This post is not sponsored by bartaco, but rather is an expression of my personal opinions. With that said, if bartaco wants to make me an official ambassador, I would gladly accept the position! 

Y’all. I’ve always had an urge to move to Atlanta. First it was the desire to be in a large southern city. Then it was two of my very best friends living there. And now it’s bartaco. It’s probably a good thing that Atlanta is a few hours away because if I lived there, I would eat there on.the.daily.

I recently drove to Atlanta to visit three of my college besties (one had flown down from Chicago) and celebrate two of their soon-to-be-born babies! Usually during our bestie weekends in Atlanta, we sit around a bottle of wine with lots of food and chat for hours catching up on all of our lives. So even though I’ve been to Atlanta at least ten times, I actually haven’t done that much. I always say I need to go there and be a tourist some time. With that said, this weekend wasn’t much different from past weekends, but we did have an early dinner at one of the hot new spots in town, bartaco. Bartaco Atlanta opened in July 2014 and apparently has been nearly impossible to get into ever since. As luck would have it, we were on an odd meal schedule the day we went and arrived for an “earlybird” dinner at around 5. By the time we left at 7, the restaurant was packed with a line around the building.

The first thing that struck me about bartaco was their unique method of ordering. A server greets you at your table, takes your drink order, and explains the ordering system as follows: everyone at the table will check items off of a menu checklist, place it in a stand at the end of the table, and the server will pick it up to place your order and later bring your food. The system also applies for ordering any future items. I thought this idea was genius, especially with a table of chatty ladies who don’t want to be interrupted by repeated server check-ins. You never have to flag down your server or be distracted from your conversation because you are trying to catch the server’s eye.

The next (and more obvious) thing that struck me about bartaco was the menu itself. Highly conducive to tasting and sharing, menu items are small, but filling, and offered at a very reasonable price point. We ordered 3 tacos each, and 6 side dishes, an order of guacamole and chips, and 2 desserts to share. Including drinks, I was out the door for under $20 plus tip. I cannot remember the last time I had such a filling meal of high-quality food for only $25. Every single thing was delicious and I hope to return to Atlanta or one of the other locations very soon. I also have to mention my favorite menu item: the grilled corn side dish. Never would I have expected a vegetable side dish to be the star of the show, but I’m pretty sure I can never eat corn plain again. This side dish was served as grilled corn-on-the-cob rubbed with cayenne pepper and fresh lime juice and sprinkled with cojita cheese. Phenomenal! What to order: Spicy chorizo taco (hands down winner), veracruz fish taco, falafel taco, grilled corn, and churros and chocolate sauce.

Thank you to bartaco for such a delicious dinner! And before we go, just wanted to share a picture of my beautiful best friends. These girls are so wonderful and it was so hard to leave them after such a fun weekend. I miss them so much, but I know it won’t be long until we see each other again!

RECAP:
Eat: bartaco, 969 Marietta St NW, Atlanta, GA 30318