The Twisted Taco

There’s another taco truck in Springfield, but this one has a style all its own. Read how its quirky taco menu and desserts stack up.

By Katie Pollock Estes

I got excited when I drove past The Twisted Taco truck (which is parked on the Battlefield Road edge of the Food 4 Less shopping center in Springfield). At the time, it was newly back from its stint at the Ozark Empire Fair. But seeing it parked there, ready to serve taco-hungry diners, made me realize: All of sudden, we’re becoming a food truck town!

I popped in to grab lunch, expecting the menu to be typical street taco fare. What I found instead were creative topping combinations, fun desserts and really reasonable prices.

For each taco, you choose your meat (smoked chicken, roasted beef, fish or smoked pork) and either a corn or flour tortilla. If you like your Mexican fare simple, you can go with the traditional meat-cilantro-onion combo and leave it at that. But the more creative options include The American (barbecue sauce and fried onions), the SoMo Bahama (cole slaw and pineapple), a fried Navajo taco and several more.

I opted for a jerk taco with chicken ($2.50), a Korean taco with pork ($2.50) and a churro cupcake for dessert ($2.25). I originally had no intention of eating dessert, but how do you not order something called a “churro cupcake”?

These tacos come super-stuffed, and I liked the jerk the best: Tender, smoky chicken is doused in a sauce that’s neither super-sweet nor super-spicy but still has tons of flavor. It’s also topped with plenty of shredded cabbage for a nice crunch, and a sprinkling of sweet and juicy fresh mango salsa.

The Korean was delicious too, and incredibly flavorful. The meat is topped with a ginger-scallion sauce that really packs a serious ginger punch. (Not kidding: You better love ginger before you order this!) I happen to love ginger. The taco gets a refreshing cool-down from lightly pickled cucumbers, and it even comes filled with a fried egg.

If you order your meal as a combo (like I did), it comes with rice and beans. But these aren’t just refried beans and Spanish rice. Instead, you get seasoned black beans (way better, in my opinion) and white rice that’s loaded with zippy cilantro.
And that churro cupcake? It was sinfully delicious. Dense, moist yellow cake is enveloped in a cinnamony-sugary-caramelized-crunchy (translation: delectable) coating.

This spot gets major points for offering some creative menu items, plus they are served alongside more traditional fare for the non-adventurous eaters out there. You can even get any of the tacos bumped up to a bigger portion and served as a burrito. Next time I go, though, I’m going to have try those green chili cheese fries. Yum!