Yo Rita, yo. Gourmet Tacos on Pittsburgh’s South Side.

Yo Rita is not yo’ typical taco joint. With a dimly lit, trendy atmosphere and bar which serves wine, margaritas and micro brews, this unique gourmet taco restaurant was a nice change of pace on the South Side of Pittsburgh. If yo’ looking for a delicious taco shell filled with ground beef and spices, shredded cheese and lettuce, Yo Rita is not what yo’ seek. If yo’fraid to try new things, this probably isn’t the place for yo’ either. I probably could not read or pronounce half of the ingredients in my tacos, but I DO KNOW they tasted delicious all together.

Upon sitting down, I was greeted with a basket of complimentary tortilla chips and two delicious salsas. When my wife and I were having difficulty deciding on which tacos to order, I was a little disheartened by the lack of enthusiasm from our waiter. We asked for what was popular or what was his favorite, and he simply gave us a “depends on the day of the week.”

To try a variety, we ended up splitting five different tacos – Fire Roasted Corn, Ahi Tuna, Fresh Crab, Braised Chicken and Pork Shoulder. All of the tacos were served in a flour tortilla and all of them were delicious, but some better than others. Like most warm blooded males, I like meat, so I was surprised that the meat-free Fire Roasted Corn taco was my favorite. The blend of the sweet corn with something spicy (perhaps the pickled watermelon rind) was really good. My least favorite of the five was the chicken taco which featured crumbled Cool Ranch Doritos.

All in all, the tacos were delicious and unique. The service was good minus the lack of enthusiasm. The food was served so quickly and my Cokes were being refilled before I even had a chance to think about wanting more. My only real complaint was I felt the food was a little expensive, but I realize this is a price to pay to have fresh, unique ingredients. Yo Rita by no means serves my favorite taco (if you’re curious what is, take a road trip to Keokuk, Iowa to Papa Chicos – It’s worth the 13 hour drive), but I definitely recommend trying it.

***** We at eatPGH.com see the value in providing the fine folks of Pittsburgh plenty of voices when it comes to reviewing the foodie fare around town. We graciously allow those with equally temperamental taste buds such as ours to post their enthusiastic comments and yes, sometimes-enthusiastic critiques using eatPGH as their megaphone. We know, we know… how kind of us! This post was brought to you by Lucky Guest Blogger, Jesse Wisinski. *****