This week the search for the best taco in Chatt Town took me to a small diner off Bonny Oaks Drive called Tacos Y Tortas Don Beto.
This place has a bright interior, table seating, a few TVs set to Latin stations to keep you entertained, and daily specials and menu items written on paper plastered on the walls by the kitchen.
Walk in, place your order with the cashier, take your numbered receipt and find a seat. While you wait for your food, head over to their condiment bar where you’ll find a variety of sauces, roasted whole jalapenos, sliced radish and pico-de-gallo. You can serve up your sauce selections in their little cups, or as some people do, take your tray of food over to the bar and slather the sauces over your tacos, burritos, quesadillas and any other item you order.
I tried their tacos al pastor, carne asada tacos, chicken tacos and their Birria tacos. The flavor was on point – these are righteous good tacos!
But for some reason it’s the tortilla shell that stood out for having a distinct flavor, great chew and crunchy edges. Honestly, the best tortillas shells I’ve tasted. I topped my chicken taco with their Valentina sauce. It’s spicy and vinegar based, but good. I also tried their salsa verde. They make theirs with small pieces of avocado in it. On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the hottest – this sauce was an 8! It will give you the sweats for sure!
Don Beto offers a few tacos I have yet to see on other menus such as blood sausage taco (moronga), cachet (beef cheek), cesina (beef jerky), nopal (cactus) and liver tacos (higado). They serve their tacos with a side of sliced sauteed cactus and a cooked green onion bulb. I had not tried cactus before. To me, they tasted like Italian green beans. They are cooked with some chiles, so expect a little heat to creep up on you every other bite or so.
The tacos are inexpensive and every Tuesday and Thursday they offer two-for-one on their tacos Al Pastor. This is another mom-and-pop restaurant where I learned about new dishes I had never heard of. One such dish is Pambazos.
The gentleman seated near me had ordered one of these. The bread or roll they make the sandwich with is slathered in guajillo sauce and pan fried or grilled until it is toasted. The sandwich is stuffed with a lightly smashed potatoes and chorizo mix, your protein of choice, and topped with lettuce, and crema. A few other items not seen on other menus so far included their tacos de canasta, gringas and machetes.
Gringas and machetes are like quesadillas. Gringas are stuffed with your choice of meat or ham, lettuce, sour cream, cheese and pico-de-gallo. When I see the word machete, I picture a long-bladed knife you see explorers use on TV when they are cutting their way through a thick jungle. Well, the food machete is a quesadilla, only 12-18 inches long. Again, you pick your protein. Some places make them as long as 2-feet! I have not tried this yet, so I’ll have to keep you posted on how long the machetes are at Don Beto.
This place has a special item on their menu, one that I MUST go back to try – the Pizza Birria!
Now, I’ve had their regular Birria tacos. They are terrific. Stuffed with tons of shredded beef and a little cheese. Crunchy shells, dipped into their rich broth – just amazing!
During my most recent visit, I asked one of the servers how they make their Pizza Birria.
So, now imagine taking two 18-inch tortillas shells, soaking them in the consommé, throwing them down on the grill, topping both with cheese, and then also topping one with beef, onions and cilantro. Once the shell becomes crispy, they toss the cheesy tortilla over the meaty tortilla, plate it up and cut it into pizza slices!
Holy Guacamole, yes please!
Doesn’t that sound fantastic? It’s brought to your table with the dipping consommé and – BAM - it’s party time!
They have plenty of drink options including their aqua frescas. They also offer side options like rice, beans, guacamole, queso, chips and salsa. This is another heavy traffic during lunch rush place, so keep that in mind.
Tacos Y Tortas Don Beto
- 6312 Bonny Oaks Drive
- Chattanooga, TN 37416
- 423-497-5400
- facebook.com/profile.php?id=100049124927277
- $-$$$
What’s your favorite taco place and why? Send me an email at Pattyl@brewermediagroup.com