Verde Taqueria — Restaurant in Brookhaven

I don’t normally vent or complain on Facebook, but today I find it extremely necessary. It’s a beautiful day, the boys and I enjoyed this morning at the Farmer’s Market and then we decided to eat outside for lunch and enjoy the sunshine. We decided to go to Verde, a taqueria in Brookhaven off Dresden.

It can be a risk sometimes taking Kellan to restaurants, as he has a tick that forces him to scream (most of the time he can’t control it). He typically doesn’t do it in familiar places to him. Unfortunately, this was one of the screaming days. We had already placed our order when it started. I was able to calm him down and we started to enjoy our meal.

A while later, Kellan screams again. The manager (I later found out was the owner), approached our table and asked us if there was a problem and we told him that Kellan is on the spectrum and he cannot control it. He said several tables asked to go inside because of him and asked us to leave. I looked around, and the only table that left was a single woman at a 2 top. I did not make a scene, but everything inside me was shaking. I had to stay strong.

Having barely touched our food, I asked for the check and some to go boxes. The table behind us was a family we knew from Jake’s class, and she said she went inside and talked to him and defended us. She said he was the owner and he lied to her face stating that he did not ask us to leave. She started crying to me seeing how unjustly Kellan was treated. She herself has a family member on the spectrum, and the entire incident deeply impacted her.

I am so grateful for the woman that had the gumption and empathy to stand up for my son. Needless to say I will never step foot in that restaurant again.

There may be mixed opinions about this, but as my son’s mother, I hope you see my perspective.

Please teach your children empathy and...

I'm not sure why people rate this place so poorly. It's a nice little neighborhood fusion taco place with great service. I usually go to the one on the west side, but today I find myself in Brookhaven. Go figure. Same solid experience.

Food/drink: look, it's not trying to be authentic, so if that's what you want, please look elsewhere. But if your horizons are broad enough to accommodate some southern/Mexican fusion, this spot is fantastic. Corn tortillas (store bought, but they cook em so I forgive this) on demand. Pulled pork, fried chicken, calamari... The taco choices are amazing. They are full size, double wrapped and overstuffed. Some call this a sin. I call it a guilty pleasure. Overstuffing a taco is just the chef's way of showing off, and I'm ok with it. The only issue is that after two tacos, you feel like you need to be rolled away. They've also got black beans and plantains just to make me smile. Bar is fully stocked. Four Roses, what!!!!!

Service: as usual, friendly servers and bartenders. They treat occasionals like me, just as good as the regulars. No flair or shake-weights at the bar. Just good attentive service.

Ambiance: standard chain-place atmosphere. This is the ONLY reason I deduct a star. Nothing special. A bunch of TV's, but not a sports bar. High chairs, but not especially kid friendly. No internet juke box. Meh. But no hipsters, so there's that.

X-factor: great little neighborhood fusiony taco place. I seriously don't go to the one near me enough. This visit made me remember how good they are. Don't mind the haters, Verde. You...

I'm starting to feel like a mini taco connoisseur, so here's the breakdown of Verde. Most of their tacos are great. They have a nice selection, and the food is a healthier option compared to other main stream places. However, this isn't the place to go if your on a diet. Meaning, they don't have lettuce wrapped options. (if they do, one of the waiters was just a __ one night). Luckily, I personally don't come to taco places to be healthy, so I can give you thorough feedback on the taco portion of this menu. Pulled Pork Taco - awesome; Barbacoa - alright; Fried chicken - pretty good; Buffalo chicken- I've had better (Corner Taqueria); Fajita - not memorable; Sweet Chili Shrimp - awesome, Chimichurri Steak - better than fajita. I've only tried one Daily taco special which was the Chicken Curry Taco, and I wasn't a fan. In fact, I hate it, but apparently it was good to others.

Also, they have seasonal margaritas, and there definition of spicy is nothing compared too some of the Jalapeno Margaritas I've tried. Even their regular mix is pretty sweet, which I don't really like. This place is really relaxed though. It's nice to come to when your hung over or have a set of curlers in. It's a "no judgement zone" or at least everyone casual enough for you not to care. There is a patio too, so that's cool. The only thing I actually hate about this place is the parking. So, when considering that this rating should really be like a 3.5 in overall experience, but hey that's not...