I’m just not getting what’s so rebellious about about Four Rebels American Taco Kitchen & Bar.
Whatever disruption there was to be made in the taco category has already been done, and to satisfying effect with such tacomongers as Hunger Street, Black Rooster and even Pig Floyd’s. The latter two are even within walking distance of Four Rebels, which took over the space vacated two years ago by the short-lived Segafredo. You probably didn’t visit Segafredo — that’s one of the reasons it was short-lived — but that’s the building in Mills Park with the rooftop lounge. (The roof was closed on both of my visits to Four Rebels.)
There is a certain amount of creativity in the tacos offered here. There’s a Po Boy, with fried shrimp and remoulade sauce, a Cheeseburger and a KFT, or Kentucky Fried Taco.
Prices seem reasonable at first glance, too: $5 for the po boy and $4.25 for the cheeseburger. But that’s for one taco per serving. The allure of tacos — even gourmet tacos — is their relative affordability. One taco isn’t very filling, so you will probably want a couple to make a meal.
The fillings of the tacos I sampled, which included the Po Boy, Cheeseburger and Southern Pork BBQ, were good. I didn’t much care for the cold flour tortillas that were used to tacofy the ingredients; they were too doughy.
On one of my visits, I ordered a side of Fancy Beans, and if I thought the tacos were a tad overpriced, my jaw dropped at paying $3.50 for this side. Perhaps someone in the kitchen slaved long and hard to create this dish, but if your tiny serving of beans doesn’t taste any different from something from a can with Bush’s on the label, you shouldn’t be charging that much for it. And tossing some chopped tomatoes and onions on top doesn’t make them fancy.
The staff were all friendly and helpful, and the food comes out quickly. The atmosphere, at least the downstairs part, is appropriately bar-like and comfortable.
As for the Rebels Four, only two are listed on the restaurant’s webpage. The bios for Eddie Carniero, CEO, and Dan Perkins, COO, both state the men “burned the ships of the corporate world.” I’m not at all sure what that means, or if you can make a statement like that and still have your business listed as an LLC, which is a type of corporation.
The other two partners remain unnamed. I don’t know if that constitutes rebelliousness or not.
Gourmet tacos have been trending for a few years now. The segment is ready for another round of disruption.
Four Rebels American Taco Kitchen & Bar is at 1618 N. Mills Ave., Orlando. It is open for lunch and dinner daily. The phone number is 407-601-6575.
