanted something small, but filling, so I chose the bulgogi masa fries. I am a huge fan of the flavor and texture of the Korean beef and order it about every time I go there. The slaw and cheese sauce atop the stack of delicious fried masa hit the spot and made me wonder why it had been so long since my last visit.
The fusion of burritos and tacos with the Asian flavors of the fillings is enough to make me happy here, but when you throw in a great staff, quick service, brunch options and a trendy neighborhood, you cannot go wrong.

There is a reason the word apocalypse is implied in the name. Going in it seemed like a great idea. Asian fusion food meets Mexican delivery system of burrito and taco shells… I went with two friends who also had not been here and we all ordered different dishes. Nobody enjoyed nor finished their meals. I had the Bulgogi Burrito and Masa Fries. I have loved Bulgogi at Korean restaurants and like masa in Mexican fare. The first few bites of both were tolerable because my mouth was in shock and didn’t know how to process. After that, dinner was off. I tried adding hot sauces and it didn’t improve. I tried the dishes of my friends and while the funky quesadilla was edible, the flavor wasn’t quite right and the cheese wasn’t good. We decided to cut our losses and head over to Zombie Burger for a shake to kill the remnant flavors on our palate.
The good news, the place was nearly empty so finding a seat was easy (though finding a table that appeared to be actually clean wasn’t as easy). And the soda fountain was pretty standard, so the drinks were OK.