The vibes are always good at this Main Line taqueria.
Buena Onda is a taqueria located on N. Radnor Chester Road in Radnor. Founded by Latin-American Chef Jose Garces, the restaurant does not focus solely on serving great food. According to its website, Buena Onda is “more than a fast casual taqueria, it’s a mindset.” The restaurant wants customers to not only eat good food, but to have a good time while doing so. After all, Buena Onda means “good vibes” in Spanish, and employees work hard to ensure that the restaurant lives up to its name.
Opened in late September 2022, the Radnor location is the newest addition to the lineup of Buena Onda restaurants. There are also locations in Philadelphia, including Fairmount, the Concourse at Comcast Center and, perfect for students attending Villanova basketball games, the Concourse at the Wells Fargo Center.
Madison Bertin, Marketing Manager at Garces and Buena Onda, speaks on the many different specials throughout the week, which add to the “Good Vibes” at this Baja-Inspired Taqueria.
The week begins with a “kids-eat-free” deal on Mondays and is followed by a special margarita deal on Tuesdays.
“On Tuesdays, we offer $20 margarita pitchers, which is an amazing deal,” Bertin said. “It’s great for bringing in your friends. You get your choice of a ‘Classic’ margarita, or you can pick from one of our flavors, such as ‘Guava,’ ‘Watermelon’ or ‘Prickly Pear.’”
Any foodies on a budget will want to visit the restaurant on Friday, the day Buena Onda offers three-dollar chicken tacos all day.
Buena Onda also has a rewards program, and gives back to its most loyal customers by offering a “double points” deal on Sundays.
“We do have a mobile app, and we have a mobile rewards program,” Bertin said. “If you download our app to become a rewards member, you receive a five-dollar reward to use on your next order. If you’re a member, you receive rewards such as a free birthday tacos, and earn points on every order. Once you build up your points, you can get rewards such as $5, $10 and up to $20. You can also share the app with your friends and you will both receive a $5 reward.”
Customers subscribed to the rewards program earn two points for every dollar, as opposed to normally earning one point for every dollar.
“On Sundays, you get double points, but you also get exclusive access to any promotions we’re running,” Bertin said. “You get to know about them first [and] you get to order faster on our app. It’s honestly just really a great thing to have.”
Buena Onda also hosts a daily happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. Customers can enjoy half-price margaritas, four-dollar Buena Onda Baja Style Lager, fried fish tacos for $2.95 and chips and salsa for only one dollar.
Other future one-off specials will include deals for National Margarita Day on Feb. 22 and for Cinco de Mayo.
These different promotions keep the Buena Onda experience fresh for customers, new or returning. No matter what day of the week, there is always something to look forward to.
With all these offerings, customers certainly have their favorite Buena Onda dishes. One of the top sellers is the grilled jumbo shrimp taco, which is glazed with tequila. Despite Bertin’s admitting to not liking seafood, this is her favorite dish.
“It is my favorite thing,” Bertin said. “It’s not super fishy. It’s so perfect. The glaze on the shrimp is amazing.”
Other popular favorites include Buena Onda’s mission-style burrito (a combination of a quesadilla and burrito), taco combo (two tacos with a side) and crispy shrimpsih taco (a vegetarian-style shrimp taco).
Buena Onda accepts a wide variety of payments, including mobile ordering (both Doordash and Grubhub) and most importantly for Villanovans, Nova Bucks. The Radnor location has been accepting Nova Bucks since its opening, wanting to make it easier for students to dine there.
Bertin believes that accepting Nova Bucks as payment can help students who may be apprehensive about spending their personal money. It provides a positive alternative for anyone who might not want to eat at a dining hall every night or overspend while eating out.
“Being a college student, you may not have a job,” Bertin said. “You’re working on a college budget, so going to a restaurant that accepts that and also runs these happy hour deals or specials makes you feel like you want to go in there and eat there.”
To learn more about Buena Onda, check out buenaondatacos.com, Buena Onda Tacos on Facebook, @BuenaOndaTacos on X and @buenaondatacos on Instagram.
