The Papillion Taco Guy

Tacos! Yes, that is what The Papillion Taco Guy is slanging. Typically, in downtown Papillion at 1^st and Washington is where you can find him, but you might see him off site from time to time. If you’re in downtown Papillion on a Friday night, pop into the Papillion Eagles club right on the corner at 102 N Washington.

I kept hearing about this mysterious provider of tacos that serves out of a mobile chariot, and I wanted to give him a try. Everyone that mentioned him only had good things to say. Well, Papillion Days was going on and I saw the lovely cart that said The Papillion Taco Guy. I made a mental note that I was going to pop on over and get myself some tacos. There were a ton of food options at the event and as it was taking place over a four-day period, I knew I’d swing back around at some point.

That point came around on the Saturday night of the event before everything was shut down for a potential storm that was set to roll through. I had already been to the event earlier in the day for a quick walkthrough, but I had eaten at Let’s Eat (a pop-up) in downtown Papillion, so I didn’t get any tacos. S/O to Chef Around the Block! That meal is a story for another day.

Back to the tacos! I ordered 3 Smoked Brisket Tacos for myself, 3 Chicken Tacos for my oldest daughter and my wife order the Pork Tacos. While our order was being made, we got a couple of minutes to chat with the owner. We may have exchanged names, but I don’t remember (another reason that I need to write sooner). Anyway, he was a nice guy. We talked about how it was going for him at Papillion Days, about all the hubbub that I had been hearing about his tacos and I asked about where the concept came for his fun logo design (King of the Hill).  It reminded me of my logos for Small Guy and Omaha Fattie as I am big on having playful designs.

He sold me on the hot sauce for the tacos because it isn’t a regular cayenne pepper blend. Those were his words. It is from a country in Africa and is quite different than what we would be used to as far as a traditional hot sauce goes. He’s got me on the hook and now I have to give it a try. We wrapped up our conversation because more customers had walked up.

Finally, we got these tacos home and it was time to dig in. I started with a bite of the taco without any sauce to take it in in its original form. Oh my! The smokiness of the meat was perfect! He had me at smoked brisket, and after that first bite, I knew that I was all in on The Papillion Taco Guy.  I crack open the sauce and pour a little on the tack. It is different and it works. I don’t know exactly what I was tasting, but I know I liked it. The combination of the meat, the sweetness of the caramelized veggies and the sauce were outstanding.

I asked my wife and daughter what they thought. They both liked their tacos as well. My daughter and I traded one taco to see if we liked the other also. I did like the chicken, but it was no contest on how good the brisket was. I’m getting more brisket the next time I see that guy!

Hmm…let’s see. Did I like the taco guy that is in downtown Papillion? You bet I did! As I said, “the smokiness of the meat was perfect.” It may be hard for me to step outside of the box and order anything except that in the future. Again, I think the chicken was okay, but I couldn’t focus on that one. I didn’t try the pork tacos, so I’ll take my wife’s word, that they were tasty as well.

This was a nice experience. We got the $10 Tacos x 3 (they’re actually $9.34), so our total was $28.02 before tax and tip. I can get down with that. A decent price for a really good product in my opinion. I’ll make sure to find time to stop and see him again.

I give The Papillion Taco Guy 4 Fatties. Have you been? If so, what do you think?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my thoughts on food. You are amazing!

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