Mighty Taco, Buffalo New York's Mail Order Burrito

Mighty Taco is a Mexican food joint, located in.... Buffalo. Huh? I went through Buffalo once, on my way back from Canada. To my mind, this is a very UNLIKELY spot for the world's greatest taco, but people LOVE this place.

It was brought to my attention by our fabulous show runner, Emily. Due to her enthusiasm, and Mighty Taco's cult like popularity in the world of social media, we decided to try some on the show.

They actually have a service wherein they will send you burritos via Fedex. Look how cute they look in the box above! On this week's show we will be eating some and talking with their marketing CEO via telephone.

Below is a firsthand account of what I am now calling Mighty Tacoism by a friend of Emily's who is a fellow fan. Go Mighty Taco!

Mighty Taco

By Johnny Metzinger

First things first, Mighty Taco is a fast food restaurant. But unlike many chains, Mighty Taco, or "Mighty" as it is known by locals, harkens back to a time when fast food was not a derogatory term. More than a few times I have received my food before the cashier could even take my money and the quality of the food does not suffer for it.

As for the food itself, Mighty doesn't skimp on the details. Every taco is completely customizable. Don't like ground beef? There are plenty of steak and chicken options available. If hard shell or soft shell has become a boring standard choice from a taco place, Mighty provides a fresh option by offering 100% wheat tortillas in addition to standard corn and flour. Nachos, jalapeno poppers, and taco salads are all fair game as well. But where Mighty really excels is in its local flavoring. Based in Western New York, Mighty Taco has succeeded in truly bringing the flavor of Buffalo back to the people. In fact Buffalo sauce is a standard ingredient in a half dozen different meal options. On cold Buffalo nights patrons can also be found pouring in for chipotle chili, presented in a number of varieties.

On the whole, Mighty Taco is the quintessential manifestation of paying attention to the details. It floats in that perfect zone of being big enough to be available to the region, but not too big to lose its ties to the community, and that shows in some really great ways. National chains rarely come close to offering the sincerity that Mighty does with its little touches. Stop by in October and you'll be greeted by any number of hanging bats and seasonal decorations. Indeed, Mighty has become part restaurant and part community destination.

It might be easy to write off Mighty Taco as  "Just another taco place", but to do so would be a mistake. People who have had the Mighty Taco experience will affirm that in less time than you can say "Oh my god they actually deliver burritos nationwide?" That's right. So in demand are these burritos that locals will order them by the dozen via Fedex because no other taco place will do, even once Buffalo is no longer home.

NEWSFLASH! After writing this post I had a burrito for lunch that was made on Mon. shipped across the country and eaten on Thurs. It was incredible! Seriously! WTF?????? I gave two of them to friends and they freaked out too! Why/How is this darn thing so good. The ingredients are so simple. I don't get it! But I LIKE it:

:) The Taco Maven