If you're from Tuscaloosa, chances are you've grown up eating Taco Casa. There are locations all around Tuscaloosa and Northport, and one in Birmingham, but Taco Casa is most popular in Tuscaloosa. In fact, just before writing this, I ate Taco Casa for dinner. I've learned that if you aren't from Tuscaloosa, you don't love Taco Casa like locals do. You probably think, "It's just a Mexican fast food place, what's the big deal?", but you don't know what you're missing. When I went off to college, I moved to a place without Taco Casa, and that was hard to go without after eating it so often at home. Let me give you just a few reasons why Taco Casa is my first stop when I get home.
It's cheap.
Yes, it's fast food, but it has a quality taste, without being expensive. The prices are reasonable, and you don't have to spend more than five or six dollars to get a full meal that will definitely fill you up. When my family eats there, it's not like some restaurants that claim to be fast food, but are as expensive as a regular restaurant; it's affordable.
It has the best sweet tea in Tuscaloosa.
Did you know that? In Tuscaloosa Magazine's "Best of T-Town," Taco Casa's sweet tea was voted the best sweet tea in town, and you know that's saying something, especially with McAlister's Deli and Milo's famous sweet tea. There is even a Facebook fan page dedicated to Taco Casa's delicious sweet tea.
Their ice is wonderful.
Yeah, you may think, "Oh, it's just ice, it can't be that different." Wrong. It's not cubed ice, and it's not crushed too much. It's just right. Tuscaloosa News describes the ice as "finely chopped, stick-on-your-tongue crushed ice." Even if I'm not hungry but I just need a cool soft drink, I stop by Taco Casa and get a medium Mountain Dew, just so I can have some of that good ice.
And of course, the food is great.
You can't talk about Taco Casa without talking about how good the food is. From classic tacos, to beefy nachos, to tacoburgers (they sound weird, but I promise they are delicious), to sweet, sugary sopapias, you can't go wrong. There's not one thing on the menu that won't taste good. And if you like the sopapia chips but aren't a fan of the sugar and cinnamon, get the chimalupa, which is a big taco salad in a crispy shell (just like the sopapias). And for all those who moved away and crave Taco Casa daily: Someone recently told me that you can have a box of frozen burritos from Taco Casa sent to you. You can thank me later.
So whether you're a resident of Tuscaloosa who somehow hasn't made your way to Taco Casa, or you're just passing through, don't forget to stop by Taco Casa for a classic, appetizing meal, because after you try it, you won't know how you ever lived without it.
