Sometimes you come across a place that you just feeling absolutely comfortable at. Somewhere you could just hang, eat great food, listen to music, meet new friends or see old ones.  To say that Yayo Tacos on Maryland Parkway across from UNLV is just a college hangout would be selling it way short.  It is that, but it is also so much more.  It has great energy, and did I say the tacos are terrific?

A lot of local vegetarians and vegans know about Yayo Taco already because you can find tacos here you won’t find anywhere else.  Vegan Drinks usually meets here once a month.  They have four tacos on the menu that are vegan and it just so happens they have a Taco Combo for only $7.25 that has your choice of four tacos and two sides.  So I decided to have one of each of the vegan tacos and for the sides I chose the yummy Aztecan Quinoa Salad and the Garlic Onion Pepper Black Beans.  The plate looked amazing! The first taco was the Veggie, with oven roasted seasonal vegetables and garden greens with Chipotle Coco Crema (made with coconut milk).  Second one the Tofu Nuez, which was sauteed tofu and vegetable with Nuez Sauce (peanut sauce). Next was the Tofu Adobo, which was donut puff wasabi marinated tofu with assorted vegetables and the Chipotle Coco Crema.  Finally there was the Tofu Fuma, which was smoking barbacoa marinated tofu with assorted vegetables and Chipotle Coco Crema. All of them were on thick little corn tortillas, served street-style.  If you have not tried these yet, let me just tell you that the happiness meter was nearly on overload here. Delicious, creative, and just fun to eat.  They have a great beer selection at Yayos, but I was enjoying a Sangria Soda with the vegan tacos and it was just a perfect moment.

It was such a treat to see the lovely Christy Jones there, visiting from Seattle, along with her family and friends to see her brother O’Shea’s band play.  I was able to visit with them and hear some very progressive music as well. The place was packed when I left and you can tell that everyone enjoys coming here.  I know I certainly did.  There is great food and drinks and a very comfortable and friendly atmosphere at Yayo’s. One other great feature about Yayo Taco is that you can get any of the taco fillings in either a burrito, pizza, quesadilla, or torta.  Definitely will try that the next time I am in. If you are an UNLV or CSN student or faculty you get a great discount as well. If you are local you need to find Yayo Taco across from UNLV in the same shopping center as Rebel Books.  If you are visiting town, it would so be worth your while and enjoy the amazing food and vibe at Yayo’s. They will love having you there and you will love being there!

Yayo Taco

4632 Maryland Parkway #18

Las Vegas, NV.

(702) 262-0201

Hours:  Mon-Sat  11:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m.

            Closed Sundays