Frugal Friday at Taco King - generous portions make eating on a budget easy

Posted on Fri, Apr 5, 2013 : 8 a.m.

Frugal Friday at Taco King - generous portions make eating on a budget easy

By Mary Bilyeu

Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

Frugal Floozie Friday is a feature that seeks out dishes — appetizers, drinks, snacks, desserts, sandwiches, whatever — for $5 or less per person. Sometimes I split generously-sized items with loved ones, saving both money and calories; sometimes I find a great deal on a single serving that fits perfectly within the mandatory budget. I try to showcase several options to choose from, and you never know where I'll find them. Check out the column every Friday!

Before heading off on a thrift shopping excursion, Craig and I stopped by Taco King to enjoy a quick lunch. There are a lot of items on the menu that meet our mandatory budget of $5 per person, and the portions are generous. We also ran into my friend Jen, whom I hadn't seen in ages, and her husband David. So stopping by this taqueria was a really nice way to start our afternoon.

You can order tacos for $1.75 each, or a Taco Supreme for $2. A quesadilla - "12 inch flour tortilla, with your choice of meat. Served with sour cream & lettuce" - or a vegetarian Chile Relleno cost an even $5. A tostada can be enjoyed for $3.50, and tamales will only set you back $2.50 (Central American style, wrapped in a banana leaf) or $2 (Mexican style, wrapped in a corn husk). The filling selections range from vegetarian to steak, tripe, chicken, several varieties of pork, beef tongue, chorizo, fish, and lamb... a lot of choices!

I ordered the Daily Special, pictured above, which very helpfully made my decision-making process much easier. For $4.99, you can choose either two tacos, two tamales, or one of each; you can choose black or pinto beans; and you can choose the fillings for your tacos and/or tamales. I was told that only vegetarian tamales were available at the time we stopped by, and then I chose chicken for my taco filling.

The taco was served with two tortillas, so I split the generous filling among them to essentially find myself with two tacos in addition to my tamal. I was unable to finish all of this, and invited Craig to share with me. He had ordered a vegetarian burrito, which was enormous, for $5.50. If you're willing to creep just a tad over our Frugal Floozie Friday budget, it's a great value.

Taco King is located at a counter in a Latin market, so you can also shop for goodies to take home — ready-made or ingredients to cook with — once you're done with lunch or dinner. And there are also freezers with ice cream treats, so dessert is available, too.

For fast, friendly service and a hearty meal, stop by Taco King.

Taco King
2231 W. Liberty St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Monday - Sunday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.

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Mary Bilyeu writes for AnnArbor.com on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, telling about her adventures in the kitchen - making dinner, celebrating holidays, entering cooking contests, meeting new friends ... whatever strikes her fancy. She is also on a mission to find great deals for her Frugal Floozie Friday posts, seeking fabulous food at restaurants on the limited budget of only $5 per person. Feel free to email her with questions, comments, or suggestions: yentamary@gmail.com.

Go visit Mary's blog — Food Floozie — where she enthuses and effuses over all things food-related; and look for her monthly articles in the Washtenaw Jewish News. "Like" her on Facebook, or send a tweet on Twitter, too.

The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.

Comments

Jessica Webster

Mon, Apr 8, 2013 : 3:46 p.m.

Nice picture, Mary. I do love me some Taco King. I wasn't a big fan of the tamales, but I am starting to come to the conclusion that I might just bit be a tamale fan. The tacos, salsa and guacamole were top-notch, though.

annieup

Sat, Apr 6, 2013 : 3:50 a.m.

if this is the same place I am thinking of, it has changed ownership recently and now features a very tired display of Tunesian food along with the Latino choices, and a lot of the really tipico groceries are disappearing from the shelves. the Latino food is still pretty good with an experienced Mexican cook in the kitchen and the tamales are terrific but I am sad to see this business moving away from its roots.

Jessica Webster

Mon, Apr 8, 2013 : 3:21 p.m.

Thanks millermaple - I was about to say the same thing.

millermaple

Mon, Apr 8, 2013 : 2:55 p.m.

Actually the same owners have run Taco King for almost a year & the previous original shop owner -Alain Beneghil was not Mexican either! To my taste the food is way better at Taco King than at Chelas.

roadsidedinerlover

Sat, Apr 6, 2013 : 4:14 a.m.

The ownership has changed. I would rather go to the other Mexican place across the street in that mini mall. How about a frugal floozy write up for that place?

EyeHeartA2

Fri, Apr 5, 2013 : 11:40 p.m.

Very nice. Never heard of this place before, now it will be on our list, like that place you featured in Ypsi a few months ago. Thanks.

onemoreminute

Fri, Apr 5, 2013 : 12:32 p.m.

I love Taco King. The food is fresh, not greasy, and really tasty! We almost always get it delivered, and the delivery guys are always nice. I would say that consistency can be an issue, which doesn't bother me. It adds an element of surprise to every meal. We order there at least once a week.

C'est la vie

Fri, Apr 5, 2013 : 12:17 p.m.

Love to get tacos here while I pick up some queso, tortillas, and dried chiles at the tienda.