Tasty Mexican Food at Twinkeyz Tacos

February 14, 2019 Taipei Expat

Good Mexican food can be hard to find in Taipei, but we struck gold with this small taco joint that has 2 locations across the city. In addition to its 10+ varieties of delicious and (mostly) authentic tacos, Twinkeyz serves burritos, nachos, margaritas, and plenty of other Tex-Mex favourites. The vibrant setting and English-speaking staff are even more reason to visit!

We visited the Zhongxiao Dunhua location on a Saturday afternoon in January for a late lunch. At 3pm there were only a couple other tables occupied.

Since we weren’t starving, we decided to split one of the combos that included 2 tacos, nachos, and a soda for NT$350, plus an additional taco. This was filling enough for 2 people, though you’d need more food if you came on empty stomachs.

We substituted the combo soda for horchata, which cost an extra NT$60 (regularly NT$120). For the uninitiated, horchata is a creamy Mexican drink made with rice and almonds, flavoured with cinnamon and vanilla, and then lightly sweetened. It tasted great and turned out to be a great choice for cutting through the spice of the tacos later on.

Nachos came with the combo, and they included tortilla chips, melted cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, mild salsa, cilantro, and radish. They were pretty basic but made a great taco sidekick with a heavy dose of crunch, gooey cheese, and flavourful guacamole. We would’ve liked a denser layer of toppings to cover all the chips.

The three tacos we went with (from left to right) were:

Al Pastor (reg. NT$95): adobe chili marinated pork, onions, and cilantro, grilled pineapple, red hot sauce
Chipotle Chicken (reg. NT$80): shredded spicy chicken, fresh pico de gallo, and jalapeños
Carne Asada (reg. NT$120): sous vide citrus-marinated flank steak, fresh guacamole, radish, mild green sauce

Each one of the tacos was delicious. The pineapple was like a burst of sunshine in the Al Pastor, the Chipotle Chicken set our mouths aflame (which was painful, but in the best way possible), and the steak in the Carne Asada was incredibly juicy and flavourful. We wouldn’t think twice about ordering any of them again.

Check out the complete menu below:

What’s the vibe?

Small taco joint with fun decorations like hanging lights, chalk drawings, and a neon sign. They have over 10 varieties of (mostly) authentic tacos and also serve burritos, veggie bowls, nachos, and other appetizers. The staff speaks great English.

Worth it?

Relatively speaking, yes. Good Mexican food is hard to come by in Taipei and considering most Western food prices are marked up across the city, NT$80 – NT$120 is fairly reasonable for a taco. We loved each of the 3 tacos we tried — they were fresh, tasty, and filling.

Would you go back?

Yes! Our meal was enjoyable and reasonably priced. We’ll absolutely recommend Twinkeyz as a go-to for tacos.

Visited: January 2019

Twinkeyz Tacos - Zhongxiao Dunhua

Chinese Name: 塔可老爹

Hours:
Mon - Fri: 11:30am - 2pm, 5:30pm - 10pm
Sat & Sun: 11:30am - 10pm

Phone: 02 2778 7707

English Address: No.1, Lane 13, 131 Yanji Street, Da'an District

Chinese Address: 大安區延吉街131巷7之1號

Twinkeyz Tacos - Tianmu

Chinese Name: 塔可老爹

Hours:
11:30am - 9:30pm