Behold, the Bollywood taco! More Indian than Mexican, it features bites of chicken tikka and avocado filling Indian paratha flatbread with taco toppings added.
What is tikka? Based on a Punjabi word meaning “small pieces of meat,” it’s an Indian dish of marinated, tandoor-roasted meat. Eat them right up, or serve them in a creamy sauce as tikka masala.
Okay, then, what’s a taco? You’re kidding me, right? Everyone knows what a taco is.
But what happens if for some inexplicable reason someone decided to put these two things together? Shazam! Now we’ve got Tikka Tacos, a curiously delightful new spot on Preston Street near Audubon Park.
Opened recently in the former home of New Wave Burritos, Tikka Tacos promises us “Indo-Mexi Fusion.”
“Indo-Mexi Fusion”? This is a combination of words that one rarely hears. But they already had me at “Tikka” and “Taco.” I love Indian food, and I love Mexican food. How could I not leap in the car and head straight for this wondrous new experience?
Tikka Tacos’ narrow, windowless room receives little daylight, but walls painted adobe yellow and pale sky blue with pops of red chiles brighten the space. A small bar with a half-dozen tall seats fills one side of the room.
Our friendly server, who may also have been the owner, told us that the idea to merge Mexican and Indian fare came out of a conversation over a few drinks that paid off. An effort to train one chef in both cuisines didn’t work out, though, so, he said, a Mexican and an Indian cook work together in the kitchen.
The menu does lean more toward tikka than taco, but both cuisines are front and center, variously separate or blended. ...
Read my full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
https://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/tikka-tacos
You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section this week:
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/
Tikka Tacos
3311 Preston Highway
918-4606
Google business page: https://bit.ly/TikkaTacos
Noise Level: It was sporadically noisy in the crowded room, especially when Imagine Dragon's pop rock hit Believer hits the sound system. Sound levels averaged just under 70dB, with conversation-blasting peaks to 81.9dB.
Accessibility: The restaurant appears accessible to wheelchair users, but rough and uneven surfaces and concrete car bumper blocks outside the front entrance can make for a treacherous trip from your car to the door.