By Harrison Bray

If you enjoy eating tacos, you should consider the new restaurant Sloop John B in the Regency Square Mall. This restaurant is an island-style taco bar that has an array of options on the menu. They have salad, tacos, and wraps, each with respective choices. 

The menu has 11 different types of tacos you can choose from. An interesting aspect of ordering tacos here is that you can mix and match them. For instance, you can get three different tacos in one meal. There are also a few choices for different wraps that you can choose from as well. The tacos are served with meat or seafood inside. They can come basic, with just pork or steak, or more interesting, with ahi tuna or octopus. 

Cuban Wrap.

I decided to take the trip to Regency to see if Sloop John B’s food is as it looks. I was accompanied by my parents, Scott and Betsy Bray, on this trip. The restaurant’s appearance was very friendly and clean on both the outside and the inside.

I ordered the Cuban wrap. This wrap, as described on the menu, includes “Ham, Mojo Pork, Swiss Cheese, Mustard, Pickles.” I left off the pickles, because I’m not a fan. The presentation of the wrap was simple, and it came with a side of beans and rice. 

The wrap tasted pretty great overall. I thought that both the ham and pork in the wrap had a complementary flavor and taste. This was complemented by the cheese in the wrap very well. Although I thought the wrap was acceptable, I think that there was too much pork compared to the amount of ham and cheese in it. In my opinion, it could be improved if they cut back the amount of pork in the wrap just a little. I give this wrap a 7.5/10 rating. 

The salad bowl.

My mom decided to order the salad bowl. The salad bowl includes “Romaine Lettuce … Black Bean, Grilled Corn, Pickled Onion, [and] Cotija Cheese.” She also decided to add the braised beef on top of the salad. 

My mom thought that for the amount that she paid, it was an exceptional value. She thought that her salad was “diverse in its offerings, and had good flavor.” She also said how the meat was “very tender.” Although she really enjoyed her salad, it was so much that she had leftovers, to which she pointed out, “It’s always nice to have leftovers.” Overall, my mom said that she really enjoyed the salad, but it would have been improved with some avocado. As she really liked it, she gave it a rating of 9/10.

My dad chose three different kinds of tacos. He got the Carne Asada, which is “Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak, Cotija Cheese, Pickled Onion, [and] Cilantro with Green Chile Sauce.” He also got the Mojo Pork, which includes “Slow-Roasted Citrus Marinated Pork, Cotija Cheese, [and] Pickled Onion with Garlic Cilantro Lime Aioli.” And his third one was the Jerk chicken, included “Grilled Chicken Thigh, Cotija Cheese, [and] SJB Slaw with Pina Pico.”

Taco assortment.

His favorite had to be the Carne Asada. This is due to the steak’s excellent flavor and complementary toppings. He thought that the Jerk chicken taco was also solid but a bit bland in flavor. Finally, the Mojo Pork was also a pretty decent taco when it came to its flavor and taste. The tacos rankings: first the “Carne Asada, Mojo Pork, and then Jerk Chicken.” Overall, he enjoyed his meal and would give the tacos a rating of 8/10.

On the whole, my parents and I thought that the food from Sloop John B’s was excellent and would definitely go again in the future. We would recommend this restaurant to anybody who likes tacos or just wants to try a new restaurant.

All photos by Harrison Bray.