I wasn't expecting to find much in an airport except for the usual fast food in the food courts so when I saw a Baja style Mexican place directly across from my gate (I believe it was C4) I thought, why not give it a shot? Â Granted in an airport you're kind of stuck eating at whatever's available in your terminal and fairly close to your gate so your choices are more or less forced on you. Â
Both me and my co-worker have been to Hawaii and neither of us recall any Baja style Mexican there, after all, Baja is closer to the California scene, so the Hawaii connection is a stretch but we went with it. Â In keeping with that, I had the grilled fish tacos, not expecting much, and to my surprise, they were pretty good! Â Soft flour tacos with about the right mix of grilled fish, black beans, and cabbage to which I added plenty of cilantro from the salsa bar. Â The beans, rice and tortilla chips were fairly forgettable, as well as the salsa bar with the exception of the pineapple salsa, which was unique (first time I've ever seen a pineapple salsa) and pretty good!
I can't comment on the chicken or ground beef tacos or anything else on the menu, and the prices were typical airport prices (high for what you get) but if you're wanting to try something outside the usual airport norm the fish tacos and pineapple salsa were a-ok for me.
With so many decently Yelp-rated restaurants in the Minneapolis airport, why did I choose this one? Â Well, I only had about 20 mins before boarding my flight and needed something quicker than a sit down restaurant. Â
You basically order the food at the counter, then pick up your food when its done and bring it to any nearby tables. Â
Even for being in an airport, this Mexican restaurant sure was pricey. Â The service was okay. Â The guy behind the counter was friendly. Â But the food really stunk, especially for its price. Â
For $15, I got the Fish Taco / Enchilada combo and a medium drink. Â It came with some beans that I didn't eat, and it came with some stale tortilla chips. Â The tacos were okay if they had been 99 cents. Â The enchilada was not edible. Â The "steak" inside it was hard and dry. Â I threw the whole thing away after a bite and only ate my taco. Â You would probably have a better dining experience ordering a sandwich on the plane.
My first experience with Maui Taco was one that was unpleasant. I landed at the Minnesota airport after being on a flight from New Jersey and decided to try Maui Tacos in the Minnesota airport. Big Mistake $11.67 gone down the drain. Firstly, of all I ordered the taco and enchilada meal and it took forever to receive my food all while the women working behind the counter was yelling 67 repeatedly and no one ever came to pick up the food. Secondly, once I received my food I had two tacos on my plate when I had asked for the taco and enchilada meal. Thirdly the pineapple salsa was low, therefore we asked the staff to refill the bucket in order for us to try it. Oddly the cashier asked could we hand her the bowl in which I did and she filled it up and then handed it back to me in which I placed the bowl back in its proper position which is something I am not paid to do. Another issue is my boyfriend ordered the chicken burrito and he received steak and (no beans which comes with the meal). He walked up to the counter and asked for black beans and the cashier responded, "we are out of black beans do you want re-fried instead? he said yes but then low and behold she handed him black beans. The woman in line behind me mentioned she didn't have much time to wait and when she finally got her order she asked for it to be a to-go order and they had made it for here. I asked if they were short staffed and the cashier responded yes and that she had been there on her day off and was ready to go home. I consistently saw her correcting the kitchen staff for making orders incorrectly and the manager was paying very much attention to one particular customer at the bar the entire time all of this mayhem was occurring. When I finally did eat my food the chicken tasted very artificial, the cheese was cold and the tortilla itself didn't taste at all authentic. Needless to say my first time experience with Maui Taco will be my last!
Review Source:This is usually a bright spot at MSP airport, but tonight it was a brand damaging experience. Employees complaining to managers they had to stay until 9pm. Understaffed. There were no less than 10 orders backed up when I got there. And the workers were slow, didn't care and didn't know what they were doing. Most Of the salsas were low or gone, no limes cilantro etc. and entire counter area was dirty! Â Icky!!!
This place used to be great but tonight's experience was awful. The employees need training, they need to have more staff, the place needs to be cleaned up and salsa bar kept fresh. And the employees need an attitude adjustment to give a s***.
The idea of Mexican food being served with a little Hawaiian flavor sounds appealing to me, but when it comes in the form of a chain and in an airport booth, I will always have my suspicions. Â Unfortunately my instincts were right when I came here, with Maui Tacos providing a nice blow to my palate.
And while I typically give a break to airport food, I can't help but wonder how my optimism lead me astray in this case.  All the signs were there - airport food, no lines, pricey options, "Mexican" cuisine in Minnesota.  But having seen Maui Tacos all over the US and never having tried one, along with the fact there was an absurdly long line for DQ Grill & Chill (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/dq-grill-and-chill-st-paul">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>) across the way, I took my chances.
I hadn't had a good fish taco in awhile, so I went for a signature Maui fish taco combo with an enchilada. Â The taco was decorated with so much lettuce I had trouble spotting the actual fish. Â I enjoyed the self-serving station for the various salsas and limes, but that was only to compensate for the lack of flavor in the food. Â The enchilada tasted like it came out of a wrapper and was microwaved. Â Even the chips that came along with the meal were stale and the rice was super bland.
The counter woman was hardly apologetic when I mentioned my enchilada & rice were cold. Â She mentioned they only have one cook and she wasn't able to ask for him to cook a fresh batch of rice or enchiladas. Â I figured if I had worked there and had to eat crappy food, I'd probably be a little annoyed too.
I couldn't stomach the rest and had to toss it. Â $12 out and I still was feening for something more. Â And though I was hoping for a little bit of Hawaii and Mexico on my plate, I instead just got a lot of Minnesota (airport).
Really surprisingly good for airport food. Â Prices are typically high, like everything else in the airport. Â What surprised me was the large portion and the quality. Â I got the vegetarian taco, which was so huge I HAD to eat it with fork and knife. Â It was absolutely impossible to pick up. Â It came with some fresh, crispy chips which were perfect to pick up what was spilling out of my tasty taco. Â They also had a salsa bar which included fresh cilantro and fresh cut limes, which gained MAJOR points. Â I also thought it was cool that they had breakfast selections and authentic Mexican chorizo on the menu. Â Yum. Â Maui Taco ROCKS!
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