El Camino, touted as Macon’s first and only authentic taqueria and cantina, is a delightful deviation from the Moonhanger Group’s other popular establishments.

The lively, tavern-esque Rookery; the farm-to-table fine-dining Dovetail; and the historic H&H have found their formidable fourth.

Though far from authentic Mexican — our server described it as a food truck without the truck — the bold ingredient choices along with fresh, smoked meats makes El Camino a must-visit.

The GOOD:

Every lunch item we got

I’ve mulled this over for a while, and I can’t think of a bad thing to say. Sure, I had to pay for chips and salsa. But, the chips were fresh and crispy. The red salsa was a tasty sweet paste. The green salsa was thick and tangy.

The Good Shepherd, a marinated pork tenderloin taco topped with sheep’s milk cheese and peach and pabilona relish, was the highlight of the meal. The sweetness of the peach and the smokiness of the pork made every bite a pleasure. The chips gave me an excuse to clear the plate without feeling bad about myself.

The Pescador, another of El Camino’s interesting taco combinations was also noteworthy. The fried catfish with radish jalapeño slaw was an interesting change of pace, but not something I’d get regularly.

The Bandito — a braised short rib sandwich with the same radish jalapeño slaw and topped with shaved aged cotija — seemed small, but the torta’s bread was thick and fluffy. The rib, like most of their meats, is smoked early in the morning then grilled when a meal is ordered, our server said.

The QUESTIONABLE:

Churros

They were good, don’t get me wrong, but they didn’t seem crispy enough. This is more of a nitpicky complaint.

The BAD:

There was nothing bad.

NICK: 5/5
JUSTIN: 5/5