Taco Caballito Tequileria
On a chilly windy evening in December, my pal Agnes and I wandered into Taco Caballito Tequileria (meaning “establishment that serves tequila”) looking for warmth and sustenance. We opted to dine upstairs on the porch, which was enclosed and heated. There are other seating options upstairs and down, either at regular-height tables or high-tops, as well as bar seating on both levels.
Present owners Ross Hammer and Laura Cavallo bought the building in March of 2022 and ultimately decided to also take over and run the restaurant, the former Cabanas. The journey to this point had plenty of ups and downs, but this young couple had a vision and they didn’t give up hope. Gotta say—we’re really grateful for that!
Now, onto our dining experience. Our very capable server Joanet arrived to take our drink orders, a virgin Margarita for me and a Heineken 0.0 for Agnes. There is a menu of a dozen or so Margaritas, not including specials, with flavors like blueberry, pineapple, jalapeno, and blood orange. Note that this establishment offers over 70 tequilas (that’s seventy), many of them crafted at artisan distilleries with some rarely seen outside Mexico. The cocktails looked interesting and on my next visit, I plan to try the Oaxacan Old Fashioned, which is flavored with orange and chocolate bitters.
For our appetizer, we chose the Queso Blanco (white cheese dip for the uninitiated) and chips with a side of guacamole. I love any version of queso blanco. I even love marginally bland queso blanco. This was not that. It was warm, velvety, and flavorful with a bit of heat from the jalapenos. Very nice. Agnes and I decided that we could have put this on pretty much anything.
Now, having spent a good bit of time immersed in the study and preparation of Mexican cuisine (specifically Oaxacan) I am a huge fan of freshly made guacamole. One can tell at 100 paces when it’s pre-prepared, and it’s surprising just how many restaurants still serve the strange-tasting too-smooth green stuff. Not “Taco Cab.” Their guac is super chunky with all the discernable bits of onion, tomato, cilantro, and a nice balance with fresh lime juice. Because we arrived in a famished state, we polished off the chips AND the queso blanco AND the guacamole in very short order. Yum.
On to the entrées. I had a difficult time choosing from all the options, encompassing burritos, bowls, tacos, and more. But then I spied Crispy Pork Belly at the bottom of the taco column. There were other words after those words, but I didn’t clue into them until Joanet delivered my two tacos. The pork belly, bathed in a spicy Korean BBQ sauce, plus crispy julienned carrots, pickled red onions, crumbles of cotija cheese, was topped with a touch of cilantro crema and toasted sesame seeds. One would think all this wondrousness would be piled atop a corn or flour tortilla, right? But no, Chef Victor Gomez (the brains behind the excellent eclectic menu), serves these tacos on little naan breads. Adorable. And delicious.
After much deliberation, Agnes chose the grilled chicken burrito. When you order a burrito, you’re basically building it. You choose between a flour tortilla or a bowl, Cilantro lime or Mexican rice, black or pinto beans. It also comes with pico de gallo, Monterey Jack cheese, a side of guacamole, and a side of sour cream. Well, this burrito was the size of a brick! Agnes deemed it delightful and took half of it home—likely for breakfast, knowing Agnes as I do.
For dessert, I ordered flan (my favorite delicacy next to Crème Brûlée) and Agnes ordered the flourless chocolate cake with a big ol’ mug of vanilla ice cream. Both were dense and delicious, and we tucked into our plates with much enthusiasm. Not surprisingly, there was no talking during this very important course!
The takeaway for us was that Cape May is lucky to be endowed with a cool Mexican joint with a liquor license—the only one in town! Moreover, the restaurant’s ambitious owners are dedicated to using the finest ingredients for their food and libations. Visitors have recognized this, as evidenced by the restaurant’s loyal following, me included. On the whiteboard for Ross and Laura is a 10-room boutique hotel that is planned for the upper floors of the four-story 150-year-old building. You can bet that whatever this dynamic duo decides to do, it will be fantastic. Check it out for yourself! But first, check out their website for hours, specials, and their live music lineup.
And then, GO!
