The Taco Stand

If you attended the University of Georgia since the 1970’s, The Taco Stand in Buckhead will seem familiar to you.

That’s because the Atlanta location is an offshoot of that Athens institution, where thrifty college students could feed themselves and slake their thirst while enjoying classic rock songs.

Things haven’t changed much, but that’s a good thing. The music is still classic rock, but coming from Sirius Satellite radio instead of vinyl. Dawgs fans still gather to watch games, but they’re watching on flat-screen TV’s. The bowl of chips is fresh and hot, but fried without trans fats. And the tacos and burritos still taste great, for a great price. The $14 mini burrito sampler and $35 for 50 hot wings are the most expensive things on the menu.

Taco Stand is such a Dawgs hangout, members of the UGA Alumni Association get a 15 percent discount, says manager Eric Nyberg. What about those who attended Georgia rivals Georgia Tech or Florida alums? “We add 15 percent to their tab,” jokes Louise Nyberg, a manager and Eric’s wife.

The Atlanta menu is a bit more grown up than its Athens cousins. You get table service nights and weekends, instead of ordering at the counter. The Taco Stand’s menu brags about their “unrelenting pursuit of freshness.”

“If it's not fresh, if it's not hand made, it's not in our kitchen, not on the menu, and not on your plate,” says el menu. Chomp down on a taco, and you see it’s not just talk. The fried chicken taco comes with a tangy sauce. The popular fish taco has hot, fresh chunks of fish with a peppery sauce, carrots and shredded purple cabbage. The shrimp po-boy taco has everything you’d get in N’Awlins – crispy battered shrimp, cayenne-tinged sauce, shredded lettuce and tomato -- except French bread. Football fans will be tempted by the Herschel BBQ burrito, if only for the Heisman cachet.

This place has a relaxed neighborhood feel: a place to drink beers and watch the game, bring the kids for an easy dinner, sip a margarita and gossip. 

The Taco Stand is close to the heart of Buckhead (check out the mounted buck’s head with leis dangling from its antlers) but without the Buckhead parking hassles or steep prices. There’s live music on weekends, team trivia on Wednesdays, and other specials. Text the word TSTAND to 95485 to get a coupon for a free beer.  

The Taco Stand menu

- by Diane Loupe, Atlanta Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Diane Loupe

A resident of Decatur, Ga., and a native of New Orleans, Diane has a M.A. in Journalism from the University of Missouri. She has worked for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Associated Press, the New Orleans Times-Picayune and Yale Medical School. A freelance writer and editor, her work has appeared in The Sunday Paper, Women's eNews, the Agnes Scott College alumni magazine, eSchool News, and PTO Today.