Recently I got a tip on a Mexican restaurant in Newnan that I wasn’t previously aware of. At first, I thought it was a new place but as I began to read some of the reviews on Yelp I noticed that some of the reviews were from 2015. How have I managed not to notice this place for three years?! How have I managed to drive past its location dozens of times yet never noticed the bright yellow sign on the end of the building? The only reason that I can think of is that El Taquito is located inside the BP truck stop on Highway 29 at the Moreland exit off of I-85 and when I’ve driven by I just haven’t paid the building much attention. Still, one would think that I would have heard something about it during those three years. Nope, not a word…until a month or so ago.
ConnieLou and I have been trying to get down there to give it a try for the past couple of weeks but things finally came together last night and we paid El Taquito visit on our way home from work. When we walked into the truck stop building it took us a few extra seconds to find the place. The phrase ‘hole in the wall restaurant’ took on a more literal meaning. There was a service counter and kitchen, a drink cooler, a condiment bar and a small seating area all tucked into the corner of the truck stop building.
If you’ve read many entries to this blog then you already know that I’m a fan of ‘hole in the wall’ restaurants. The food is generally very good and almost always more authentic than the ‘shiny’ place next to the newest or biggest local shopping center. I’ve also noticed that, with restaurants of various ethnicities, if the apparent ethnicity of the majority of the clientele appears to be similar to that of the type of food being served, you’re likely in for a treat…and we were.
We stepped up to the counter and placed our orders. ConnieLou ordered a chicken taco salad which consisted seasoned chicken, lettuce, cheese and refried beans in a crispy shell and I ordered the platilla de asada (Asada Plate) which consisted of carne asada, rice, refried beans and a small salad (lettuce and diced tomatoes topped with a little guacamole) with three warm tortillas on the side. We both ordered a Coke which we soon discovered wasn’t a fountain drink or locally bottled Coca-Cola but Coca-Cola bottled in Mexico…you know, the kind made with real sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup.
We each received a small tray of fresh nachos…yeah, fresh, as in made in-house, today, not Tostitos…to munch on with some fresh salsa while we waited on our food to arrive. Ultimately, we both found our food and quite tasty and definitely more authentic than most of the other La and El Somethings in town.
So how did El Taquito fare on the Thumbs Scale? Try an easy four out of a possible four thumbs up. Everything was quite tasty from the nachos to the salsas to the carne asada to the beans and rice. Have I mentioned authentic already? If you just don’t think you can handle eating at a truck stop then you can give El Taquito a pass…but, if you’re looking for darn good Mexican food without all the trappings of one of the shinier La or El Somethings, give ‘em a try…you’ll probably leave happy that you did.
