El Taco Loco tableside guacamole!

Last night I went to dinner sans a camera.

It was a mistake. Now I’m tasked with describing the most awesome guacamole ever, and get this, it’s made tableside. Nix any idea of the smooth guacamole dip most commonly encountered. And it's not on the menu.

At El Taco Loco, tucked behind Bonefish Grill and beside Sam’s Club in Virginia Beach, a friendly waiter rolls a cart to your table, mixes up fresh chopped herbs, red onion and lime and peels and pits an avocado.

Then he puts it all into a serving dish that looks like an enormous wooden pot. Heaped on a freshly fried chip, it’s plentiful and full of flavor.

So is the restaurant itself. It was kinda loud last night, but everyone was having fun. At one table, a birthday celebration had the birthday girl wearing a glittering gold house sombrero while the crew and her posse sang “Happy Birthday” in Spanish. Then, when someone mentioned that their birthday would be next month, the hat was passed and more singing commenced. Then some guy mentioned he was born in November . . . .

The vibe here is lively; service was genuinely friendly, and fast. The menu runs from bar tacos to salmon with tequila sauce, prices are more than fair (that guac is $6.99). And the food will have me coming back soon, amigo!

Click here for their website.

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