El Tesoro — Restaurant in Atlanta

Food obviously the highlight but the atmosphere was hyper latin. Wife is from Venezuelan and she said the owners have to be from latin american because of how well the nailed the feel of your typical neighborhood restaurant. Down to the ordering where they call your name out. Great atmosphere, food was some of the best I've had in Atlanta or anywhere really, parking is tough but worth driving down a few side streets to park.

Asada burrito dethroned my previous #1, set by la vaquita in Durham back in 2013. In order of how impressed I was with the food we ordered:

Asada Burrito Maduros con crema Salsas (from chips and salsa) Tacos (which were obscene in their own right) Drinks (had a blackberry chipotle margarita and a paloma) Esquite

Burrito: Reason El Tresoro Burrito is b/c all the ingredients are flavorful and distinct but complimentary vs. competitive in the context of the dish. Marinaded skirt steak is savory, unctuous, mix of sour/sweet with a hint of peppery/smokey minerality. Mexican rice with savory/sweet/barely astringent tomato and savory stock provides a textural contrast while emphasizing the sour/sweet elements of the asada. Pinto beans bring an earthy/savory starchiness, which highlights the beef's inherent minerality. Temperature and consistency of the cheese is awesome and last but not least the burrito is toasted - flaky and slightly crunchy, while still a little chewy as a good tortilla should be. Overall effect is every element of the dish is elevated both individually and as a whole. Lots of people just throw ingredients together and call it a burrito without another thought but not so here.

Maduros con crema: Maduros are sweet plantains, which were served with I think chipotle mayonaisse and cojita cheese. Just silly good combination - sweet and soft with a charred exterior, cojita cheese has a pretty intense salinity, mayo pulls that back a little bit and yeah I mean it's a classic dish in much of south america for a reason. Was difficult not to get back in line to odrer seconds here.

Salsas: Chips were solid (hard to mess up chips) if a bit salty (which you can just knock off the salt) but the salsas were another highlight. Medium salsa still has a kick to it but was very creamy and went great both on the chips and on the tacos we ordered. Jump from mild to medium salsa was greater than medium to hot, so if you aren't big into spice I would just stick with the Mild. Hot salsa is actually pretty savory, kind of like what you would get with cumin or liquid smoke, which I wasn't expecting but provided a delicious contrast to the mild salsa. Mixing the hot and mild was a winner on the carnitas taco for sure.

Tacos: I don't know why we as a society decided you now get 2 corn tortillas when you order a taco, but that's not an El Tresoro issue. Tacos were rich and flavorful, got one of mine with the fried crickets. Crickets were good but not significantly different than say crispy onions or potato sticks or corn. But I would order them again. Asada taco was amazing, but once I had a bite of the burrito I knew there was no turning back.

Drinks - yeah these were awesome. Blackberry chipotle margarita with salt was great , very smooth and refreshing. Palmoa had some greatfruit soda in it a think. Overall worth it for the drinks alone but the food was so outrageously good that I feel like the only reason I would get just drinks is if I lived so close by that I could just pop over any time and hang out.

Equite - one of the best esquites I've had, only down here because I had to put something last. Top notch and with the atmosphere one of the reasons that we're going to come back here frequently for the...

Update- we came back and ordered other things and everything was delicious and fair priced (I prefer seared plantains over deep fried stuck to my teeth) love the soup/elotes. Drinks exceptional. The weather is the only kicker as it’s all outside with nice covered areas. We like to sit by the fans. Rain/Snow/High Heat all are tough to compete. Upgraded to 5 star. What you order will determine your rating and if the outside situation is an issue for you.

My wife and I have been trying to come here and we finally came. Parking in the neighborhood a little off for free and walked up. Didn’t see dedicated parking. There were four people in front of us and 20 people behind us in a line outside, which moves as fast as the person in front of you orders. I was surprised to see no inside seating, only outside seating. There was a covered outside seating space and other seats with little umbrellas and rotating fans. Plenty of seating for a multitude, but I’m sure the weather really affects business conditions. I figure the tacos must be great if people are waiting in a line patiently.

Steak Taco- was lacking some wetness/sauce and flavor

Barbacoa Taco- a bit dry, ok

Mahi Mahi Taco-I like how they fried the fish, just needed a bit more flavor to push through.

Veggie Taco-good cream sauce that I wish was vegan instead. The sauce made the tortilla shell wet and unable to pick up. Had to eat with a fork.

Pulled Pork Taco- just OK. Needed sauce unique to this meat with more flavor and elevation.

Chicken Tamale- 10/10 best item we had. It tasted like a Mexican cornbread dressing. We could have ordered four of these instead of the tacos.

Charro Beans- 10/10 great taste. pork skin in the center, but it’s easy to remove so this wasn’t a big problem, good skins so a person who eats pork would probably want to order a side of skins.

I really like the atmosphere, open seating, ability to chat with friends in the open air when weather conditions permit, free neighborhood parking, fast food, and great service. The servers/food deliverers really were some of the coolest servers we’ve ever had, chill and easy-going with a good spirit. The tacos just weren’t memorable. Not saying they were bad, just not memorable. I couldn’t recommend any one of the tacos I ordered today Unlike I could recommend the tamale and the...

On a 43 degree day I can honestly say they have the best out door set up that I have ever "enjoyed" of course I went at lunch high noon so I got the highest sun and temperature of the day and the tents were cozy. Apparently it sits along a bike path of some sort that may connect to the beltline but after walk the entire beltline the summer of 2023 I'm not sure how you would get there so I'm assuming it's a neighborhood path. It was very near the school I was teaching at for the day so I walked there in less than eight mins. Very convenient and I'm sure others do it. They must make a killing from the apartments across the street from them Id never cook if I could eat that Barbacoa Burro everyday. It was so stuffed with meat, the other ingredients were there but you couldn't see them lol. I enjoyed the food and the water... But I did notice a bit of prejudice with the crowd they just simply chose to sit with ppl who looked like them...I was in the first accessible dining area All Alone during lunch rush which is hilariously typical of Atlanta pretentious racist. It makes perfec sense with this being a white neighborhood which gentrified the area. I certainly must have been a foreigner in 2024. I didn't like that, but it is certainly Not odd in Atlanta and it also is not the fault of the restaurant. Lastly, the prices are not likable $13 for a medium size burrito that I must eat Outside... is insane for Mexican food. I live by three Bodegas it's insane pricing trust me! Because of that I would only go here if in the area. But it may be a last choice since this area has many places to eat I wondered why other teachers at the school were opting for Chick FIL A, that may be totally why. Especially since the prices are Not comparable to any thing around. Sorry El Tesoro the party goers determine the vibe of the party not the venue. Atmosphere provided was great, but it's just not a great place to be. I like saying hi when encountered not avoided. Food was excellent, drink selection was excellent, The staff was indifferent and prompt offered no smiles... But the consumers were blahhhhhhhhh. I can go hear awesome music and vibe really well at any other Mexican restaurant there is no shortage of it in Atlanta. So it may be a hard pass next time. I will let the HOOD have their treasure...