Taco Barge in the PNW

I know this may sound crazy and not important, but someone familiar with the PNW may be able to save me.

Here is my dilemma - Last year before we went to the PNW for the first time, I was doing a lot of research on the area, so that we could decide what our top priorities would be as far as destinations go. Hundreds of hours reading and a fair amount of time on YouTube.

Well, the Admiral happens to like mexican food (I have yet to meet a female that doesn't) and I showed her a YouTube video that showed a Taco Barge in a marina somewhere (San Juans or Gulf Islands, I think) that was motoring around selling mexican food (some people were pulling up in their dinghy's).

She said "Ooh, that looks fun, I want to go that marina". I then stupidly said "no problem". Well, I forgot to write down the marina name and told her after we got there "don't worry, we'll run into it at some point". Of course, we didn't, and a couple of weeks ago she reminded me that we need to find it this year (if we get to go that is - busy at work, so not certain).

Since then, I have spent what seems hundreds of more hours trying to find this damn thing on YouTube again, to no avail.

So my obvious question to the PNW veterans is - Where is this thing (I don't care if the food is good or not, I just have to find it), if it still exists?

Please help!

The only taco boat I'm familiar with is the little boat that sells tacos on Seattle's Lake Union. It is apparently going to be back doing this this summer.

Lake Union is not a marina but a working lake next to downtown Seattle with a bunch of marinas, shipyards, seaplane operators, etc., etc., etc. on it. It is accessible by water from the Sound through the locks in the Seattle Ship Canal (aka Lake Washington Ship Canal).

The taco boat is a converted fish boat from the SFO bay area.

Photo below.

Thanks Marin for responding! But I don't think that's it (at least I hope not because we won't be going there). The one I saw did look like a small barge (or float) with no top.

I may be wrong as my memory isn't what it used to be, but, pretty sure it was in the islands somewhere.

Perhaps you are referring to Penny's Palapa at the Nanaimo Public dock.

Penny's Palapa Web Advertisement - YouTube

Well worth a visit. Even if it is not the place you are thinking of.

Yes, Penny's is a Mexican restaurant (sort of) parked permanently in the city marina in Nanaimo. We've eaten there many times. It's very good but the fare is not the sort of thing one gets at the typical US Mexican restaurant. Think nouveau cuisine-type Mexican food.

Thanks Rusty, I know of Penny's - haven't been there yet though. When we were in Nanaimo, the docks were all full because the weather was so bad and everybody was staying in. Hopefully this year.

Marin, you might remember, that was when I caught that big rock with my (your favorite) Bruce anchor, and, as I was cussing the damn thing all I could think of was you and your dislike of them !

The taco barge I saw on YouTube was definitley mobile though, moving around the marina.

Oh, well. That is only suggestion that comes to mind.

These things come and go. Carey of this forum, his wife, and me and my wife were associated for a couple of years with a bakery boat that was in Fossil Bay on Sucia Island. The wife of the couple who owned this converted fireboat made to-die-for cinnamon rolls and lemon bars and sold them and coffee on weekends starting at 0900. She always sold out within an hour or so and it got to the point where people were even boating over from Orcas Island to get them. After a couple of years of this she got into other things and the Fossil Bay Bakery was history.

There also used to be a bakery boat from Maple Bay that went to Montague Harbor every weekend during the summer. It was a converted car ferry and we visited it for several years but I don't know if they still do this. We haven't seen them any of the times we've been to Montague lately.

Somewhat related .....

A few years ago I floated the idea of drones delivering pizzas past a few friends. They assumed it was the drugs and alcohol talking. But, I'm telling 'ya, the day is coming. There's no reason cinnamon rolls and lemon bars can't be flown out to your mooring, or, at least to a nearby dock.

http://tacocopter.com/

If my wife hadn't seen it also, I would have long ago figured I must have been dreaming.

The video was several years old when I saw it, so as Marin says, maybe it's just gone now.

And, love that Tacocopter idea!

Thanks all!

Marin said:

These things come and go. ...............

Click to expand...

Yes they do. There was a pontoon boat that sold hot dogs around here for a while. It's now parked at a marina and out of business.

Apparently some college kids came up with the idea and dreamed of striking it rich.

It's hard enough to open a restaurant on dry land and make a profit. Now figure that your season is only a few months and mostly weekends and fair weather, and it doesn't take a genious to realize that it's not a good investment.

Most of the restaurant on the water have docks. When we lived on Lake Union we took the 19 ft run about many times. You look cool arriving by boat, but the big problem is most people are watching you so if you screw up EVERY BODY knows!

Most bigger boats have a smaller fancy dink they use on a daily bases as the big boat is simple to big for most the docks. Use to take the dink, across the lake, to get my morning star bucks coffee. In Everett, we take the dink in the summer to eat as the restaurants are on the other side of the Marina. There have been some boats that serve food and drinks but mostly during big boating events.