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| - 3.5 stars, rounding up to four. Hooray for fresh, gourmet tacos at Bakersfield! I went for dinner with my aunt on a Monday night and was thrilled to be seated right away without waiting--always a plus when my stomach is rumbling. We were right up on top of the people next to us (shared booth on one side), but that is pretty normal for small downtown restaurant spaces. Fine for a casual taco dinner, maybe not the best choice for a date night. Our server (I think his name was Josh) took a while to come over to us, so we were already ready to order our tacos along with the drinks. I asked for water and he kept pressuring me to try a margarita or glass of wine, which I thought was wildly inappropriate. I was just headed to the gym after and abstaining from alcohol at dinner, but what if I was a recovering alcoholic? This reflects more on the server than the restaurant, but it's worth noting in training that you don't question a guest's choice unless they ask for your opinion. We also tried ordering the tacos and he ignored us at first, trying to upsell an appetizer. No, I just want my tacos, thank you very much!
After ordering, the tacos came out fairly quickly (about 10-15 min) and were presented beautifully. I had the pork belly, chicken, short rib and fish (mahi mahi) tacos and thought they were all good, but really enjoyed the fish the most and give it 10/10--lightly battered, but not greasy, with just the right amount of acidity and tang. The chicken was my least favorite, as it tasted sort of like crockpot chicken I make at home. The girl who ran the food to the table was super helpful, cheerfully describing each taco and refilling our drinks.
I will definitely go back, have more tacos and try some guacamole and/or queso, but I am not completely enamored by Bakersfield. Solid and good, but not what dreams are made of.
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