Written by: Sadaf Shahzad
Posted on: December 15, 2020 | 
| 中文
The Beef Tacos (photo credits to Coco Cubano)
Coco Cubano is the latest eatery to enter Lahore’s ever expanding food scene, with its bright, welcoming food. Centrally located on MM Alam Road, which some might say is the heart of dinning and shopping in Lahore, the restaurant takes inspiration from the zesty and flavorful tradition of Cuban cuisine. We decided to visit the restaurant one evening to check out the hype for ourselves.
The restaurant itself has both outdoor seating and indoor seating, however, with the government’s recent Standards of Procedures (SOPs), only outdoor seating is currently available. The outdoor courtyard was bursting with color, and murals adorned the walls. It was refreshing to see a well lit setting with lots of plants, compared to the often dull and dark outdoor seating that most restaurants in Lahore have. In true homage to Cuba, the restaurant even has a Cigar Lounge for members that exclusively provides Cuban cigars.
The Outdoor Seating (photo credits to Coco Cubano)
Tired of the usual burger joints or Pakistani cuisine, we were really looking forward to trying something a little different, and Coco Cubano purported to be one of the few good taco places in Lahore. The menu itself was very colorful and had an assortment of Cuban Street Sandwiches, Tacos, Burritos, and mock-tail Mojitos. For those who feel less adventurous, the menu also offers the usual pizza, burgers and salads. It is not the most authentic of cuisines, but it has enough variety to reel in customers of all palates.
Grilled Chicken Nachos (photo credits to the writer)
For our party of two, we ordered grilled Chicken Nachos as our starter. I was incredibly apprehensive when ordering the nachos, because more often than not, restaurants here use store-bought, and often stale nachos with lackluster salsa. But to say I was pleasantly surprised, would be an understatement. The nachos were house made and fresh, the ratio of the salsa, cheese, creamy herb dip and chicken on top was perfect, while the portion size was enough to split between two people. It would not be a far cry to say that I would love to go back just to have the grilled chicken nachos.
After the appetizers, my expectations for the tacos were at an all-time high. We ordered the grilled chicken tacos and the pulled beef taco. Each serving comes with two tacos, and a small side of plain nachos. Along with the tacos, we ordered the sweet potato fries, the chipotle mayo and creamy herb dip. For drinks, we ordered two classic Mojitos, which were a refreshing and delicious compliment to our meals.
The Mojito (photo credits to Coco Cubano)
The Pulled Beef Taco was encased in a soft corn tortilla with guacamole, spicy chipotle mayo, creamy coleslaw and capsicum salsa, with a generous toss of cilantro. For me, the flavors of the taco were very confusing, as it felt like they attempted a fusion between Cuban and Pakistani food. There was little to no sour cream in the taco, and overall it lacked that punch of flavors that one expects from Cuban cuisine. Overall, it seemed very bland in terms of both flavors. Since we had ordered the dipping sauces, we proceeded to add the creamy herb dip to the taco, which definitely improved its flavor, but was not enough to save the underwhelming taste.
Similarly, the grilled chicken taco consisted of lime & pepper chicken with guacamole, capsicum salsa, chipotle mayo, creamy coleslaw encased in a soft tortilla. The flavors in the chicken taco were definitely more well balanced than the beef, but there was too much coleslaw for my liking. Again, the rich and creamy herb dip definitely improved its overall flavor. However, the real highlight of the dish were the sweet potato fries as the side. Not only were they perfectly crispy, but also a heavenly combination with the tangy chipotle mayo.
The Tacos, Fries and Sauce (photo credits to the writer)
In terms of price, Coco Cubano is a little above average, and is somewhere you go for special occasions with friends and family, or simply when you want to splurge a little! The ambience of the restaurant is warm, inviting and lively, encouraging diners to return and try more of its menu. While there are some improvements that need to be made in terms of flavor and getting a right balance of ingredients, Coco Cubano is an exciting new addition to Lahore’s growing food scene.
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