It’s Christmas shopping season and we’re looking for presents for Caleb’s sister, mom, and grandma so we’re headed to the Ithaca commons to do some shopping in local art/craft stores. We don’t tend to go down there because parking isn’t fun and it’s always crowded with the college kids but we didn’t have any other ideas for presents so this is gonna be a nice little shopping trip.
Of course, we went early in the day and were finished by lunch time after going into two or three shops so we decided to get lunch.
To be transparent, we also stopped in a small asian take out place so I could get sushi but while we were waiting for our order we went outside to walk around and spotted Luna Street Food.
They had menu’s posted outside and we weren’t apposed to street food so we decided to order from there too. This is why they tell you not to shop hungry but it’s also a perk of being an adult. Want to eat sushi AND tacos? Two restaurants for take out it is!
LOCATION: 113 N AURORA ST., ITHACA, NY 14850
Since we also ordered sushi, I decided to only get two tacos instead of my normal 3 and it came with a side. This was a silly idea since I’m eating the sushi as a second meal but let’s not worry about that. The prices at Luna Street Food are a little high so two seem fine along with the addition of street corn.
I’ve been craving a good elote but can’t find it ANYWHERE so this is as close as I can get right now and I’ll take it. The Street Corn Side came with local greens, charred street corn, cilantro, pico de gallo, ny cheddar, and chili lime chili dressing. Honestly, this street corn was pretty disappointing. The corn tasted really watery and was clearly just from a frozen bag of kernels. I know it’s not in season right now, but I was still sad that it wasn’t charred more to have the water evaporate from them. For the amount and the quality, it wasn’t worth the money.
BAJA FISH TACOS - blackened Mahi, charred pineapple salsa, slaw, charred lime crema, tomatillo, guacamole, avocado
As my taco I ordered Baja Fish Tacos because I have to try the fish tacos as a gauge for tacos at a restaurant. Fish tacos don’t tend to disappoint me but this wasn’t great.
This mahi mahi wasn’t tender or flavorful and it was really disappointing that it was cut up into chunks instead of having one large flaky piece of fish like I’m used to. That big piece of fish that is tender and moist is the best part of having a fish taco and this was the first one that I’ve had where the fish was cut like this and it wasn’t not a preference or choice I would’ve made otherwise.
Everything else inside was lackluster. The tortilla wasn’t great, the pineapple was a little strong and not balanced well as a whole, and the avocado/guac wasn’t even noticeable.
TACOS AL PASTOR - Slow roasted pork shoulder, flame kissed pineapple, diced red onion, fresh cilantro
Unfortunately, the Tacos al Pastor was pretty similar in review because of the similarity of ingredients. As you can see the onions were supposed to be red onions but they used a white onion that day which is not a big deal but I can’t say that it helped the flavor. The pork was dry and while it was fine and edible, it wasn’t a great taco. I usually love tacos al pastor because the flavors are so good and juicy but this wasn’t it.
Overall, this place was disappointing. The pricing wasn’t crazy expensive but it wasn’t cheap and for the price, the food wasn’t up to par. The ingredients felt cheap and not cooked well. It was basic overall and I wouldn’t go back.
With an open menu of ‘street food’ there are so many choices and I love street food so this felt like a fun place to go to get a little bit of everything or to fill an odd craving but the results were disappointing. They didn’t hit the spot at all and felt like a waste of money in the end.