Something to Taq About

Taqueria del Sol is a classic Athens restaurant that draws crowds everyday. College students and locals alike love gathering at the popular restaurant because of the fun atmosphere and delicious food. Taqueria del Sol is located on Prince Avenue, right off of downtown. They feature indoor seating, as well as an outdoor covered patio.

Outdoor patio seating on Prince Avenue

The menu at Taqueria is fairly small, but the flavors are abundant. Taqueria puts their fun spin on even the staples. They offer a salsa trio, homemade guacamole, and cheese dip that some customers come solely to order. Famous for their tacos of course, Taqueria has six different taco offerings. Other menu items include enchiladas, sides, and soups & chilis. My personal favorite taco is “The Memphis.” This taco is filled with chopped smoked pork with a spicy jalapeno coleslaw and tequila BBQ sauce. The tacos are fairly small in size, so I suggest ordering two. You can even mix-and-match the tacos to satisfy your craving. And of course, Taqueria is famous for their margaritas. Definitely a great accompaniment to any taco.

Yummy homemade guacamole

Taqueria del Sol also features weekly lunch and dinner specials. Each week they have a different featured taco, blue plate, chef’s special, and seafood special. The special taco for this week is the “Sloppy Jose” and my usual favorite special is the seafood. This week the seafood special is “Salmon with Maque Choux.” Taqueria definitely offers creative, delicious, and intriguing menu items that keep customers coming back every week. Taqueria makes great use of their online website and social media channels to broadcast their weekly specials, regular menu, and locations. Their online website makes it easy for customers to find their particular location and the weekly specials menu that corresponds to their specific restaurant. Facebook and Twitter serve as their two primary social media outlets. These platforms serve as great ways for Taqueria to let their customers know about their special offerings, events, or just tempt them with pictures of their food. I know that always works for me, at least. Nowadays, tacos have become a trend and conversation starter. Especially with the saying “Taco Tuesday,” Taqueria is able to leverage this trend and incorporate the hashtag #TacoTuesday into their Facebook and Twitter posts.

#TacoTuesday

Next time you’re in Athens, or even near their other locations in Atlanta or Tennessee, you should definitely do yourself a favor and live the experience of Taqueria del Sol. 

A Tidal Wave of Flavors

            This past week was one of my roommates’ birthdays, so of course that meant a celebratory dinner was necessary. My roommate loves Asian food, as well as Mexican food, so I suggested the new restaurant in downtown Athens, Taqueria Tsunami. I’ve always heard it’s a popular restaurant, so I was excited to check it out.

Aloha Taco

            They’re famous for their tacos, and I could definitely tell that from looking at their menu. They have great flavor combinations, such as the Aloha Taco with grilled teriyaki chicken, pineapple pico de gallo and spicy mayo. I personally did not order that taco, but some of my friends did and they were in love. I will definitely be ordering it next time I go!

Promotion on social media outlets

            Taqueria Tsunami is a really hip restaurant, targeting the young college student audience, so their presence online and on social media outlets is very important. Their website is really sleek and modern, with great pictures and access to their menu and locations. They also have a presence on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. These social media accounts feature specials and deals, such as their “Kids Eat Free” days. All of their posts include hashtags and pictures, which catch the audience’s eye and encourage audience engagement. Taqueria Tsunami is doing a great job of knowing who their target audience is, and using social media channels to successfully reach them.

My Midday Treat

Curry Chicken Salad with pita chips, fruit, and
apricot mayo

My next stop on my Athens restaurant train was to my all time favorite lunch spot: Marti’s at Midday. Situated in an adorable white cottage on Prince Avenue, Marti’s at Midday is the ideal lunch spot for the girls. With it’s large front porch and bright sunroom seating indoors, Marti’s offers a picturesque environment. Every time my mom comes to visit me in Athens, we always go to Marti’s to enjoy their yummy food. Famous for their chicken salad and pimento cheese, Marti’s has homemade salads and sandwiches to satisfy any midday craving. My favorite thing to order is “The Amy.” It’s a curry chicken salad sandwich on yummy grainy bread, and it comes with their amazing homemade pita chips and a side of fruit. I also always order a side of their apricot mayo to dip my pita chips in. From my first visit to Marti’s, I discovered their apricot mayo. It’s not anything like mayo, though. It’s more of like an apricot jam. It is always a staple for my Marti’s visits. And to finish off your yummy Marti’s sandwiches and salads are the largest cookies you will ever see. They are definitely worth every bite.

Another great thing about Marti’s is their catering service. This is a great way for Marti’s to advertise to people at events that might not have known about Marti’s beforehand. Marti’s has a cute website that showcases their menu, story, press, and recipes. Marti’s also has a presence on social media, such as Facebook and Instagram. They post attractive pictures on their Instagram account, which also posts to their Facebook profile. These posts are informative, yet they also have an appealing quality that attracts “foodies” because they include pictures of their food, as well as pictures of their customers and events. On their social media posts, Marti’s includes many hashtags, which is a great way to attract followers and promote their business. Aside from creating delicious food, Marti’s has mastered the art of social media as well.

            Marti’s definitely ranks #1 on my list, so if you haven’t visited yet, I highly suggest you do!

Definitely not a Last Resort

         

          This past week was a special week in Athens, GA: the start of football season. With the first game of the season last Saturday, Athens was flooded with alumni, visitors, and fans from all around the country. Everyone lives for this time of year, and being a student at the University of Georgia makes the experience that much better. The start of the year brings many times to celebrate, and that is exactly what a group of friends and I did on Friday night. The start of senior year and football season, birthdays, and full-time job offers, my friends and I had many reasons to celebrate. And when you have something to celebrate in Athens, GA, there is only one place to go: Last Resort Grill. All Athenians know how special and delicious this restaurant is. From the iconic downtown location, to the out-of-this-world food, Last Resort Grill tops all of the lists of best restaurants in Athens.

Horseradish Crusted Salmon with kale and black bean mash

            When it comes to such a special restaurant as Last Resort, I am a creature of habit, ordering the same thing every time I go, simply because it’s that good. Horseradish crusted salmon on top of kale and black bean mash, finished off with their famous white chocolate cheesecake. I’m telling you, this meal is outrageously good. So on this night out with my friends, enjoying each other’s company, we still always love to take out our iPhones, open up our camera app, and capture the memories to later post on social media. It’s the way our generation works now: we love spending time with each other, but then we equally love sharing it with the social media world. As I post my picture of my white chocolate cheesecake to Instagram, I make sure to include the Last Resort Grill geo-tag. The geo-tag is one of my favorite things to look at on Instagram. It easily collects people’s Instagram posts into one spot to allow for easy viewing by the public. I love looking at it to see the beautiful cuisine creations people enjoy on their Last Resort outings. The geo-tag is also a great way for people to decide if they want to go to that particular restaurant. Sometimes for me, if I am not familiar with a certain restaurant, but I want to see what the food looks like in order to decide if I want to go eat there, I take to the pictures on Instagram geo-tags. This Instagram feature is highly used by Last Resort customers and always makes me excited to see new posts.

White Chocolate Cheesecake

            Along with Instagram, Last Resort Grill is also active on Facebook and Twitter. These social media outlets don’t receive as much attention as their Instagram, but they are still valuable outlets for Last Resort to get their name out to the public and keep their customers excited about their offerings.

            While I was sitting at the table in the restaurant, I noticed underneath the table glass that they had advertisements promoting their event space, Last Resort Grill Provisions. Located at the popular Athens, GA intersection of Five Points, Last Resort Grill Provisions is a unique event facility tailored to Last Resort Grill’s charm. These advertisements on the table were in a great location; I mean, they were literally right at my plate. They didn’t waste space on the actual table, so I didn’t immediately just push it to the side. This advertisement definitely hit the “place” feature right on the dot.

            The Last Resort Grill also makes great use of their website. They include beautiful pictures, their menu, stories of how they got started, and information of where they get their food. I visit this website quite frequently, just to see if they’ve added anything new to the menu. No matter how many times I go, I know I’ll never get tired of Last Resort Grill. It’s definitely a one-of-a-kind restaurant that makes Athens so special.