Moe’s Southwest Grill is a well-known fast-casual Mexican chain that offers catering packages like taco bars, nacho bars, and fajita spreads for group events.

Because Mexican food usually works extremely well for office catering, we decided to test Moe’s catering to see how it performs for real workplace meals.

For this review, we ordered the Moe’s Taco Bar catering package, which is one of their most popular catering options. Taco Bars are one of the hottest 2026 catering trends according to CaterCow data.

Unfortunately, the execution left a lot to be desired.

What Comes With Moe’s Taco Bar Catering

The Moe’s Taco Bar is priced per person and requires a 10-person minimum order.

Moe's offers tacos bars, fajita bars, and nacho bars.

From the Moe’s catering menu, the Taco Bar includes:

Soft flour tortillas or crispy taco shells
Choice of 1–2 proteins
Beans
Shredded cheese
Lettuce
Pico de gallo
Sour cream
Chips
House salsa

With additional upgrades and add-ons are available.

For our catering testorder we selected:

Proteins

Adobo Chicken
Steak (+$2 upgrade)

Beans - Black

Tortillas - Soft taco shells

Add-ons

Guacamole (+$2.40 per person)
Moe’s Sauce

We also opted for warming stands, sternos, and serving utensils.

Moe’s Catering Price Per Person

The base price for the taco bar starts around $11 per person.

However, after upgrades and add-ons the real price becomes higher.

Our order pricing looked like this:

Moe's Southwest Grill Catering Price Per Person
Moe's Catering Cost Breakdown	Price
Moe's Taco Bar (10-person minimum order)	$144.00
Steak Protein Upgrade	$2.00
Guacamole Add-On	$2.40
Moe's Sauce Add-On	$6.99
Delivery Fee	$30.00
Tax	$10.57
Tip	$10.00
Total Order Cost	$191.56
Approximate Cost Per Person (for 8 people served)	$23.95

For a group of roughly 8 people, that came out to about $24 per person all-in.

Delivery Experience

One nice surprise was that the order arrived about 15 minutes earlier than expected.

Early deliveries can be risky for hot food, but in this case it was still manageable.

Another positive detail: the delivery was made by the store manager.

In our experience reviewing catering programs, when restaurant leadership personally handles delivery, the food tends to arrive in better condition because it’s handled more carefully.

There was no shortage of serving spoons and tongs, which is one of those critical things that some caterers overlook. Not Moe's!

Unfortunately, despite that positive start, the setup had several issues.

Food Labels

With none of the containers marked by ingredients or dietary restrictions and no other markings, an office with diverse dietary needs might have challenges.

Heating Setup Was Incomplete

The taco bar arrived with the standard wire warming rack designed for two sternos.

However, the delivery included only one sterno:

Because of this, most of the food was not properly heated.

Luckily we had an air fryer and oven available and were able to warm everything ourselves.

In a typical corporate office environment, that likely wouldn’t be possible — meaning the food would have been served lukewarm or the team would be waiting in line at the kitchen microwave.

Ice Cold Salsas Hurt the Taco Experience

Another problem was the temperature of the toppings.

The salsa and sauces arrived refrigerator cold.

Cold salsa isn’t inherently bad, but when it’s ice-cold and placed on hot tacos, it creates an unpleasant contrast.

Instead of tasting fresh, it made the tacos feel less appetizing overall.

Protein Portions Were Decidedly Small

The most serious issue was portion sizing.

Although the taco bar requires a 10-person minimum order, the amount of protein provided was not even enough for five people.

The trays of meat were shallow and ran out quickly.

For a taco bar — where protein is the main component — this created immediate problems.

Guests had to ration their tacos.

Beans Were Also Under-Portioned

The black beans tray was barely an inch deep.

Most people treated beans as a side dish rather than a taco filling, which meant the tray emptied quickly.

Between the limited beans and the insufficient protein, the taco bar struggled to feed even half the group.

Guacamole Looked Unappetizing

We added guacamole as a premium topping and typically guacamole is the first item that runs out of the mexican buffet.

Unfortunately, it arrived looking oxidized and unappealing, which discouraged people from using it.

Since guacamole is usually a highlight of taco catering spreads, this noticeably hurt the perceived quality of the meal.

One Highlight: Moe’s Sauce

One item that actually impressed us was Moe’s Sauce, which we ordered as an extra.

It had a smoky, tangy flavor and worked well with the tacos.

If the rest of the food matched the quality of the sauce, the experience would have been much better.

Overall Team Reaction

The overall reaction from the group was disappointing.

The biggest complaints were:

Not enough protein
Cold toppings
Heating setup problems
Unappealing guacamole

Most people described the meal as mediocre.

Several people even said they wouldn’t visit Moe’s in person after the catering experience, which shows how strongly catering quality influences brand perception.

Is Moe’s Catering Worth It?

Mexican food is usually one of the safest and easiest cuisines for office catering.

But in this case, Moe’s taco bar struggled in several critical areas:

Protein portions were insufficient
Heating equipment was incomplete
Salsas were too cold
Guacamole presentation was poor

While I personally love Moe's and hope this was just a one-off poor order experience, based on this review, it would be tough to reccomend Moe’s Southwest Grill catering for office events or corporate meetings. (If you really,really want Moe's, CaterCow has a special Moe's giftcard promotion).

There are many taco and Mexican catering providers that execute this format more reliably.

Moe’s Southwest Grill Catering Review (2026): Taco Bar Pricing, Portions, and Experience