West Ashley has no shortage of taco options
Some of the most popular posts that I have put up have been pics from Mexican restaurants. So it got me thinking, how do you taco in West Ashley? The possibilities have finally opened up over here. Fast food, Tex-Mex, authentic Mexican, birria, soft shell, hard shell … With so many choices I wanted to help everyone know what all is out there as options.
First off, the fast food taco. What comes to mind, of course, Taco Bell or Red Burrito (aka Hardee’s tacos). To me, the only reason for this option is past 1 a.m. and maybe enjoying one too many cold beers. Your sober friend takes you through the drive-thru and the bag & wrappers usually end up in his back seat and become evidence of a fun night when they’re discovered the next day.
Next, we have Tex-Mex. The typical meat, shredded lettuce and cheese on a flour tortilla. Taco Bartina (formerly Taco Spot — see story on previous page), Señor Tequila, LaHa, Rio Grande, and Agaves Cantina all come to mind with this style. While it’s not my personal favorite, I do think some are much better than others.
Next up, authentic Mexican food or “cocina autentica.” The classic corn tortilla with your choice of meat, white onion, and cilantro. Simple but damn hard to beat and personally my “go-to” style. With its own tortilla-making machine in-house, the taqueria inside El Molino Supermarket on Sam Ritt is probably leading the pack in this category right now. But Taco Kitchen on Savannah Highway offers homemade flour tortillas and is doing an amazing job in the “authentic” category. The salsa bar alone is worth stopping by. Also, they’re the only place slinging breakfast tacos actually at breakfast time, starting at 7 a.m. Taco Bartina does offer a breakfast tacos menu all day, but doesn’t get going until 10 a.m. and for early risers like me, that’s practically lunch time. Unless, of course it was a late night, but then you would find the aforementioned bag and wrappers in my backseat.
Last up is the latest craze to sweep the local taco scene, Birria tacos. For those who haven’t had it yet, birria tacos are braised meat in a soft corn tortilla that is then fried in the fat in which the meat was cooked. It then comes with a small cup of consome (like a flavorful broth) that is used for dipping the tacos. Kind of like a Mexican French dip for your taco. I first was put onto this style by El Mohino but have now noticed it popping up at more and more spots.
So how do you taco West Ashley? Hit me up and lemme know!!
’Till next time — @westashleyeats
To see what West Ashley is eating this month, follow West Ashley Eats on Instagram at @westashleyeats.
