S/T Hooligans - Seattle
ST coming in hot with a solid plate of Hooligan nachos!
There is a lot to like about these. The pico de gallo is one of the best I've ever had. It packs serious flavor, chop size is ideal and isn’t too watery. Often times the pico is mushy, just tastes like tomato and makes the chips soggy; but the crisp texture and the raw jalapeños added is ideal. The chip to pico proportion is also spot on. By the time I was finished with the chips I had about one spoon full left of pico which meant that there wasn’t a chip that didn’t have toppings.
The raw jalapeños go well with the small pickled ones on top. The small size of the pickled ones allowed you to get the perfect amount of spice, but not too much; and left room to pile on other toppings. Sometimes when the jalapeños are too large it’s hard to get multiple things in proportion.
The optional pulled pork was added. A good amount that made sense for the amount of chips. The pork was flavorful and juicy accompanied by a little bit of fat making sure it wasn’t too dry.
Beans are not always found on nachos, but were nicely added acting as a balance for the spices.
The chips were crispy and not burnt. Cheese was evenly distributed.
These nachos also come with an assortment of side dips. I think this is smart and very useful for those chips that may not be fully flavor coated. You can add them as needed.
They also add a variety of flavor options, keeping the nachos complex and not boring. The 5 sauces include a salsa roja, salsa verde, avocado salsa, roasted habanero-mango, and a crema. I found all of them equally enjoyable.
Hooligan Nachos are for friendship.
As you may have read in previous reviews, I’m quite sensitive to how the nachos are plated and how accessible they are. As seen in the picture, 5 people are easily able to access one plate of nachos without having to turn the plate. They also have equal access to the same toppings. This makes for a good plate to share!
I would say that this plate is a good size to have as a starter for up to about 5 people, or could feed 1 to 2 people.
The only thing I did not like was the paper plate and the plastic cups the sauces were in. I think a nice weighted plate would be a nice touch. If the sauces were also in a slightly wider cup that would be a little easier to dip in without having to come in at a steep angle where you might loose some toppings.
S/T Hooligans also has a number of other proteins on the menu. Though they are not offered on the nachos, I think some experimentation with their fried chicken would yield a unique plate of nachos.
All in all I give these nachos 4.4 chips out of 5. Slight adjustment to the sauce presentation and the plate would probably bump them up to a solid 5.
Reviewed December 2022