Leo's Restaurant Taco Review

Tucson Dave’s Taco Trail of 2009

Hi everyone. Well, it is hotter than a tamale in the pressure cooker at 108 this past Monday, July 13, 2009 and the Taco Trail led me to Leo’s Mexican Food at 5114 E. Speedway (325-9180). For those unfamiliar with this territory, it is located in a small strip center adjacent to one of those adult entertainment dance studios. No, I have never been in there but I have been to Leo’s which is a typical local hangout within one of Tucson’s many strip centers. Kind of a sleeper spot and definitively local. Nothing fancy on the outside unless you count some of the dancer’s vehicles in the parking lot. I was joined by one of my banking pals who, being a recent transplant from New Jersey, is really not a Mexican food fan. I did not know this and he was a good sport. Firstly, Leo’s fixed the air conditioning. A good sign. I ordered the basic ground beef taco and a machaca taco. Ala carte. The chips and salsa were good. The salsa had just enough heat but barely.. One of my criteria for a killer taco is the corn tortilla that carries the goods. It was a highlight at Maico’s from our first stop on the Trail. These were generic kind of hard taco shells you might find on the store shelf at Safeway. They have shelf life and they are not my cup of salsa. The ground beef was pretty plain stuff without much seasoning. My pal from New Jersey could have eaten these with no problem. For me, they were just plain simple fare. They were however, a big step up from our discouraging visit to El Dorado. The machaca was kind of plain as well. Nothing over the top. Mediocre. It was all I could do to not eat some of my Jersey partner’s chicken enchiladas. He was not as accommodating as my wife though. One quick look at his plate and it was obvious this guy came from a large Italian family. He held his ground. They were part of the lunch special and were good value. Lunch for two came to $13.78 with tax. Leo’s holds a precarious #2 position thus far on the Trail Ride. It won’t take much for it to lose it’s spot. We are going to have tackle some of the more obscure spots and I have been asking around. More stories later.

Thanks for reading and I hope to have a good spot soon.