Pure Tacos

Preface: As mentioned in the previous post, John went to Villanova University, the finest academic institution in the entire world. While at Villanova, John was introduced to the awe-inspiring burritos of Chipotle Mexican Grill. Chipotle: God's gift of the burrito to the world, also the second religion next to Catholicism at Villanova. If only they had something quite like it on the Ocean City boardwalk......


Review: As mentioned in the above preface, John has an obsession with Chipotle. So, when he saw Pure Tacos next to the Surf Mall on the OC boardwalk he knew he had to get there sooner than later. Well, we went this past week for lunch after we went to the waterpark.

Pure Tacos sort of has the same look as Chipotle, it has a red facade and the sign kind of even looks like Chipotle to where if you glanced real quickly, you'd think it was Chipotle. It just opened this past summer, and sadly, it is not Chipotle, but it's not all bad. We know one of the workers there and while we were talking to her we managed to talk to the owners. They only serve tacos and nachos (but they have breakfast tacos which we need to try). Apparently the only reason why they serve tacos is that everything they serve is gluten free and since burritos require large tortillas, they'd have to get tortillas with gluten in them because for whatever reason, you can't make large tortillas without gluten.

Anyway, since there are no burritos, it sort of is more like Baja Fresh, the tacos are similar. It's also kind of expensive as well. Two tacos are about $5-6. We also agreed that the tacos weren't bad, but something was missing.


John ate: Classic Chicken Taco, C+ "I was hoping for a new awakening for a Chipotle styled establishment on the boardwalk, but I should have known better. It wasn't bad, but something was lacking. There was like no kick to the chicken and there was no spice or flavor. It seemed like it tasted like nothing but salsa too. I didn't hate it and I can imagine it's the best taco place in Ocean City, but the lack of taste and the high price can't allow me to give this place a higher rating than a C+"

Lauren Ate: Classic Chicken Taco, B- "I never had a taco before IN MY LIFE. So, this was the first taco experience and I actually thought it was pretty decent. It seemed a little bland, like something was missing. However, I don't have much to compare to. It's on the boardwalk and it's not pizza or fries, which can be a good thing!"

Tacos at the Promenade

Aaaaaahhhhhh it's been a long time since we've updated this thing so sorry.

The last place we went to was last Friday at the Promenade next to the Water Park on the Boardwalk.



The promenade isn't exactly one specific restaurant,it's more like a food court. I've never even been there and I've been spending my summers in OC for like 22 years. I imagine though it is Shoobie central.

Anyway, we stopped at the taco stand. Lauren didn't get anything because she doesn't like taco's, but I did.
I ordered one soft taco and one hard shell taco. You had the option of ordering different flavored tortillas for the tacos, but I just stayed with regular. It was a really big soft taco, they used like a large sized tortilla and it was very filling. The hardshell taco was red, but I don't exactly know the flavor. They were average taco's. No different than any taco you would make at home. The meat was nothign special, the cheese was nothing special. The only good thing about it was the fact that it was a big soft taco. But if you're on the beach and desperate for a taco, go for it.


John's ate: Hard shell and soft shell taco, C, "I'll leave the Promenade to the shoobies."

Grilled Cheese & Crab Cake Co.

One of the best places we tried is a little place right before the parkway entrance in Somers Point called the Grilled Cheese & Crab Cake company. This place looks like a dive from the outside. Even though it's right off the parkway, it's in a little shopping center that's in a residential area. The name isn't too appealling either. Grilled cheese and crab cakes? That's it? It sounds like some kid asked his mom if he could open up a grilled cheese and lemonade stand and his mom said sure and put up the money.

Anyway, we passed it one day on our way to parkway and decided to give it a shot. It is actually very nice inside with a boating and beach theme. They had soup which was excellent and low priced, grilled cheeses which were more like tuna and crab melts, and crab cakes. It was excellent and probably one of our new favorite places to eat. It is perfect for lunch and would be epic if they opened one up on the boardwalk.

John ate:
Cream of Crab Soup: A, "awesome for such a low price"
Crab Melt: B, "very good, but the soup is better"

Lauren ate:
Cream of Crab Soup: A, "the soup was awesome, very filling!"
Fried Shrimp Grilled Cheese: B, "much better than expected"