La Parilla - Athens, GA

I must apologize for the lack of @USCengineer04 man on the street reviews lately. Besides being slack, work has been crazy with my travel schedule this spring. However, I’m back with the review of one of my favorite places to eat.

To say that all Mexican restaurants are created equal would be quite an understatement. We all have our favorite spots and are usually willing to go to battle with others who have a differing of opinions. I actually have two favorites, Real Mexico in Irmo, SC and La Parilla (LaPa) in Athens, GA. Today, I’m sharing my rave review of LaPa.

You can ask @Akmo26, I often tell her that I need my LaPa fix when I am in The Classic City. The thing that brings me back over and over is the chips and salsa. It is absolutely the best salsa that I’ve ever had!

I’m a scooper, not a dipper, so to say that I go through a lot of salsa would be an understatement. I won’t let a server pass my table without filling up my salsa bowl, and there’s even one server who will bring me a bigger bowl sometimes. The salsa is the perfect balance of flavors; not to spicy and not to mild. However, like true Southerners, we always add a touch of salt to our bowl. The chips are warm, thin, and crispy and are the perfect vessel to enjoy this delicious salsa. To complement the salsa, we always order a large chorizo queso dip. As you can tell in the photo below, they put a ton of chorizo in the dip. It’s perfectly creamy, without being too watery, and when you are lucky enough to get a huge chunk of chorizo on your chip, it creates an explosion of flavor. To be honest, this queso is so good, I would eat it with a spoon.

Now, let’s review the entrees that AK and I ordered during our last trip. I’ll say that I’ve yet to order something that I didn’t like at LaPa. (In my best Joey impression) Fajitas? Good! Quesadillas? Good! Burritos? Good! One of my favorite entrees to order though is the simple Mexican Street Tacos with corn tortillas. I’ve tried carne asada, carnitas, and al pastor and love all three! For this Man on The Street review, I had two tacos: one carne asada and one carnitas, along with a side of rice. It was delicious. The steak for the asada taco was perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, and tender. The carnitas taco was just as good. The pork was tender, perfectly seasoned, and juicy. You could absolutely tell that it was slow cooked to perfection. The simple toppings could stand on their own, but I like to put some salsa on my tacos to bring out the flavors.

AK ordered Texas Pollo Loco, with a side of flour tortillas. The Texas Pollo Locos is a base of Mexican rice with chicken, steak, and shrimp sauteed together and coved in queso. AK likes to add some flare to hers by adding salsa and some of the leftover chorizo dip. The rice is your typical run of the mill Mexican rice but adding LaPa’s flavorful salsa really elevates this dish! Once it’s all mixed up, AK fills a tortilla with the delicious mixture and eats it like a burrito. Don’t be fooled though, Pollo Loco can absolutely stand on its own, without the side of tortillas. Food brings people together and I think Mexican food absolutely shows that. It’s not often that Mexican is a suggested option and it’s turned down. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone unhappy at a Mexican restaurant. Maybe happiness could be defined by Mexican food.

What is your favorite Mexican restaurant? I’d love to share good conversation and some chips and salsa to see how it compares to La Parilla. If you’re ever in Athens, give LaPa a try – I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Be on the lookout for the next installment of @USCengineer04 Man on The Street! I hope you like Thai food as I’ll be reviewing my favorite Thai restaurant in Columbia.

Until next time – this is @USCengineer04 Man on the Street