On a whim decided to Unilocal for nearby Mexican food instead of heading into the big city of Tallahasse to the usual joints. Boy was I glad I did! Who would have thought that such a wonderful restaurant would be in little ol’ Cairo? No beer or Margaritas here, just great food. Started with queso and guacamole. Queso was fine but the guacamole was divine. Big, fresh chunks of avocado next to bits of cilantro. I love cilantro. It’s one of those herbs that you either love or hate. If you hate it you think it taste like dirt. If you are like me, you wallow in it and always ask for more on the side. Yum. A basket of fresh, thick tortilla chips. Wow. Heaven. So many unique, delicious sounding choices on the menu that I slid into Porky mode and ordered two entrees so I could try them both and have leftovers for the next day. The hus just rolled his eyes and went with it. That’s okay. I’ll roll my eyes back at him when he asks me to share the leftovers. BTW, the portions wers so generous I had leftovers from both. Beef Barbacoa was tender, tasty chunks of meat wonderfully flavored and accompanied by rice and beans. Tortillas and a spicy, tomatillo-cilantro salsa :) served on the side. Wow. My «other» entrée was four corn tortillas with a chorizo, potato filling with white cheese sprinkled on top. Again. Wow. I loved both of them equally. The hus ordered his usual: Chicken Enchiladas Verdes. He said the chicken and tomatillo sauce were much more flavorful than his favorite Tallahassee Mexican restaurant. It just got better and better. The prices? We probably paid at least a third less than what we normally do for Mexican. I don’t claim to be an expert in any type cuisine, let alone Mexican food. Couldn’t tell you what’s authentic or what’s not. I just know what tastes good to me. El Tarasco ranks right up there with the best tasting Mexican food that I’ve eaten in LA. Los Angeles, not Lower Alabama. LA has some great Mexican restaurants. Enough said. Fellow Unilocalers if you are looking for great Mexican food without the beer or margaritas, skip Tallahassee and go to Cairo. The locals are gonna’ hate me for spilling the beans. Pun not intended.
Bruce P.
Classificação do local: 5 Tallahassee, FL
I sit here now solely from reading a recommendation about their quality & consistency. If all their food is like the barbacoa of beef cheeks I just had, I will absolutely do the trip here again. Wow. For a mom & pop, this is a very pleasant surprise.
Ryan C.
Classificação do local: 4 Bainbridge, GA
Seriously authentic and delicious. Great tacos. The lamb is excellent. The tortas are huge. People have begged these guys to open in Thomasville, Bainbridge, etc. Worth the drive from Bainbridge or worth the time if you are traveling through on US84. Try the fish. I think the al Veracruz is the best one. Served head in tact. Creepy but tasty.
Arielle M.
Classificação do local: 5 Cairo, GA
I love El Tarasco! We eat there often! The joke in the office is that it’s excellent but you will get close to your order, but it will never be exactly what you ordered! Update: I still love El Tarasco, but what you order is NOW what you get! They have gotten better! They are still extremely authentic and wonderful!
Chris L.
Classificação do local: 4 Cleveland Heights, OH
I didn’t think there were any restaurants worth visiting in Cairo – and apparently neither did anyone else on Unilocal since there are no restaurant reviews at all in this city. Does this mean I get to be Cairo Elite Squad? – but then I suggested Mexican and we came to El Tarasco, which was described as both cheap and authentic Mexican food. I love both of those, so I was sold from the get go. This place did not disappoint. They have four different salsas, three of which were quite spicy, and all of them were delicious. I typically like tacos(or nachos – I can’t explain it, it’s a sickness, don’t judge me) to try a new Mexican place. The tacos were $ 1.25 each and there are double meat tacos for $ 1.50. I had chorizo, pastor, and I tried a bite of lengua and they were all delicious. Then I tried Rachel’s Sombrero taco, which is one of the double tacos, and I realized the error of my ways. The double meat taco made a perfect combo of the pastor and chorizo and was definitely worth the extra $ 0.25. I also got the nachos which were not at big as I have seen elsewhere, but that’s just because they don’t use as many chips as other places, which allows you to enjoy fresh crunch chips with almost every bite. They were well worth the meager $ 5 price tag. I can’t wait to go back and try some more stuff.
