Before we were hit by the pandemic, tacos were making their way around Tokyo. A lot of different Mexican restaurants and taco trucks started selling delicious tacos and other Mexican dishes in the big city. Surely after Tokyo, tacos would start traveling around Kanto right? Well, the coronavirus slowed that down a lot. But after the second year of the pandemic, taco places, and taco trucks started showing up in Ibaraki. Now, there are great places up central Ibaraki and down southern Ibaraki that make great Mexican cuisine. But that comes with a downside. Izakayas and other regular Japanese restaurants want tacos on their menu for extra revenue. I have tried "tacos" at non-Mexican restaurants in Japan and horrified does not even begin to explain how I felt.
Now we are in the summer of 2023, and the unimaginable happened. A Mexican restaurant opened up in my town of Tsuchiura. I would have never thought in a hundred years this would happen in Tsuchiura. But it did, and I went to try it out.
Faiga Modern Mexican
Faiga is a new Mexican place that opened in the Yamatocho area of Tsuchiura. It is within walking distance from Tsuchiura station and very close to Tsuchiura city hall.
When I first saw this place, I was filled with excitement and dread. Excitement because as I said before, I thought that a place like this would never open in my town. But it did and I really wanted to try the place. But I felt dread because I wasn't sure what was meant by "modern Mexican."
I went back and forth with myself about writing this post. My wife said that maybe I shouldn't. You see, I was disappointed with this place but not deeply disappointed. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to write this post as a letter to Faiga on what they did right, what they did wrong, and where they can improve. So here goes:
Dear Faiga,
Thank you for opening up a Mexican restaurant in Tsuchiura. I want to first comment about the inside of your restaurant.
Inside
I just want to say that I understand what you are going for when it comes to the atmosphere of your restaurant. You want to have a modern-style bar with little pieces of Mexican culture in it. You had catuses, and Dia Des Los Muertos masks around the restaurant. I like that you didn't go overly Mexican and it works. The huge skeleton on the ceiling might be a bit much but overall it was a nice place to sit and eat in.
The Menu
Your menu surprised me. You had all kinds of Mexican dishes (mostly Tex-Mex) on your menu. Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, sopa de pollo picante (by the way it is pollo not poyo, poyo means bench), and fajitas. You also had Jambalaya for some reason. Your drink menu was also impressive with Mexican beers and a long list of tequila brands to choose from. I would make one suggestion to fix the Spanish on your menu but otherwise, it is an impressive menu. My wife and I ordered your nachos, quesadillas, and pork tacos.
Nachos
Let me first comment on your nachos and congratulate you on a job well done. My wife and I enjoyed your nachos. The taco meat with the melted cheese was fantastic and the jalapenos were a spicy welcome addition to the nachos platter. Keep up the good work with your nachos.
Quesadillas
Next, we tried your quesadillas. I know quesadillas are supposed to be thin, but by god, these were thin quesadillas. And maybe, just maybe add a little something different than the same salsa and meat we got with our nachos. I will say that you made a good call with the extra side of cold salsa. It went well with the pipping hot quesadilla in our hand.
Tacos
Finally, we come to the main reason we decided to have dinner at your restaurant, the tacos. I have to say that your tacos, unfortunately, did not impress. I can say with great confidence that your tacos are well beyond Japanese izakaya tacos, but that's it. The tortilla tastes like the same tortillas that you buy from Kaldi, and you didn't even heat the tortilla. Everything in the taco tastes and feels like it was lazily put together. The way you cut up the tomato is kind of weird to put in the taco. Again, the meat and salsa taste the same as our last two dishes. By the way, that last sentence is from my wife, which is not a compliment at all. I highly recommend you put more effort into your tacos.
In Conclusion
My wife and I finished our meal and then received the bill. Honestly, the amount you charge is not the level of what I was expecting. I believe that your level of Mexican cuisine is that of a less than "regular" American Tex-Mex restaurant. That is not necessarily a putdown, but it is not a compliment either. Yes, you are better than certain places around Ibaraki, especially a certain place nearby that starts with an "EL" in their name, but you are nowhere near the level of other great Mexican restaurants found in Ibaraki.
Faiga, you have potential. I think if you put your heart into it, you can become a beacon of great Mexican cuisine in this area of Ibaraki. But at the same time, I feel that you won't. I feel like you will focus on being an izakaya but with a Mexican unique twist. That might work for Japanese customers, or it might not. I am not sure. But what I can tell you is that customers with experience in Mexican cuisine might leave your restaurant disappointed, as I did. I hope that in the future you decide to put more focus on improving your Mexican culinary skills, instead of your bar area.
Thank you for having us and we wish you future success.
Sincerely,
Ibaraki Eats
I don't usually do this. If I am disappointed with a place, I rarely write about it. As I wrote before, my wife told me that I shouldn't post about this place at all. But I don't know. Something in me just told me to do it. I don't dislike this place or anything like that. I was just disappointed and honestly wish this place would do better and prosper. I want to be able to tell all Ibarakians that I live close to an amazing Mexican place. But as of now, I can't and won't. I will still keep that hope alive though and maybe in the future, I will be able to boast about Faiga and its great tacos. As of right now though, it is an expensive bar with subpar Mexican food.
If you are curious to try Faiga, here is their Instagram page:
I would love to hear your thoughts on Faiga if you do decide to give them a chance.
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