HC Mladost 4, Business Park Sofia
Tel.: 9769282
Working hours: Monday - Saturday
7.30am - 8 pm, Closed Sunday
Credit cards accepted

I'm not fond of the American suburbs.  My husband and I have an oft-repeated our pledge to live in the woods before succumbing to gate-encircled trees, office parks, cul-de-sacs and Applebees. 

But perhaps even worse than residential suburbia is the sleep-inducing mix of cement, grass and glass that constitute an office complex.  And the strangest thing happened on the way to Taco Cafe.  All I could see was grey...garbage-can leaning smokers, anal landscaping, silly sculptures, parking lots, fountains without penny-gripping children, identical apartment buildings in the distance, a muted sky. . .I feared, at any moment, that a flair-wearing waitress would approach me with a TGIFridays menu. Where was I?

The shiny new Sofia Business Park, of course - the very home of business growth  and employment opportunity in Sofia.  And in that monotonous, yet necessary mess, you'll eventually find Taco Cafe.

Friday, May 5 was Cinco de Mayo, otherwise known as the 5th of May, which commemorates the victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza over the French expeditionary forces in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.  Over the decades, boatloads of immigrants have made countries more adept at adopting other ethnicity's celebrations. Due to the rise of Hispanic people in  my home state of Colorado, Cinco de Mayo - and Mexican culture, for that matter - is building a pint (or rather a pinyata) full of popularity.
There, restaurants have Mexican "sections" on their menus.  I now have green chilli sauce sent to me in cardboard box care packages. Our bottle of Tabasco - found just once at the Rakovski Familia - is used sparingly.  That Chio salsa they have here tastes like ketchup, and peanuts with a lute (hot!) label, cause us to choke, but only from laughter.

So on Cinco de Mayo, I went to Taco Cafe.  The restaurant is aptly named, but has no outside sign and was buried in "Multi-Functional Building Number 3" (who named these?), alone and out of place in an office atrium.  However, it was packed with patrons.  Their southwestern-style, three-dimensional cactus sign, Nescafe decor and rock-tool-glass industrial art tables was like combining a theme-park with a tacky modern art museum, not so different from the kitschy diners along Route 66.  I found it entertaining.  And, after the homemade chips in all of their oily, yet crispy splendour, arrived, along with a smiling (!) waitress, who seemed to appreciate our Bulgarian (!), I felt completely at home.

Then came the beef burrito in separate parts.  I'm not a big fan of do-it-yourself meals but the authenticity of the meal helped me forget. Seasoned meat, real sour cream, actual lettuce, refried beans just the right shade of magenta, unexpectedly appetising presentation and a freshly-baked tortilla. There were no tomatoes and this was exceptionally unfortunate, since when all else fails, Bulgarian tomatoes typically don't.   The plate also lacked enough salsa. Technically, my chicken quesadilla did everything right.  It was a big portion and well-presented, however, the meat was disappointing and very un-Mexican.  But chicken is rarely done right in Bulgaria and I should have known better.  Was there spice?  Well, no.  If you want the full Mexican effect - that subtle burn that garnishes each bite - then I recommend bringing your own lip-scorching condiment.

Taco Cafe's laminated, diner-style menu was available in English or Bulgarian. And there they were:  the same six ingredients cooked 46 different ways.  Just what a Mexican menu should be. Beer and wine were available.  Margaritas were not. (Bummer!) And when Boudreaux ordered a Becks (on the menu), they said that dreaded word "nyama".  But our plates arrived quickly, if not terribly hot.  Service was attentive.  Our table was cleared efficiently. They had the right change. We got out of Taco Cafe for about 20 leva. 

Their hours are eccentric and clearly indicate a preference to settle before sunset. Be warned.  It says they close at 8pm, but the grills actually lose their grease at 7pm.  Our first attempt back in February, including a 15 leva cab ride, an unnerving traffic jam and a night that ended with pizza, is proof.  But what do you expect?  They serve up lunch to famished professionals in suburbia.  This time we took a marshutka (mini-van taxi) - catch the Number 6 from Rakovski and Tsar Osvboditel, heading east.  Not speedy (about half an hour) but a cheap way to get a free tour of Sofia's outskirts and reach the hacienda of my dreams. For this gringo, Taco Cafe is quite the cantina.