Taco Time NW Fries Review: Can Tater Tots Be Fries?

With their first location in 1962 in Eugene, Oregon, Taco Time was a chain popular for their fresh ingredients and good quality food. Then in 2003, the MTY Food Group acquired the chain through Kahala Brands. But, there are still 79 family owned restaurants today in Western Washington and Wenatchee, which have become collectively known as Taco Time Northwest. They are marked as significantly better than the corporation-owned counterpart (the larger Taco Time).

Left is the logo for Taco Time NW. Right is the logo for the national chain brand.

As we were traveling Seattle, naturally we asked ourselves whether there were fries at this acclaimed local chain, proudly serving the region. We walked in for lunch, and discovered that they had "Tater Fries" (also known as "Mexi-Fries") as their side, which turned out to be actually tater tots. The Fries Blog team had a lengthy debate in the restaurant whether we should be including tater tots in our reviews - especially when we call ourselves The "Fries" Blog. We eventually agreed that this blog is dedicated to all forms of fried potatoes. Thus we present our review of Taco Time NW's Tater Fries, and the very first tater tots to be on our blog.

The sign looked a bit worn out and industrial. Perhaps the industrial complex on Elliott Ave adds to the atmosphere.

Just an extra observation. It was evident that this chain was extremely proud to be part of the local region and differentiate from the national chain. We love their commitment to using fresh local produce and preserving the environment.

Taco Time NW has baked in regional pride as their brand identity.

Texture (9/10)

The tots were super crispy and crunchy, due to how they are made. Because the potatoes are minced, dried and then the bits packed together, every shred on the outer layer gets crisped with a large outer surface area, leading to a crunchy cylinder of potato. This also means that the innards will be very full, but also airy, as it isn't a solid piece of potato. The crunch and golden exterior with the warm and soft airy innards make one of the best textures fried potatoes can have. We also believe there’s some sort of a batter on the potato tots or else you would not get so much crunch. But if they pulled this texture off without batter, really, kudos to Taco Time NW.

Yes, these are tater tots. But the texture is simply fascinating.

Flavor (7/10)

The tater fries taste mostly like usual tater tots, that addictive cooked potato flavor, but they are lightly dusted with seasoning, mainly with salt. Though they are so small and compact, each tot brings a solid wholesome flavor, and no ketchup is needed to genuinely enjoy the fries. The potatoes itself are obviously fresh and of high quality. The overall flavor profile was well balanced, especially the ratio between the seasoned skin carrying the potato bland innards.

Shape (5/10)

The tater tots are the usual short cylinders or oblong spheres. There’s only so many ways to shape a tater tot so cannot really score high or low here. Regardless of the restaurant, tater tots by definition will always be minced, dried, pieced together into stumps, and fried! Some kudos to Taco Time NW was that there were very few random pieces or bits that had fallen off from the larger whole tots. So clearly, they are putting some effort here.

Presentation (6/10)

The potatoes are presented in a square-ish container with a lid, like that for a BigMac, or a to-go box. The box is green and made of cardboard. The lower half is completely full with tater tots and carefully piled higher than edge. The portion could be a little small for some. But overall, these were decently well packed tater tots.

Look at those golden tots! Well presented.

Experience (8/10)

The price of the Large Tater Fries was $5. We felt that the amount of tater tots was a bit underwhelming but the actual taste and high quality of the fries evens it out a bit. The interior of the restaurant, despite being in an industrial zone, was bright with greens and browns, nicely lit, super clean, and it looks very put together and tidy. The ordering menu behind the counter resembed any fast-food restaurant but then the kitchen was well exposed for everyone to see. The staff was super kind as well! It really does feel like a local restaurant rather than a fast-food chain, and Taco Time NW ensures that you feel that way. Overall we had a great experience.

This isn't a fast-food chain feel. We would say it is a hybrid betwen a Chipotle and a sit-down taqueria.

Texture	9
Flavor	7
Shape	5
Presentation	6
Experience	8
Overall	7.0 / 10

Conclusion

Taco Time Northwest's Tater Fries are great. It is genuinely a great side to any Mexican food the restaurant chain may serve as well as being a solid standalone dish. Also, this is our very first tater tot review, which again cemented our definition of "fries" as to all fried potatoes. We enjoyed our lunch which consisted of these wonderful fries but also some phenomenal burritos. Again, the soft texture of the burrito is well complemented by the crunch of the tots. Finally, we truly appreicate the chain's commitment to fresh local ingredients, maintaining a clean environment, and running a pleasant dining experience.

Molly Moon's is Seattle's local ice-creamery. We love the collab!