Taking inspiration from San Francisco's active Mexican cuisine scene around the Mission District, Tuckeria - among several other joints - goes on to deliver something in the vein their famous burritos. This especially showcases that inspiration, having both of their outlets decidedly behind the scenes from the perspective of the main street. Nothing about Tuckeria is indicating that you are eating fancy fare, it is all about being in the back alley, among the cars, and with an aesthetic that will remind many of either the school-days tuckshop or some sort of canteen. In many ways, this has distinguished it to the point that it is as much its character, and many times when this is the character of the place, what you are in for is some pretty good fare. As is the case with Tuckeria, which is Brisbane's original McDaddy for how Mexican street food really works.
After quite a while, it was time to meet up with a good friend of mine again. The usual dinner out sometime during the week, and she had a specific hankering and knew of the place. That was more or less the long and short of it, and just as long as I could get something hot from there all was good. Flash forward to that day, and it is around evening time and there is a knock on the door, then off it was to the Valley for some good grub.
So when I mentioned earlier about Tuckeria's surroundings and aesthetic being rustic, that part is not joshing in any way. The bright colours are a contrast to the bare-bones outlay that represents the dreaded canteen of many workplaces. With the colours of the Mexican flag all around the walls, plus Spanish images it does a good job indicating the food that they serve. Much like the canteen or simple takeaway, the menu is right above on the board. To the side, water glasses are available to pick up as with a bottle of water to take outside.
Outside is very simple as well. It is a small balcony, with a few small tables around, a couple of big, communal ones, and a bench that goes around part of the perimeter. When I was there with my friend that night, one aspect I took a big notice to was a giant Jenga game. During the twilight part of the day, getting into the evening, all the city lights and the lights on the tree really added something that could only be at that moment in time. Heck, combine all these aspects and it might well show how Brisbane still has its aesthetic charms.
Moving along now, there is the service. It is pretty basic here, though still friendly enough. You walk up to the counter and place our order, which is followed by the transaction. I can't remember if a table number factored in, but regardless you go and find a table, then they arrive soon afterwards with your meal. That is it there, and doesn't need any modifications.
They keep it very simple with the menu here. This is Mexican street food, think of the burritos, think of the tacos (soft shell only), the nachos, plus plenty of corn chips and snacks to share around at the beginning. Other treats here include quesadillas, enchiladas and some sweet treats. Nothing that is really too out of the ordinary, as you choose your kind of meat plus how spicy you want the snack to be, and maybe some additions to it.
As far as the drinks go, there is a range of Mexican sodas, plenty of Mexican beers, some wines, and several of the Mexican staples - including tequilla, sangria and margarita. From what I remember, there is also iced teas available. If anything, after going over that I am reminded of a version of a craft beer bar that would be south of the border. So therefore, not bad at all with quality, the food is simple, and it is made to have a good time. The decidedly urban rustic outlay contributes a lot to this as well.
For what I had from the menu, it was none other than a burrito. The perfect and only real thing to have from one of these places. I went with the good old beef, and went crazy on the upgrades. First off there was "California style" which was the option of getting the rice replaced by fries, and then I added a bit more on and had it as "con tado". This meant to have it with the lot, which meant guacamole, corn, sour cream, cheese and jalapenos. To complete it all was the sauce, and I went spicy getting the smokey chipotle.
Adding in all the items made this one huge sucker. Might I also add in that it was quite filling as well? In a good way, because it was really tasty. The beef was tender, slowly cooked, and pulled very finely. While I will still give it credit for being a bit on the spicy side, it was still far from the spiciest thing that I have eaten. That was with a mixture of the chipotle sauce - which is more of a smokey flavour than spicy, though it still gives a chili hit now and again - and the jalapeno peppers - which are always a good addition, and can surprise you at times with a bite here and there. Those two different sorts of spiciness interacted well with one another. The avocado was solid, creamy and added its unique flavour into the mix, and the sour cream managed to cool down the spice of the chillies. When it comes to burrito, corn and beans are really just there and for more filling, and the one weakness might have been the fries. They seemed a tad undercooked to me. With only that issue there, wrapped in a warm and solid tortilla, this was enough of a meal to satisfy any kind of cravings.
Plus to share, we split a dirty nachos with pork. The dirty nachos had rice, beans, cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole alongside the choice of meat. This was piled high, it was huge and each item was fresh and good quality. The meat was hot and pulled well, each of the listed items was tasty and had its own distinct quality adding to the composition, and it was a perfect sharing food. It might have been a bit too much alongside the burritos, but I definitely could envision ordering it again.
Well, not too much more that has to be said. This is a Brisbane born and bred institution, Tuckeria does its job very well providing no-fuss street food from Mexico. Just take everything else being what it is, and enjoy. If this is indicative of the quality of the burritos in San Francisco, or at least its Mission District, then I am all the more excited to get over there at one time. For any Americans here who might say that these pale in comparison to what is available over there, then you just made me look forward to it a whole lot more.
TL;DR: All it is here is unpretentious Mexican street food.
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