Taco Farm, Waterloo, Ontario
In June 2013 the doors of Taco Farm swung open and it’s been jammed ever since with diners who love great flavour and local food. Just down the street from Nick and Nat Benninger’s successful, more formal, Uptown 21 and near another recent acquisition the venerable Harmony Lunch, this Mexican-themed restaurant uses the best Ontario, specifically Waterloo and Perth County ingredients, that they can find. This is the sort of restaurant that, for me, epitomizes the definition of Canadian cuisine. Food, like humanity is on the move, so here are our marvellous regional ingredients served forth with the seasonings of the southwest of the continent.
Nick writes: “Taco Farm is our interpretation of the foods we in Canada have come to know as “Mexican”. A combination of one of the worlds greatest cuisines and our local connections to the land around us. This means we are cooking without borders or rules. It means that the food is NOT authentic and will not taste like your 
Mexican Grandmother’s cooking and we never wanted it to. What does this mean for you? It means face melting flavours, brain busting bites, drinks that will change the way you thirst and an ambiance that will keep you coming back to the FARM again and again!” And it works. It’s a fun, colourful place with great food that just dances with flavour.
The gluten-free tortillas are made fresh from white corn flour — if you sit at the bar you can watch the entire process – as are the hot sauces, the stocks and broths and the best fried chicken I’ve ever tasted with, to finish, is drizzled with honey from Rosewood Estates in Niagara. Since the very beginning their shopping list is one that many chefs must envy. Check it out here.
My grandson and I started with Nick’s version of tortilla soup…steaming rich chicken broth poured over a mound of tortilla, shredded chicken & pickled onions in front of us. Then we continued! What a meal! There’s a great variety of tacos. “Carnitas” is made from well spiced Waterloo County (St. Agathe) pork shoulder; there’s maple-habenero smoked pork belly and “Tequila Chorizo” made with Taco Farm chorizo. All the cheeses, including the queso fresco is made in Stratford. Desserts are the classic churros, the only thing on the menu with gluten and there is a fabulous Mexican drinking chocolate (the beans are roasted and ground in Waterloo) with tiny, tequila marshmallows.
With its proximity to the shops of downtown Waterloo, the Perimeter Institute and Wilfred Laurier University, he and Nat have a culinary tiger by the tail.
Menu TACO FARM Food Day CanadaTaco Farm is one of many restaurants that celebrate Food Day across Canada.
Taco Farm est l’un beaucoup de restaurants à travers tout le Canada qui participent au Journée des terroirs .
Taco Farm
8 Erb Street West,
Waterloo, ON N2L 1S7
T: 519-208-1300
