Taco Tuesday: Bakersfield Cleveland

Tacos are one of our favorite things to eat and there are plenty of options around town to choose from but lucky for us Bakersfield, one of our favorite spots, is conveniently located down the street near the West Side Market off 25th street in Ohio City.

the green salsa is my fave

I wasn’t sure I’d like them at first as I’m particular about what goes in my tacos and I generally prefer to be able to pick and choose a-la-Chipotle style but Bakersfield is cool with adjusting my order, removing an item and in some cases adding (mostly cheese :-). The decor is usually darker with a rustic industrial style mixing wood, concrete, and metal. The music is country. Old country. Think Johnny Cash era. There’s a mix of seating from a large group where you may be sitting with strangers to smaller high top tables and picknick table style seating. And of course, there’s plenty of bar seats as they boast tequila and whiskey in their headline.

We’ve only ever ordered tacos and some sides and everything we’ve eaten was delicious. Your tacos are small, soft corn shells loaded with meat and some other accompaniments. There are a few hot sauces to choose from – I always go for the green. Two tacos are often enough to be filling if you eat an order of chips and salsa as well. Their queso is pretty good and I always order the side of black beans. I’m personally not a fan of their guac, though, as it’s just too chunky. (I like my guac smooth and smushed with minimal chunks 🙂

Hi, West Side Market!

This spot should definitely be on your to visit list when you’re craving tacos in the Cleveland area.

What To Know Before You Go

Decor Darker atmosphere with lots of natural surfaces – wood, concrete, etc. A cool mural wall outside by the patio.
Photo Ops It’s normally pretty dark inside the restaurant so your best photos will be taken earlier while the sun is still out and even better if you sit near the patio. Otherwise, your images may come out dark, blurry and out of focus due to the mood lighting. Food is presented nice so it makes for great food shots. Awesome mural on the side of the building facing the WSM and there’s a sign stand outside the door that often has fun sayings chalked on.
Parking Mostly street park if you can find it.
Cost Tacos start at 4 bucks each
Taco Tuesday posts celebrate some of our favorite tacos in the Cleveland, Ohio area while occasionally sharing great tacos we encounter while traveling.