Dinner at Taco Lindo in Naples

Taco Lindo (TL)

Taco Lindo, Naples

is a restaurant in east Naples that serves Mexican cuisine.The name of the restaurant really means “pretty taco” which is a bit misleading as many other things are served here. The food, as the owner explained, is influenced by the fare of the Guanajuato region of central Mexico. Upon researching this, street food in the state of Guanajuato such as tacos, burritos and tostadas are traditionally Mexican but with a twist. This was my experience at TL. The restaurant has been open for about 4 years.

As you enter TL, you will find the interior somewhat small. I would guess the restaurant could seat 25 to 30 diners at most. What the restaurant lacks in space in makes up in ambience, with colorful pastels, murals and tchotchke on the walls. I was particularly intrigued by the inflatable Mexican beer bottles suspended from the ceiling.

Interior, Taco Lindo

The restaurant also serves take out and delivers within a 3 mile radius. After a short wait, we were seated and given menus. The restaurant does not have a website and the menu can be hard to find so here is most of it.

A duo of salsas and in house made chips were brought to the table to snack on while my dining companion and I decided what to order. The salsas were very good but the owner was tight lipped about how they make them.

Salsa and chips

This was my best guess for the Salsa Verde . The red salsa was made with tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro and my best guess was a pinch of oregano which gave it a very unusual flavor. Both salsas were mild, extremely flavorful and excellent.

We thought we would try a couple of the tacos and a gordita. We ordered al pastor and carnitas tacos. Al pastor is pork that is marinated in dried chilies, spices and pineapple then cooked on a vertical spit. Carnitas are the Mexican version of pulled pork, slow braised or fried. These were served with onions, cilantro and corn tortillas. Both were very good. A gordita is traditionally a corn meal-based pastry stuffed with meat and other “goodies”. The gordita at TL was sort of a quesadilla-gordita hybrid and served with beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and a spicy aioli. As were the tacos, the gordita was also very good.

Wanting to try more of this wonderful food, we moved onto the pork in green salsa.

Pork in salsa verde

This again was another excellent dish, a most generous serving of pork in tomatillo sauce, delicious beans and rice, lettuce, sour cream and pico de gallo. The flavors in this dish were exceptional and a bargain at $12.99.

Guanajuato is noted for it’s milk-based desserts but these were absent on the menu. Instead we opted to split a capechano tostada, capechano being a dish that incorporates two meats, in this case, steak and chorizo. It was served with beans, cheese, lettuce, avocado, tomato and sour cream. It was also exceptional and highly recommended.

All of these dishes are traditional Mexican cuisine but were better than most, perhaps reflecting the influence of Guanajuato cuisine. The owner, and perhaps rightly so, was not willing to give insight into her cooking, so I can only guess. Nonetheless, the cuisine at TL is really good, and from what DC and I ordered, most highly recommended. The strip mall they are located in has been extremely underpopulated for some time so there is a good reason they are very busy and still here after 4 years. I hope you will try Taco Lindo, I do not think you will be disappointed. 

It’s a wrap for another post on Forks.

Taco Lindo

4003 Santa Barbara Blvd.

Naples, FL 34104

(239)228-6437

Taco Lindo Facebook Page

Monday-Thursday: 1030 AM to 10 PM, Friday-Saturday: 1030 AM to 11 PM, Sunday: 1030 AM to 930 PM; Kid’s meals available; All major credit cards accepted; No valet parking; No reservations accepted.

Al pastor and carnitas tacos (12 and 3 PM), chorizo gordita

Steak and chorizo tostada

Take out service, Cafe Lindo