Tacos El Regio NC — Restaurant in Charlotte

I found this Mexican spot through TikTok and decided to drive 2.5 hours to try it with my sisters.

Pros: best prices in the area, good portions, clean, fast service, accept all forms of payment, ample parking, various selections, salsa is spicy, and the staff was super kind and attentive.

Tacos de trompo - Rate 6.5/10 The pork was a bit too salty. I had to drown mine in lime to balance it out. Tortillas tasted like the reheated packaged kind, definitely not handmade. The limes were also dry/old, barely yielded any juice.

Horchata - Rate 4/10 Unfortunately, this was a big miss for all three of us. ☹️ It had a bad aftertaste—almost like protein powder or artificial packaging. One of my sisters asked to exchange it for the agua de jamaica (hibiscus water), but that ended up being overly sugary so she diluted it with water. I'm not picky, but the horchata was very disappointing. We did not even drink 1/4 of the horchata, it was hard to ignore the aftertaste.

Tortas: My sisters tried the steak and chicken tortas and had no complaints. They enjoyed them.

Disclaimer: I may be a harsh critic, but I'll be honest. My family is from Mexico and I grew up in the restaurant business in which we made everything from scratch. Additionally, my mom cooks homemade Mexican food daily so my standards are probably higher than most. I left a 30% tip because the waitress and the cashier were so kind. This review is to inform people who were expecting the homemade...

🥑 Appetizers The guacamole was fresh with a nice kick of spice, and the chips were plentiful. For $7.50, it was a good portion to share between two people and have leftovers.

🧃 Drinks We got the Agua Fresca Tamarindo in the “small” size, though “small” was definitely an understatement. Flavorful and refreshing.

🌮 Mains We tried a variety of tacos: carne asada, chorizo, barbacoa, and the star of the show, the trompo. The trompo meat is cooked on a rotating spit, packed with flavor, and an absolute must-try. We’d recommend the barbacoa as it packs a lot of flavor.

The Papa Asada is a baked potato loaded with trompo meat, carne asada, sour cream, and cheese. It’s quite filling on its own and offers a unique mix of flavors. Definitely try it if you’re looking for something a bit different.

🎖️ Service Our server was warm and attentive. She gave great recommendations and checked in on us throughout the meal.

⭐ Overall Rating: 4/5 A small hole-in-the-wall spot with cozy seating and authentic flavors. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area and great value for your money. Parking in the plaza can be questionable, but overall, it was a...

Good food, great experience!

I've never been to Mexico so I don't know what "authentic" tacos taste like. All I can say is these were delicious and we enjoyed all the different varieties they offer.

This restaurant is located in a funky little "international" strip mall that is mostly made up of ethnic groceries, restaurants and services.

The restaurant is clean and welcoming and our waitress greeted us in perfect English and set-up our table with sauces (green and red) and bowls of toppings - onion, cilantro, sliced radishes, limes, and a salsa.

We ordered a variety of tacos: trompo (presumably came off the cone 'o meat), alambre, and campechano. The corn tortillas were almost too small to hold all the meat! We also tried the hibiscus tea that helped cool the heat when we added too much hot sauce :)

My only negative comment is that some of the meat was a bit dry and crunchy. Again, that might be how it is supposed to be. I will try the barbacoa (bbq pork I think) that would be a bit more moist next time.

I'm looking forward to...