11 reasons to go to The Taco & Ice Cream Joint now

The Taco & Ice Cream Joint does more than combine two of our favorite things. Large portions, low prices and a range of spot-on traditional and creative flavors have us pulling up colorful chairs in the cavernous Cherokee Street spot so often our loved ones are worried. If you somehow need more motivation than the restaurant’s name, here are 11 more reasons to check out The Taco & Ice Cream Joint now.

1. Let’s start with the obvious. The sweet, piquant pork cochinita pibil and rich, savory beef barbacoa tacos alone are worth the trip.

2. Toppings are up to you from an entire buffet-style salsa bar with everything from fresh cilantro and onions to pico de gallo to house-made tomatillo salsa.

3. There’s a hot sauce wall. A wall of hot sauces.

4. You can cool down with the best sparkling water (Topo Chico), or opt for a fruit-flavored Jarritos Mexican soda or a refreshing agua fresca like cucumber-mint or lemonade-cilantro.

5. The Mexican poutine, aka carne asada fries: a massive tray of crinkle-cut fries topped with hunks of steak, queso, pickled jalapenos, pico de gallo, queso fresco, sour cream, guacamole and a creamy chipotle sauce.

6. The paletas (popsicles) come in a sweet and spicy mangonada flavor, made with mango, sour chamoy sauce and chili powder.

7. There’s a chocolate fountain for churros – but the staff will dip paletas, too.

8. You can get a gigantic Choco Taco made with your choice of two ice cream flavors wedged into a waffle cone taco shell.

9. All the ice cream is made in-house with flavors ranging from Nutella to avocado to rose petals to butter-roasted onions.

10. The quesadillas weigh approximately 50 pounds and could feed a small city.

11. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Takis make appearances in everything from sweet treats to elotes (Mexican street corn).

Heather Hughes is managing editor, print at Sauce Magazine.