It had been a while since I had reviewed anything in the neighborhood of the former Knoxville Center (East Towne) Mall site. The Grub Spouse and I remedied that last week with a dinner outing to Taco Madres, a newish Mexican-food restaurant located within a stone’s throw of Sam’s Club and the Amazon fulfillment center. We had been intrigued by the restaurant’s Google blurb, which teased it specializes in tacos (its name is a dead giveaway) and modern Mexican cuisine, featuring a variety of dishes from other Latin American countries as well.
The Spouse and I were escorted from the entry/bar area into the main dining room, a single, cavernous space where the majority of the seating was in booths/tables set up around the perimeter of the room. There were some random four-tops on the floor as well, but this place gave off an immediate nightclub vibe. Fair enough, since its signage bills the establishment as a taqueria and bar lounge.
We moved away from one booth with an extremely wobbly table to another one nearby and started digesting the menu listings. I noted familiar American appetizers like Buffalo wings and chicken tenders as well as Mexican street corn and Perro Loco — two hot dogs wrapped in bacon and topped with cheese, pineapple, tomato, onion and condiments. They also offer a selection of bowls served on a bed of rice or lettuce. Examples include arroz con pollo (chicken and rice), seared chorizo, Bang Bang Shrimp and the fusion-y pollo teriyaki.
There’s a section of main dishes that offers a molcajete bowl with steak, chicken, chorizo and shrimp; Huevos Mexicanos; and Pollo Tropical — grilled chicken topped with peppers, onions, tomatoes and, once again, pineapple. A section of international dishes contains Tacos Hondureños, hibachi steak, Ceviche Peruano and Tallarin Saltado — grilled shrimp seasoned with a Peruvian sauce. Otherwise, there was still plenty of traditional Mexican fare, including seafood, chimichangas, burritos, fajitas, nachos and even burgers.
In retrospect, I wish I had gone with something a little more international, simply because it would have been a diversion from the traditional. But in that moment, enchiladas were sounding so danged good to my hungry self. I ordered the Enchiladas Supremas ($12.29), an order of three, filled with ground beef, chicken and refried beans, respectively. It comes with rice.
I also sampled from their selection of specialty and street tacos by getting El Colombiano (grilled steak topped with cilantro chimichurri sauce and avocado) and Key West Shrimp (grilled lime shrimp with cabbage, pico and avocado salsa). Each is $4.25.
The Spouse went with the fajita quesadilla ($10.75). That’s made with a choice of steak or grilled chicken (Spousey did steak) mixed with bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and cheese. It’s served with sour cream and guacamole.
Foodwise, I was pretty satisfied with most of our meal. The fajita quesadilla was a behemoth of an entrée, which The Spouse gave up on halfway through and boxed up the rest. But tastewise, no complaints there. The same goes for my entree, which was on par with most mole-topped enchiladas I’ve had before. All three varieties were decent, even the no-frills bean one. The rice was fairly standard.
I also liked the grilled shrimp taco. The shrimp were very small, but the flavor was distinctive, and it definitely packed a spicy punch. However, the steak-based Colombiano taco was a clinker. The meat had a strong vinegar flavor to it, which I did not cotton to at all.
The only desserts available were flan and churros — a hard pass from both of us. But I left thinking that Taco Madres would be a good place to go out and dance to some live music on a weekend night. Its cocktail menu seemed to offer plenty of options, and for those who work up an appetite in the process, Taco Madres’ food game has plenty of choices as well.
Taco Madres
Food: 3.75
Service: 3.75
Atmosphere: 3.75
Overall: 3.75
Address: 2916 Knoxville Center Mall Drive
Phone: 865-415-2729
Full bar service
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, Saturday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday
This fiesta-friendly restaurant offers a wide selection of Mexican-food classics, international dishes, libations and more.