Restaurant: Taqueria Del Sol

Critic: Catie Cornell

Upon arriving at Taqueria del Sol, you’re waiting. First, you can’t find a place to park. With a crisp three spots up front, and again only a few more in the back, the chances of immediately being able to park and head in are slim. If you’re lucky enough though, you’ll still be waiting. 

I’m not sure if it is because of the odd hours it’s open, or because of the fact that it’s somewhat considered a staple restaurant of Athens, there is always a line. Not like a three-people-in-front-of-me line; more like a I’ll-be-waiting-a-while line. So, you wait. You talk to the people you went with and pretend you don’t mind standing outside in the bitter cold for a fucking taco. Congratulations, you’ve made it to the front. You can order from the person at the register, and then you’ll receive a number. Then, you wait. Remember all of those people that we’re standing in front of you in line? Guess what, they want a table too. So you browse around and say hello to all the people who were once in your freshman year odyssey class that you never spoke to again. Really, the restaurant always has a bit of a random crowd. Once you make your way through the sea tables and are lucky enough to find a one, the waiting is over. Is it worth it? I’m still not sure. 

A waiter or waitress will bring you your food using the number on your table. Not the best system but definitely gets the job done. For my meal, I had a fried chicken taco and a carnitas taco. They were both delicious. They were presented in a basket side by side, but telling them apart was no challenge. The meat was perfectly cooked and finished with a delicious salsa. The tortillas were the perfect combination of soft, yet a little crunchy. However, they were also both expensive. I don’t know what the going rate is for a taco, but a total of almost eight dollars for two tacos seemed pricey to me. You could get triple the amount of food at chipotle for the same price. Just sayin. 

At one point, I am pretty sure I heard music. Considering I am not even sure if I heard it, I definitely could not tell you what song it was, or even what genre. The place was packed to the edges, it was difficult enough to hear the person sitting next to you, let alone background music. That was not bothersome in the slightest however — if I wanted to hear music, I would go to a concert. 

On TripAdvisor, Taqueria del Sol is ranked 127 of 384 restaurants in Athens. I think it’s the perfect spot. Did my jaw drop at the delicacy of the food? No. Was it somewhat inconvenient to get a parking spot, our order taken, and a table? Yes. Was the food still really good? Yes. Did I regret going? No. Would I go back again? Probably. Do I think you absolutely need to? No. But should you? Sure, if you don’t mind waiting.