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ACME TACO
www.acme-taco.com
1605 N. University Ave., Lafayette, (Map)
Tuesday-Saturday: Lunch and Dinner; Sunday: Brunch
Self-described in its logo as “not your typical Mexican,” Acme Taco brings a fun twist to the traditional Mexican options in town with a la carte tacos at $3-4 a pop with choice of meat. Try one of the margarita concoctions, and go for the borracho beans for your side, which are pinto beans simmered in Dos Equis with bacon, spices and peppers.
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AGAVE MEXICAN RESTAURANT & CANTINA
www.agavelafayette.com
200 E. Vermilion St., Lafayette (Map) - 289-0000
Monday-Saturday: Lunch and Dinner
509 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette (Map) - 889-5540
Daily: Lunch and Dinner
At lunchtime, a dish as simple as fried fish tacos is dynamite. If you don’t have to go back to work, waste the afternoon away on the sunny, funkified patio downtown; more than 40 Agave tequilas are on hand. We like Mexican seafood dishes like the shrimp and crawfish stuffed peppers, but the big enchilada at Agave is the twin beef tenderloin medallions stuffed with Louisiana crawfish, roasted poblano peppers and a Central American stuffing, crowned with Louisiana crawfish and an ancho pepper jack and cheddar cheese sauce. With a third location on its way in Parc Lafayette, an Agave is never very far away.
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AZTECAS MEXICAN CUISINE
www.aztecascuisine.com
3535 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy., Lafayette (Map) - 769-1088
Daily: Lunch and Dinner
Tex-Mex all the way, with a large assortment of nachos, enchiladas and burritos. But what we like best is the range in the fajita menu that includes baby back ribs, marinated rib-eye, chili and lime chicken, bacon wrapped shrimp, fried shrimp and a plenitude of beans, pico de gallo and good guacamole. Sopapillas, those little fat puffs of fried pastry with a sweet honey drizzle, round out the meal.
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BLUE AGAVE
www.blueagaveonline.com
3558 W. Pinhook Road, Lafayette (Map) - 837-7720
Monday-Saturday: Lunch and Dinner
Blue Agave has a dynamic menu that includes Milaneza Rellena, a breaded, fried chicken breast stuffed with ham, cheese and topped with chipotle sauce; and Tabasco Style Tilapia, a seafood-stuffed filet baked with herbs, wine sauce and cheese.
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CAFÉ HABANA CITY
911 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette (Map) - 857-7527
Monday-Saturday: Lunch and Dinner; Thursday and Friday: Late Night
Owner Rafael Garcia has brought all of the staples from his native Cuba to Lafayette. Be sure to try the pollo a la barbacoa, two dark meat pieces of chicken cooked slowly in soy sauce and butter until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender. The ropa vieja shredded beef cooked in Spanish sauce, bell peppers, onions and herbs, and the Sandwich Cubano served with fried plantains are both great, but the real star of the menu is the Cuban tamales, spiked with a dab of salsa verde. Ernest Hemingway’s favorite — fresh mint, lime and rum mojitos — are fabulous and always two for the price of one at Café Habana.
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COYOTE BLUES
www.coyotebluesfreshmex.com
5741 Johnston St., Lafayette (Map) - 988-3668
Daily: Lunch and Dinner
Coyote Blues has hit on a winning recipe with fresh Tex-Mex with a Louisiana fusion and mesquite-burning grills. Some of the best margaritas in town are shaken up behind the popular bar. A fresh starter is the ceviche, Acapulco-style shrimp and scallops marinated in citrus juice and pico de gallo topped with jumbo lump crab meat and diced avocado. Check out the Churrascaria, skewers of marinated tenderloin (served with Chimichuri, an Argentinean-style grilling sauce), chicken ribbons, jumbo shrimp and jalapeno sausage grilled with peppers and onions or the smoked St. Louis style ribs. Don’t leave without trying the white chocolate bread pudding.
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EL POTRILLO
1934 Moss St., Lafayette (Map) - 237-1188
Daily: Lunch and Dinner
Expect a laid back atmosphere and savory Mexican favorites like tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas and shrimp dishes packed with large Gulf shrimp. Sundays and Mondays, the happy hour specials run all day long, making for even happier hours.
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EL RANCHITO
2415 Cameron St., Lafayette (Map) - 235-3297
Daily: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
When you think El Ranchito, think authentic Mexican cuisine; you won’t find Tex-Mex here. There’s authentic soft corn tacos, hand patted and corn husk-wrapped tamales, enchiladas with a green tomotillo sauce and caldo -— a Mexican version of beef and vegetable soup. In addition to the regular menu items, El Ranchito offers daily specials throughout the week, with fried chicken and stuffed poblano peppers on Wednesday, and on the weekends, your choice of a seafood or goat posole. Look for the nightclub now next door by the same owners, offering up spicy food and Latin music until 2 a.m. on weekends.
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LA CARRETA
400 Jefferson St, Lafayette LA, 70501 (Map)
Daily: Lunch and Dinner
The Louisiana-based chain opened recently Jefferson Street and is poised to be a new downtown hot spot. The margaritas are strong but still flavorful. Frozen ‘ritas are available in traditional, strawberry or mango, or opt for a traditional (or top shelf or suprema) on the rocks. Definitely get something with pork in it, like the tacos al pastor. La Carreta doesn’t take shortcuts on slow-cooking and shredding the pork with onions, and it’s apparent. Tender and so full of rich flavor, it’s definitely worth trying at least once. The shredded beef isn’t shabby, either, with an unexpectedly bright lime taste to it.
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LA HACIENDA
809 Albertson Pkwy., Broussard (Map) - 837-1700
3136 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy., Lafayette (Map) - 989-1320
4001 N. University Ave., Carencro (Map) - 896-7500 (express)
Daily: Lunch and Dinner
Tucked away in a strip mall off Albertsons Parkway, La Hacienda’s dark and cozy bar is a great place for a margarita and a Mexican dinner before heading to the movies. The nachos tapatios, topped with grilled chicken, steak and shrimp constitutes a meal in itself, or go for the mi pubio steak, covered with shrimp, chorizo and cheese. Known for its fajitas and margaritas, La Hacienda offers Mexican flavors along with a happy hour.
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LA MORENITA
412 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy, Lafayette (Map) - 235-5044
Daily: Lunch and Dinner
This Mexican grocery tucked into the edge of Lafayette has not only goods for sale but amazing Latin fare. This is the real thing. It’s easier to know some Spanish when you go here but not mandatory. Expect to eat like a king for under $10, and this is a great place to pick up groceries as well.
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LA PAGUA
5423 Johnston, Lafayette (Map) - 988-1312
Saturday and Sunday: Breakfast; Daily: Lunch; Monday-Saturday: Dinner
Lots of great restaurants have gotten their start in this hole-in-the-wall behind Baskin Robbins on Johnston Street. Breakfast includes scrambled eggs with chorizo or ranchero sauce. Standouts are the enmoladas, enchiladas topped with mole sauce, the lengua (yep that’s beef tongue — it’s a delicacy for a good reason) taco and the torta de pierna, a Mexican poboy stuffed with marinated, roasted pork, tomatoes, onions and avocado.
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LOS MAYAS MEXICAN GRILL
2633 SE Evangeline Thrwy., Lafayette (Map) - 234-4798
Daily: Lunch and Dinner
Start with the Nachos a la Mexicana, a whopper of an appetizer loaded with fajita steak, chicken, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, beans, lettuce, sour cream and guacamole. If you’ve still got room, the Mole Rojo is chicken with the famous dark sauce with a hint of chocolate, served with rice and tortillas.
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PELON’S MEXICAN HOT DOGS
1506 Verot School Road, Lafayette (Map) - 446-4466
Monday-Saturday: Lunch and Early Dinner
Pelon’s takes a hot dog made out of turkey and gives it a cozy blanket of hardwood-smoked bacon and a whirl in the deep fryer. Then you’re given a choice to wrap it in a tortilla, to make a tacquito out of it or have it on the traditional bun with which most Americans are familiar. From here you get to choose three toppings from a list of eight, or choose as many as you want for a few pennies more.
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PICANTE MEXICAN
www.picantesrestaurant.com
3235 NW Evangeline Thrwy., Carencro (Map) - 896-1200
Daily: Lunch and Dinner
Picante offers great Southwestern cuisine, like the signature. Don’t miss the fresh, chunky guacamole, made table-side. Chef specialty Camarones Surenos are jumbo shrimp stuffed with cheeses and chiles wrapped in bacon, coated with a spicy batter and fried until crispy, or try the Rellado Des Res, chili and cheese stuffed steak. Picante may make the biggest margaritas in town, which should get you good and loose for Wednesday and Saturday night karaoke or dance to live entertainment on Fridays. Sunday, the big screen plays sports all day.
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TORTILLA SOUP
3910 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy, Lafayette (Map) - 366-8141
Daily: Lunch and Dinner
Tortilla Soup’s menu is an eclectic mix of Mexican-inspired cuisine, including its popular soup and namesake Tortilla Soup. The fajitas are extremely popular, as is the Mexican crab roll — a south-of-the-border take on a sushi roll.
