Manrique’s Mexican Store and Restaurant

Wow!!! I had the tacos de carne asada. Haven’t had real Mexican like this since living in Los Angeles. This place is the real deal. Real Mexican food that must have been been from a family recipe in Baja California. I cannot overstate the authenticity of this food. Simply awesome. Or like we say in Cali, «Like, totally awesome!»

Stopped by on way back to Atlanta from the mountains. Excellent food — chorizo quesadilla, quesadilla, and tacos all good. Very affordable. Quick service. Not the most inspiring décor (somehow plywood wall with no paint really didn’t feel right). But highly recommended.

After an abandoned attempt to find beer & food in nearby Dillard on a Sunday, Unilocal led us here and we’re the happier for it. Manrique’s Mexican Store and Restaurant serves up some pretty decent food. Not sure why it’s called ‘Mexican Store’ — I forgot to look around for a store.
Not large and not adorned by the decorations you find in a lot of Americanized Mexican restaurants (not that there’s anything wrong with that), Manrique’s by appearance could be any typical small town restaurant in the SE. Several wood seat booths and a bunch of four-​tops scattered about. It’s a comfortable restaurant, at least for a time until the wood seats take their toll. No loud music.
Chips & salsa hit the table pretty quickly. Both are decent even if the salsa has little fire. We asked and quickly received a refill on both.
The Unilocal page says beer & wine. I do know they have all the usual Mexican beers and they will sell you what you like on Sunday. This in comparison to the restaurant we tried up the road in Dillard. Chilled glass with the beer.
The menu is not large. You won’t find a page with a list of every possible taco/​enchilada, relleno combination and you won’t find fajitas. But you will find tacos along the lines of what you might expect in a larger city, such as Atlanta, and you will find tortas, enchiladas and a couple of special plates. Plus a few other things. We both went with enchilada plates — green chicken for me, red cheese for my wife — and I ordered a lengua taco as well, just to see how they compare.
Food didn’t take long to arrive. Enchiladas are very tasty with flavorful chicken and a nice verde sauce. There wasn’t any hot sauce on the table and I didn’t feel the need to ask for some. The lengua taco was also decent, although the corn tortillas *might* be a little blander than I’ve had elsewhere. A bit of salsa helped out there. Meat was cooked just fine. I wouldn’t hesitate to order a full plate of three tacos here.
Friendly, efficient service and the prices are reasonable. Recommended.

Rudest management I have ever encountered. I ordered a steak burrito. I got ground meat smothered in refried beans. The meat was rubbery. I called the owner since I got this take out and she said there was nothing she could no. No refund, no exchange. I told her I was an ER physician at the local hospital and would tell everyone how rude and inflexible she was. She said «go ahead, do whatever you want» then hung up the phone on me. Never ever don’t ever go here.

Very authentic, delicious food. We had the tacos (carnitas, asada, and al pastor) and the enchiladas verde and both were excellent. We will be returning again tomorrow for lunch. Too bad we live 10 hours away.

Bizarrely authentic Mexican cuisine in the middle of Rabun County GA. Delicious, affordable, and staffed by great people. My fave is the carne asada tacos with a side of guac for the chips. AWESOME.

I love the food here. Their super burrito and quesadilla are the best. I had pretty good experience with waiters there. I always make sure I visit here whenever I’m in town.

Great authentic fresh Mexican. After a few visits, my favorite Mexican in the area by far. Make sure to get a «Mexican» coke with dinner.

We try and come in every time we are in town. Staff efficient and service generally quick.

First off, the service was great! It was fast and friendly! The chips and salsa were great! The food was great it was cheap! The burrito was huge!

I have been coming up to Lake Burton for over 35 years — and quit often go in to Clayton — but I had no idea one of the best Mexican restaurants in Georgia was tucked in to a corner strip mall — right on 441. The space is clean, staff is friendly and attentive, and the food was great — fresh, clean flavors — I had the chicken enchilada (red) — the lunch portion is HUGE — and very filling — but we also have the guac — a must — especially with the house salsa. Other favorites included the tacos de cabeza and quesadilla. I will definitely go back to try some more on the menu.

So great! Everything is so fresh. Hands down best Mexican restaurant I’ve ever been to.

Best Mexican food in a 100+ mile radius of Clayton GA. We really like the chicken or chorizo tacos, burritos, chicken quesadilla, enchiladas green or red. We are regulars, food is always the same quality. Great people that run the restaurant. Oh and the prices are cheap.

Great food. Great quantity for the money and wonderful vegetarian/​vegan options. Our server, John, was courteous, helpful and on the ball. Great experience for my entire family.

The best local authentic Mexican cuisine to be had! The prices are great and the food is phenomenal — I eat there at least once a week. Great service along with flavorful fresh food make this one of my top eats. Try the steak quesadilla or a massive tortha and you won’t go away hungry, broke or disappointed!

This is one of the best places I have ever eaten! The food is authentic and amazing! I live about 20 – 30 minutes away and I at the very least have to come here once a week, if not twice! The steak quesadilla with everything in it is so good. I always get a side of the red chipotle hot sauce and green jalapeño sauce! Best ever!!! Their tacos are amazing and affordable, my favorite is the chorizo and steak! Such fresh flavors! I Love this place!

This place is a must-​stop in Clayton! The food is always delicious, especially the quesadillas and Super Burrito. The staff is always very friendly, and this is a great place to feed hungry Chattooga paddlers.

Best Mexican food in Clayton! Not your average gringo-​style fare. I know many people who go waaaay out their way to a stop here. If there’s something you want that isn’t on the menu, just ask. Sometimes they’ll make it for you.

Really authentic… including tacos de cabeza (cheek), al pastor, lengua (tongue)…great guac… incredibly huge and tasty Tortas. Will visit again for sure on our way to/​from Atlanta.
It is a real real treasure to see places like this in rural Georgia. I really thought I’d never see authentic Mexican food again after leaving Tucson. I was so so wrong. Bueno!
Oh…and they have a fireplace.

Small hole in the wall place that should not be missed if you like mexican food. Their pico de gallo is superior, and their cubana torta is outstanding! Everything I have tried here has been delicious and has tasted very fresh.