Grub + Pub

Mighty Taco opens on Chippewa - PHOTOS

blog by Ben Tsujimoto • July 09, 2012 @ 3:58pm

Today marked the opening of Buffalo’s first downtown Mighty Taco, the local restaurant chain that many out-of-towners identify as truly Buffalonian. Stationed on Chippewa Street between Pearl and Franklin, the new “Mighty” was busy through lunch time—we were greeted with a line of 30 people and were briefly rooted in the entrance, separate from the ordering room (see photo below).

The exterior of the restaurant fits snugly into the nightlife theme, as a neon sign hangs in the window in addition to the sign looms above the sidewalk (see header photo). Broken into three separate rooms—a small entrance room decked out in Mighty Taco wallpaper, a winding ordering area that could comfortably house 50 people (below), and a spacious dining room to the left that could fit 60 without a problem—the Chippewa Mighty, which used to be Third Room and then La Luna, has a reasonable layout. The narrow passageway between the cashier station and the eating area could pose a problem on late weekend nights when customers wait for their food, though.

For the first day, the staff was very quick and efficient—the line moved quickly due to the three open registers and the horde of workers rapidly prepared the food.

The two dining areas—one with tall chairs and two counters facing the windows or a brick wall, and the other 13 booths that fit four people in each—offer options for bigger and smaller groups, a welcome addition to the new restaurant. Plus, both are fairly stylist (see below).

In my personal opinion, Mighty’s food is suspect. There are really only two menu options I trust—the “Nacho Buffito” and the “Mighty Pack”—and the food quality generally falls squarely in line with the prices, which are actually quite low.

Here are some food photos from our lunch—beware, they’re not appetizing.

Super Mighty (Kat chose grilled chicken instead of beef and was pleased with her decision):