Dos Vatos Tacos in Neptune Beach, Florida
Dos Vatos Tacos is located just minutes from Neptune Beach. I had the pleasure of dining here with Hey9oh4 (Sara), KatFromFla, and JennSnaxInJax. We had some drinks, shared an appetizer, tried oh so many tacos, and we are here to tell you about the most popular menu items.
About Dos Vatos Tacos
Before getting into the food, let’s discuss the vibe of this restaurant. First and foremost, despite being in Neptune Beach, parking is very easy to come by and will not spike your blood pressure like other areas. Dos Vatos is in a strip mall-like plaza with a free parking lot. Even on busy days, you will be able to find a spot.
This restaurant is not your average taco joint. It’s giving dive bar in the best way possible. This is a cozy spot to have some drinks and great food with friends, coworkers, or even treat yourself to a solo date.
The tacos here cannot be found anywhere else. Dos Vatos has a few staples such as birria, mahi, and ahi tuna, but even those tacos have their own unique twist to them. Their menu does change periodically, as they introduce new seasonal tacos and drinks.
This restaurant offers dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian options. Their menu indicates gluten-free items and which tacos contain dairy. As always, be sure to let your server or bartender know if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions.
The owner puts his heart and soul into his restaurant and menu items, so I highly recommend coming by and supporting this amazing local business.
Appetizer Trio which contains fresh guacamole, salsa, and queso
Appetizers and Drinks
Dos Vatos has your traditional chips and salsa/guac/queso for appetizers. We ordered the sampler trio so we could try them all. The guac and salsa were freshly made and tasted great; however, the real show-stopper is the queso.
At first glance, this looks like your traditional queso, however, this one contains beer cheese. The flavor is perfection and is everything I didn’t realize I needed. Not to mention the beautiful cheese pull you get from it.
For drinks, we had a margarita, white sangria, and hurricane. The margarita is your classic, lime-flavored drink. It is also served in a wine glass, which gives it more character than your traditional taco joint.
The white sangria is orange-forward and the perfect drink for sipping on a hot day, or a great pairing with some of their seafood tacos.
The hurricane is an absolutely beautiful, bright blue drink. It is not overly sweet but definitely has a fruity flavor. It also photographs very well for food and drink bloggers!
Pictured left to right: hurricane, margarita, orange sangria
Tacos
Now that we covered the basics, it’s time to taco ‘bout the tacos. We did not try every taco on the menu, but we tried as many as we possibly could. These tacos come loaded, and two tacos were all that we were able to eat before feeling completely stuffed.
We collectively ordered the following tacos:
Smash Burger
Quesa Birria
Korean Shortrib
Dr. Jay’s Remedy
Hala Back
Pork Belly
Bernie’s Limp Basket
Every single taco was unique in its own way. We honestly did not try a “bad” taco. Our recommendations all come down to your flavor preferences and cravings.
A sea of tacos
Jenn ordered the Quesa Birria and Korean Shortrib. The Quesa Birria was a broth grilled quesadilla with rich chicken. She tried birria on its own and loved it, but the consommé really puts this menu item over the top. This menu item is also available with beef, pork, and jackfruit, and is gluten-free!
She loved how the beef was cooked perfectly in the Korean Shortrib taco. It is topped with Napa slaw, Sriracha mayo, and crispy pickles. The slaw and pickles gave it a nice crunch, and she thinks it is the perfect taco for pickle lovers!
Kat had the Smash Burger and Pork Belly tacos. The Smash Burger is the taco-fied version of an all-American burger dressed with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, secret sauce, and potato stick “fries” on a flour tortilla. The potato sticks added a fun crunch in addition to tasting amazing.
The pork belly taco is unlike any other; the pork is rested in rosemary brown butter to add to its rich flavor. It’s topped with slaw, an amazing bourbon peach sauce, and pork rinds to create a perfect bite of complex flavors.
Sara also ordered the Smash Burger and tried the Bernie’s Limp Basket. She loved how Dos Vatos took the classic burger and turned it into a taco. It had a great flavor profile and great texture, especially with the potato sticks.
The Bernie’s Limp Basket is slow cooked barbecue brisket topped with a sweet or spicy secret sauce (your choice). This is served with slaw on top of a flour tortilla. Sara has a little tip for those who order this menu item: instead of ordering sweet or spicy sauce, ask for a bit of both to get the flavor combination in there. The brisket is to tender it melts in your mouth.
I tried the Hala Back and Korean Shortrib. I was a vegetarian for 10 years and ordered the Hala Back to see how their plant-based option tasted. This is more of a Mediterranean-style taco, as it has falafel and avocado hummus, but it is a solid option for vegetarians and those trying to cut back on meat. This has a completely different flavor profile than your classic taco, but it is flavorful and the falafel provides a crispy texture.
As far as the Korean Shortrib goes, I fully agree with Jenn’s review. The main reason why I chose this taco was due to the fact that it was served with pickles, and it did not disappoint!
We also ordered the Dr. Jay’s Remedy (for science, of course). I do think this is a very unique menu item that cannot be found anywhere else, and everyone should try this at least once. It is a quesadilla inspired by grilled cheese and tomato soup. The quesadilla is filled with bacon jam, chicken, and cheddar, and it is paired with Dos Vatos’ homemade tortilla soup. You can either eat them separately or dunk the quesadilla in the soup; and then you have soup for a second course after the quesadilla is finished!
Dr. Jay’s Remedy with Dos Vatos’ homemade tortilla soup
If this blog post just overwhelmed you and you cannot decide which tacos you would like to try, Dos Vatos has you covered. They have a sampler menu item that contains three of their best tacos on one plate. They are sample-sized, so once you find a favorite, you will still have room for more tacos.
Final Thoughts
Dos Vatos Tacos is the perfect place to go for a casual date night, an after-work outing, or a night with friends. This restaurant opens at 11:00 am, so this is also a great spot to grab some lunch before hitting the beach.
If you are looking for more than your average tacos, this is the place to go. There are offerings for most flavor profiles and dietary types, plus it’s always great to support a local business.
If you’re lucky enough, you might be able to join Skelly’s table!
JennSnaxInJax and Dos Vatos’ famous Skelly partying like it’s 1999!
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