By: Amelia Blumberg, 1st year EH-Epi
Typically people think about the classic southern foods when thinking about great foods in Atlanta. I, however, LOVE tacos and Mexican food, so I’ve come to find a few spots in Atlanta that I love. My friends at Rollins and I may or may not have even dressed up a taco and Taco Bell hot sauces this year for Halloween. Our obsession with tacos is real. I’ve searched my phone for pictures of my favorite tacos, but I think sadly I devoured the tacos before I could capture any personal photos.
Willy’s Mexicana Grill
My classic go to for fast, cheap, and tasty tacos (or burritos) is Willy’s Mexicana Grill, which has a few locations around Atlanta. It was started by a man named Willy (surprise) who wanted to bring California style burritos to Atlanta. I especially love the location on N Druid Hills Rd since they make fresh tortillas while you order. I really really love Willy’s and have worshiped their food for about 10 years now as an Atlanta native. My claim to fame is winning a Willy’s photo contest in which I won a taco bar party for 10 people (basically the best day of my life).
Anyways, at Willy’s, you order at the line, telling them specifically what to add to your burritos or tacos. I personally prefer the chicken, but all of the meat options are great. They have a ton of toppings to add to your tacos/burrito including cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, cilantro, fresh jalapeno, pickled jalapeno, corn salsa, fresh lime juice, guacamole, olives, cheese dip, tomatoes, onions, and more! Your entrée even comes with free chips and unlimited access to the salsa bar where you can choose between the green tomatillo salsa, two red salsas, and a spicy habanero salsa. All so so tasty. Oh, and be sure not to miss the first Tuesday of every month because you get your burrito for $5 with your Emory ID!
Taqueria del Sol
With three Atlanta locations, the one in Decatur is probably the most charming. I don’t think there is anytime at Taqueria del Sol when there is not a line out the door. After waiting in line to place your order, one finds a table and the food quickly comes out. Their salsa trio is definitely a must along with the brisket tacos consisting of tender brisket meat and (not overly onion) pico de gallo. True to Atlanta, they also offer a popular fried chicken taco, which is served with lime jalapeno mayo, lettuce, and tomato. Once you’ve tried their six standard tacos, you can always shake it up with their special always-changing taco of the week.
My other two favorite places to order tacos are both located on Buford Highway. Buford Highway is located near Emory and stretches for miles with tons of delicious Hispanic and Asian restaurants. Definitely a place to check out! For tacos, however, I love La Pastorcita and El Taco Veloz, which both serve much more authentic tacos than other places in the city.
El Taco Veloz
This small restaurant can easily be missed when driving down Buford Highway. It’s a small building that offers drive through or a few communal tables. If dining in, one orders at the counter inside and then takes a seat at one of the communal tables just outside. The carne asada tacos are always a hit with friends that I take there along with the cheese dip. The tacos are served with onion, cilantro, and salsa verde, and are so delicious. Their horchata is also rumored to be great.
La Pastorcita
Lastly, but definitely not least, La Pastorcita has amazing tacos. Here, the tacos are also served with your choice of meat and onions and cilantro on top. They bring a bottle of green salsa and a bottle of red salsa to the table for you to apply as you’d like (the more salsa the better). The menu is only in Spanish, but is pretty simple to figure out especially if you trust me that the tacos are the best. All the meat options are great, even the beef tongue if you are adventurous.
Rollins Student Ambassadors 