I love tacos! I LOVE tacos! Oh wait, I already said that. But, I do and I know that almost everyone loves tacos! I’m pretty sure there’s nothing bad that anyone can say about tacos, except that maybe they didn’t get enough of them! I think I could eat them everyday of the week!
When my oldest grandson graduated from high school, he asked me to cater his graduation party, so guess what I did? You guessed it…..a TACO bar and it was a huge success. To top it off, we had plenty of leftovers that we were able to enjoy the next day. Having a taco bar for birthday parties, graduations, or any kind of celebration you want, is a very inexpensive way to feed a lot of people. Plus, it’s an easy way to serve even those picky eaters as they can pick and choose what they want to create their tacos.
The next time I decided to host a taco bar party was on my latest trip to the Panama City Beach. We had a lot of family members there for the week and we all took turns making dinner. With 10 people it can get expensive to provide dinner, so I decided, once again, on a taco bar. We also have some picky eaters and a pescatarian in the group, so it was easy to tailor to everyone’s needs and wants. A dinner party can be as simple as you make it, and a taco bar is as simple as it gets.
So, let’s keep it simple and let your family and friends enjoy themselves with a drink from our Sunkissed Cocktail blog series. I think a margarita or a Bahama Mama would be the perfect match for the taco bar!
Checklist For Taco Bar
Don’t feel like you need to serve all of this for your taco bar. These are all just ideas and 100% optional. You can decide what you want to include, depending on how many people and the event you are having, and by what your guests like to eat. If you know you’ll have guests that don’t eat meat, be sure to have black beans and shrimp for them. I had a count of 50 people at my grandsons graduation and I served ground beef and ground turkey taco meat, diced Mexican seasoned grilled chicken, and refried beans.
PROTEINS
- Taco Seasoned Ground Beef
- Taco Seasoned Ground Turkey
- Pulled Pork or Carnitas, Shredded
- Grilled Taco Chicken, Diced
- Shrimp
- Fish (i.e. Cod)
VEGETARIAN OPTION
- Black Beans
- Refried Beans
TACO SHELLS
- Hard Corn Shells
- Soft Corn or Flour Shells
- Tostada Shells
- Nacho Style Chips
- Gluten Free Wraps
- Keto Wraps
TOPPINGS
- Shredded Lettuce
- Salsa (Mild and Hot)
- Sour Cream
- Cilantro
- Shredded Cheese (Taco Blend and Queso)
- Diced Red Onions
- Black Olives
- Jalapeno Peppers
- Diced Tomatoes
- Guacamole
SIDE DISHES
- Rice
- Mexican Corn
- Tortilla Chips
- Cheese (for the chips)
If you’re unsure how much meat to have, check out this easy taco bar calculator. You don’t want to run out, but it is always nice to have some leftovers for the next day! It will even help you determine how much cheese and toppings you will need!
Prep For The Party
Do as much prep ahead of time before your party. I make the meat ahead of time and freeze it until ready to use, but that’s not always an option. But, you can make it a day ahead and store it in the refrigerator and that does help the day of the party! Dice anything that needs to be diced the day before. Set up your bar and lay out your serving dishes how you want to arrange them. You can save yourself a lot of stress by doing almost everything the day before.
HELPFUL TIPS
- Use a crockpot to keep taco meat warm (or you can use foil pans and cover them tightly in foil until ready to serve. This also allows for easier clean up).
- To keep tortillas warm, wrap them in a damp kitchen towel or a few layers of paper towels. If they get cold as time passes, you can always pop the stack (still wrapped in the towel) in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time until they are pliable again.
- Cheese is always the first thing to go, so make sure you have plenty on hand in the event you run out on the bar.
- Use whatever small bowls that you have available. They do not need to match; indeed, they add additional fun to the party if they don’t.
- For easy clean-up, use paper plates, bowls, and foil pans whenever you can.
After you set up your taco bar, it’s time to enjoy it with family or friends while you’re staying with us at Premium Beach Condos. Our kitchens are fully stocked and ready to go to help you set up the perfect gathering for any occasion. But, who need a reason to eat tacos? They are perfect any time of the year!
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