Steph’s Taco Blog: The Whole Enchilada in Winter Garden

Have you ever walked into a restaurant and thought to yourself, “this is exactly what I would look like in restaurant form”?  No? Just me?

Well if I were a restaurant, I’d be a taco joint, and a beachy one at that. Which just so happens to be the exact vibe of The Whole Enchilada, a new family-owned and self-described Fresh Mexican Grill now open on Plant Street in the cute city of Winter Garden in Central Florida.

On Plant Street, you’ll find everything from Plant Street Market–an open-air indoor market with multiple food vendors and a craft brewery, plus one of Central Florida’s best patios–to craft coffee and a lively Saturday Farmer’s Market.

And, lately, lots of tacos.

After visiting both 4 Locos Tacos (which was good enough, but sadly a bit forgettable) and The Whole Enchilada, the latter captured my heart with its amazing rooftop bar, tropical throw pillows, freshly-made margaritas, greenery, neon tacos and dreams sign, and fresh fare.

Even though the decor is Instagram-friendly, the atmosphere is very come-as-you-are versus too hip and uninviting. You’ll feel just as welcome standing on a bench to get the perfect flat lay (ahem, me) as you will showing up for day drinking in shorts and a t-shirt.

And so, a revival of Steph’s Taco Blog was in order…

Let’s Talk Chips, Salsa & Guac

My rating scale for all taco experiences begins with chips and salsa. I’ve found this is an accurate barometer for judging the quality of the food to come (case in point: Wicked Cantina on Anna Maria Island).

When visiting The Whole Enchilada, you’ve got lots of dipping options.

My friend Hannah and I opted for an assortment of salsas from the downstairs salsa bar (free) and an order of the restaurant’s guacamole (not free). The 4oz. portion ($4) is plenty for two, but you’ll want to opt for the larger portion if you’re dining with four or more people.

The chips weren’t my absolute favorite in the whole world, but they did allow the dips to truly shine.

The guacamole was fresh and slightly chunky, and not a scoop remained.

The salsas were equally impressive, with the sweet and spicy mango salsa coming out on top as the overall favorite.

Guacamole and salsas: A.

Fresh Margaritas

Next to the rooftop bar, the margaritas ($8 each) served within are the next best thing about this restaurant.

The margaritas are made with fresh ingredients, and it definitely shows. Because the restaurant goes through so many house margaritas, they make the mix and keg it themselves for easier serving.

I highly recommend the mango and watermelon, both of which taste extra refreshing on a hot Florida day. And actually taste like their respective fruits.

All flavored margaritas are made with fresh sour mix and fresh puree. Other flavor options include prickly pear and strawberry.

If margaritas aren’t your jam, there are cocktails and beer cocktails, plus tons of beers on tap.

Margaritas: A+. Don’t skip ’em.

Taco Talk

There are a total of four taco options on the menu:

• Hasselhoff: Your classic tacos stuffed with choice of chicken, ground beef, pork or tofu
• One Fish: mahi-mahi topped with cabbage, cheddar/jack cheese, avocado, tomato, and cilantro sauce
• Two Fish: same as above, but with chipotle sauce instead of cilantro sauce
• Skrimp: shrimp, cabbage, avocado, cheddar/jack cheese, and cilantro sauce

I ordered the One Fish and Skrimp tacos, both of which were good and transported me right to the beach.

You get two tacos per order, but you can mix and match if you’d like. Get at least one taco with the cilantro sauce, because it is amazingly delicious.

I love that you can choose your tortilla style for each taco. Options include soft flour, crispy flour, soft corn, or crispy corn.

Black Rooster Taqueria still reigns supreme as my favorite taco spot in Central Florida, but The Whole Enchilada’s options are solid when you’re in the mood for a classic, American-style taco, or want to pretend you’re at the beach while landlocked in Central Florida. Which, let’s be honest, is me every day.

Tacos: B+.

Everything Else You Need to Know…

The Whole Enchilada is not exclusive to Winter Garden. In fact, I found out it’s a family-owned chain of Florida restaurants which began in Fort Lauderdale. The Winter Garden location is owned by brothers David and Drew Cardaci.

You can check out all of the locations here.

Let’s talk about the ordering process:

• Ordering is done at a counter.
• In fast-casual style, you’ll place your order at the counter, receive a number, and then take a seat while waiting for your food to arrive.
• You can order downstairs and have your food delivered upstairs, which I highly recommend.
• Several full service tables are available downstairs.
• Because of how ordering is handled, don’t be alarmed if you see a line out of the door.

Want to avoid the line? I visited on a cloudy day at 11:30am and there was no wait. By the time I was leaving around 1pm, the line was out the door. Slower times are between 3-5pm.

There’s plenty of seating available downstairs and upstairs. All seating is first come, first served.

Every Tuesday = Taco Tuesday. Specials include $5 shots, $4 Mexican bottled beers, $5 margaritas, $20 margarita pitchers, and $7.49 will get you two tacos, chips, and a bottle of Mexican beer. There’s also a DJ in the evening.

Check out more Steph’s Taco Blog posts here.

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