There’s nothing like having a go-to local restaurant for lunch with friends or a night when you just don’t want to cook dinner. And if tacos are in the mix? All the better.
The first time I walked into Cantina Locale, I knew I was in for something different. Located in Daniel Village in the former Yo Pizza location, Cantina Locale is the latest concept by the folks who brought us Village Deli and Summerville Scoops. Maybe it was the high ceilings punctuated by metal and glass stars; maybe it was the bright and airy patio with its cozy sofas and colorful pillows; maybe it was the giant metal rooster perched in one corner, but I felt like I had opened a door to some place a little more fancy and special than your usual Wednesday at 12:15 lunch.
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A smoky salsa plus tortilla chips are brought to every table, but my friend Christian and I also ordered a bowl—not a cup—of queso that was so perfectly warm and gooey that I couldn’t stop eating it.
The descriptive menu features starters, tacos, quesadillas, bowls, “tin can” nachos, children’s options, sweets and libations.
“I love anything truffalo,” our server said, pointing to the smoked chicken with the house special truffle hot sauce, paired with blue cheese. I ordered it, along with the barbacoa— a slow-cooked traditional beef— both in taco form.
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Our server also offered a tip.
“We’re like Subway,” she said, so toppings can be customized on anything.
I took off the crispy fried jalapenos and the ghost pepper cheese that comes standard on the barbacoa taco in favor of milder cotija cheese.
I fell hard for the truffalo chicken at first bite. If you’re a blue cheese lover, get it. It’s packed with flavor from the sweet, tangy shredded chicken to the crisp lettuce to the blue cheese. The barbacoa was likewise tender, and the crunchy jalapeno slaw added just the right amount of heat for me. Some of the blue cheese also had gotten mixed in, and I decided I’d officially add it to the taco next time.
Use a fork and ask for plenty of napkins because the tacos come fat. But the flavor is so worth it. Taco Wednesday, anyone?
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Make Your Reservation
Cantina Locale
Daniel Village Shopping Center, 2803 Wrightsboro Rd., Suite 20A
Cost per entree: $6 to $13
Danielle Wong Moores is a local freelance writer who’ll never turn down a shrimp cocktail, sushi or cheese dip. Her greatest food influences are her mom and writers MFK Fisher and Amanda Hesser. Her Dine & Dish column will run the second and fourth Friday of each month.
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