--- title: "Eddy's Cantina: Tacos and Craft Beer in Tianmu, Taipei" description: "Sammy and I met up in Tianmu for tacos and craft beer at Eddy's Cantina, a place I'd been meaning to try for a long time. The fried fish, carnitas, and Grandma's recipe Hakka pork tacos were all good, the corn chips and salsas were great too. Unfortunately I forgot to buy the hot sauce to take home." author: 'Kalen Johnson' date_published: '2026-10-03' canonical_url: 'https://taiwantable.com/articles/eddys-cantina-tacos-and-craft-beer-in-tianmu-taipei' section: Review image: 'https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1614/01M40S65WKSYQT36FGXRC633T9.webp' --- Since moving to Taiwan, before starting Taiwan Table, I had only gone out for tacos twice in two years: Chilangos and Nowhere Taipei. So going for tacos twice this week is rather unexpected. But when Sammy messaged me about going out tonight, and being in the Tianmu area, I sent him some suggestions, and we thought Eddy’s Cantina looked great. I’ve wanted to eat at Eddy’s Cantina for a long time now. He actually replied to a post I wrote on a Taiwan Facebook group where I asked about hot sauces in Taiwan, and he recommended his own. Unfortunately, I saw on the menu that they sell bottles, but I forgot to grab one. I suppose I have to go back and eat there again. So Sammy and I met up and arrived a little before 7 pm on a Thursday. The place definitely has a trendy but fun Mexican vibe. Sombreros and funny posters around, big-screen TVs showing baseball games, and a bar with multiple taps, so I felt right at home. We got a table near the front window and started looking at the menu. [ ![Inside of Eddy's Cantina](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1613/conversions/01M40S3WYXQD6XH8YGWN9951VC-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1613/conversions/01M40S3WYXQD6XH8YGWN9951VC-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![Inside of Eddy's Cantina](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1607/conversions/01M3ZAMVG7GWMWHEPS72F0RJJ6-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1607/conversions/01M3ZAMVG7GWMWHEPS72F0RJJ6-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![Sombrero and slogan at Eddy's](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1608/conversions/01M3ZANWAQ6CTZAMVC5ZDHW1SM-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1608/conversions/01M3ZANWAQ6CTZAMVC5ZDHW1SM-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson It’s a big menu, multiple pages, just like family restaurants back in North America. We both ordered a beer, then decided to get wings as an appetizer, along with the corn chips. I asked the waitress which wing flavours were popular, since they offer 8 options. She suggested Classic BBQ or Better Buffalo. Sammy said he could do a little heat that night, so we went with the buffalo sauce. The beers came out, then the corn chips. The beer was a Hazy IPA from Tilted Shack Brewing and was quite good. The beer was NT$275 a pint, not a bad price for a full pint in Taipei. They had a pretty full menu of lagers, ales, and a rye porter. [ ![IPA Craft Beer at Eddy's Cantina](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1601/conversions/01M3Z9Q5GZ90D3G3AEF893VJTK-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1601/conversions/01M3Z9Q5GZ90D3G3AEF893VJTK-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![Corn Chips at Eddy's](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1599/conversions/01M3Z9DKCJYEH92HYFMJXSG0F5-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1599/conversions/01M3Z9DKCJYEH92HYFMJXSG0F5-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![Salsas at Eddy's Cantina](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1600/conversions/01M3Z9N87RXP153DRMFNVDWNT2-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1600/conversions/01M3Z9N87RXP153DRMFNVDWNT2-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson The corn chips were salted well and crunchy. The salsas that are provided are also very good; there is a red blended salsa that has a surprising spice to it, some bites are relatively mild, and some include a chilli seed that can hit you unexpectedly. The other salsa is green salsa, milder heat but still had some. I really enjoyed both and asked for more for the tacos. The relatively small cup of corn chips was NT$120 (US$3.76); it was enough for two people as an appetizer. But interestingly, when we were ordering, the waitress asked if we wanted a basket of corn chips; we said sure, but after ordering the wings and entrees, she suggested we get the normal size as it might be too much. I personally can’t really have too many tasty corn chips, but I’m also not sure how much the basket actually costs; I don’t think it’s listed on the menu. The wings came out next, all six pieces arranged nicely, the wing and drumette placed together in a row. They were sauced up too, a lighter red colour than when I just dump Frank’s Red Hot on my wings at home. From their website homepage, it seems like they make their own buffalo sauce from scratch. Unfortunately, I thought the “Better Buffalo” was the low point of the night. The wings weren't very crispy, but they were cooked fine and decently juicy. But I didn't find the sauce very spicy, tangy, or creamy. I actually struggled to find the vinegar tang that you expect from a buffalo sauce. I didn’t taste much heat, but Sammy said they were decently spicy, so they did have some heat. The one-spicy rating on the menu sounds accurate. Perhaps some of the issue is calling the sauce “better” buffalo. It was described as tangy, and while I assume Frank’s sauce on its own will be much tangier since it’s vinegar-based, I struggled to find much vinegar flavour in these wings, and that’s probably where some of the disappointment came from. I didn't mind the flavour; it had some, but I expected a lot more from a buffalo sauce. [ ![Buffalo Wings](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1603/conversions/01M3Z9TJYEGM97FKW1Z64SCF22-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1603/conversions/01M3Z9TJYEGM97FKW1Z64SCF22-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![Buffalo Wings](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1604/conversions/01M3Z9VCD0FDSHBY4MARA3X6WN-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1604/conversions/01M3Z9VCD0FDSHBY4MARA3X6WN-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson I ordered three tacos, and Sammy got the wet burrito. I ordered the carnitas pork, Grandmother’s recipe Hakka pork, and the fried fish. Each taco was a good size, perhaps a little smaller than [TacoJoe’s](https://taiwantable.com/articles/tacojoe-birria-and-shrimp-tacos-near-guang-hua-digital-plaza) tacos, but not the tiny street taco size. At NT$430 (US$13.46) for the three, or NT$143 (US$4.48) per taco, it's certainly not budget-priced, but it's not the most expensive I’ve seen in Taipei for a taco. Each came with its own toppings. [ ![Carnitas, Hakka Pork, and Fish Tacos](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1598/conversions/01M3Z5W1VEWG1BKQQNH5JN0E4D-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1598/conversions/01M3Z5W1VEWG1BKQQNH5JN0E4D-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![Carnitas, Hakka Pork, and Fish Tacos](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1615/conversions/01M40S8SZXKGNGPAABRWW0BADX-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1615/conversions/01M40S8SZXKGNGPAABRWW0BADX-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson I tried the fried fish taco first. I squeezed lime over all the tacos and added some pickled onion and the two salsas. The fried fish taco came with a rather coarse pico de gallo and cilantro on top. I’ll say, the fish was not a large cut, but it definitely had the flavour of Southern California, as well as some taco stands in Puerto Vallarta, if my memory is accurate from 15-20 years ago. In any case, I thought this one was great. The “Grandma’s recipe” Hakka pork started a discussion between Sammy and I. Mostly because I haven’t had Hakka cuisine yet. I had him try a piece of the Hakka pork and asked him if it was Hakka. He gave me a resounding no because Hakka-style food is very salty, and this wasn't nearly salty enough. He shared some of the Hakka people's history and told me he grew up in Hualien among Hakka kids. He is a stickler for authenticity, and while I probably wouldn’t call something inauthentic, personally, for lack of salt, that’s where he landed. In any case, whether it’s authentic Hakka flavour or not, I really liked this one as well. I couldn’t exactly identify the flavour profile, but I thought it was delicious with the cilantro on top. My only complaint is that it was the least-filled taco on the plate, and it could have included more meat. The final taco was the carnitas, with a little pico de gallo on top. I thought this one was pretty decent, too. Even in Mexico, carnitas wasn't my favourite; it often seemed like rather dry pork, when the promise of carnitas is juicy, tender pork. Perhaps I just had a few bad ones and avoided it too much. Well, I’m happy to say Eddy’s carnitas isn't dry; I thought this one was quite tasty. It tasted like braised pork, and while it wasn’t dripping with sauce or broth, it wasn't dry and had a perfectly porky taste. [ ![Wet Burrito at Eddy's](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1606/conversions/01M3ZAF5C9FSC7H81TC2DWR98S-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1606/conversions/01M3ZAF5C9FSC7H81TC2DWR98S-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![Wet Burrito at Eddy's](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1605/conversions/01M3Z9XYM4W1PB3ZKJPDZJMBB9-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1605/conversions/01M3Z9XYM4W1PB3ZKJPDZJMBB9-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson Sammy’s wet burrito had a nice sauce on top. He said he thought it had too much rice and beans and not enough meat. Unfortunately, I think that’s the common complaint with basically every burrito, unless you make it at home. At NT$320, I thought it tasted good, and it’s a reasonable price for the dish. Overall, I really enjoyed Eddy’s Cantina. Good food, good beer, and it seems like a great place to hang out with friends and family. It’s not a budget-priced restaurant, but foreign food in Taipei is never really budget-priced. For Mexican food, I’ll say Eddy’s does it pretty well; it’s not overly expensive, they refill salsa on request, and they do hit the flavours you are looking for when you’re craving Mexican food. [ ![Eddy's Cantina](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1610/conversions/01M3ZAWXPG6SD3Z9ERRQRP5SSW-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1610/conversions/01M3ZAWXPG6SD3Z9ERRQRP5SSW-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![Eddy's Cantina](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1611/conversions/01M3ZAZ88521TZ16VNP5R6K57S-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1611/conversions/01M3ZAZ88521TZ16VNP5R6K57S-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![Digital menu at Eddy's Cantina](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1612/conversions/01M40S27AW58ZMXN36NTK8QEG0-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1612/conversions/01M40S27AW58ZMXN36NTK8QEG0-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson [ ![Entrance of Eddy's with Sammy](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1577/conversions/01M3YTG2412EAA7CY52JFM1HNZ-medium.webp) ](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/1577/conversions/01M3YTG2412EAA7CY52JFM1HNZ-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson ## Reviewed Place - [Eddy's Cantina](https://taiwantable.com/places/eddys-cantina)