Tacos El Cunao

Our Unilocal-​meister has declared 2016 ‘The Year of the Taco’ here in ‘nooga. This is fitting, as Chattanooga certainly has a plethora of Mexican-​patterned eateries. They spring up as quickly as wild mushrooms, and just as quickly often disappear, leaving their garish ‘authentic’ paint-​schemes behind, another casualty of the local Restaurant Wars.
«Authentic» is an over-​used and misapplied word, especially when applied to latin-​based eateries. Folks: It takes more than a bright paint scheme, chunky-​primitive furniture, and a few knick-​knacks on the walls to successfully equate authenticity, unless one’s definition of authenticity is founded in border towns or that trip to Cancun. Using such a template as an all-​encompassing definition of «authenticity» equates using Dollywood as a measure of ‘American Authenticity’ which may be correct/​valid when compared to your home base, but on the whole… not so much.
Some of the most memorable meals I’ve ever enjoyed were in interior Mexican towns, sans the bright paint, the wall bling, and the over-​loud Mariachi tunes. Mom & Pop places, quiet save for the soft conversations of patrons and the trickle of the fountain under the ubiquitous VOG.
Authenticity has many templates: the lower barrio might be yours, but it’s only one template of a wonderfully diverse and culturally rich culture that is central America. Authentic could be half a cow swinging in a tree with portions sliced and quickly wrapped in yesterday’s newspaper while you wait, or linen & crystal in a softly illuminated venue. I’ve enjoyed both extremes, and both were ‘authentic’.
So we return to ‘nooga; and this month’s Taco venue. It’s a bit more than a taco place, which is unfortunate, for in being ‘more’ it fails miserably. One approaches any meal with expectations, and should such not be met, stars begin to fall.
The dining area was overly warm, the effect of which could have been mitigated by a nice, cold beer. BUT WAIT: no beer available. Imagine no breadsticks at Olive Garden, no pepperoni or mushrooms for a pizza, or buns at Five Guys!
Imagine a star falling into a sea of disappointment.
Plan B: Tea! Guess what? NO sweet tea! And another star falls. They actually had water available, though. And a straw.
My meal, a #9 arrived in due time. #9 consisted of an over-​stuffed, doughy beef burrito containing a generous portion of onions. A drizzle of a (possibly) cheese substance ‘garnished’ this abomination. The burrito displayed poorly, and tasted in proportion. Accompanying my burrito was an over-​cooked chili relleno. The pepper was stuffed with Monterey Jack, not exactly traditional, but then the greasy breading wasn’t exactly traditional, either. The grease imparted a not so subtle (or appreciated) after-​taste to each and every bite, promising reprises as my after-​dinner evening unfolded. These items were accompanied by a bed of starchy rice and a splat of refried beans. Very authentic and imaginative… sigh.
So another star drops, hissing and spewing into the dark sea of another ‘authentic’ meal gone awry.
It’s all about the food. And in this instance, a frozen tex-​mex in the comfort and privacy of my home would have tasted MUCH better!

What a nice surprise eating in Tacos El Cuñao was tonight! I haven’t really found much Mexican cuisine in Chattanooga that I would eat twice, but this place definitely qualifies.
It’s a small spot tucked between a couple of Spanish markets on Lee Hwy. Great décor, Spanish programming on the TV in the background which streams through an interesting mix of commercials, news and music. The décor and atmosphere give it a food truck feel.
I went wth a group of about 10 – 12 and our waitress was very polite and accommodating. She never looked flustered and no one’s order was incorrect. She was patient and answered all of our questions.
I was so happy when I saw the menu: Spanish and English and pictures galore! An assortment of meats, dishes, and combination plates. I got a plate which included a taco (steak), a burrito (chicken), and a chile relleno (chicken).
Very fresh ingredients; the tortillas were freshly fried and the steak was seasoned well with a dusting of cilantro. Simple and to the point. The burrito tortilla had a faint accent of the grill which was a nice complement to the chicken and cheese. It wasn’t overloaded with cheese, which I really appreciate, and the cheese was flavorful. I could actually taste it now and again in the burrito. I’m annoyed when other «Mexican» restaurants put a pound of flavorless cheese on top of all of their dishes.
I was most surprised by the chile relleno. I’ve never had one so I didn’t know what to expect, but I was surprised at how creamy it was.
The sauces have plenty of flavor and are quite distinct from each other. The avocado one is more mild and smooth while the other two have a more pronounced heat. Good salsa, too!
I shall return!

If you’re looking for an order of cheese dip and a beef taco, this is not your kind of place. However, if you want some of the most authentic, down-​home, delicious food straight out of Distrito Federal, search no more.
Sopas are fantastic, as are the tostadas and they are served Mexican style with simple lettuce, onion, and tomato. Before you dig in, ask for the salsa they keep in the cooler behind the bar, and yes: those are habaneros on the pico de gallo bar.
Good food and friendly service, and don’t be afraid to dust off your spanish.

My fiancé loved it. Me, not so much. The crunchy tacos & beans were excellent, but the burrito was a bit dry & the rice was cold. Maybe I’ll try them one more time & order something else. On a side note, they have some excellent salsas. If you like it hot, they can definitely accommodate you. They also have an excellent green salsa if you’re not into spicy.

This place is not gringo friendly. We went there today just to sample the place. Thought we’d split a torta (Mexican — chorizo, ham, queso fresco, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, jalapenos). It was excellent. All of the food looked delicious. We also got chips and salsa. I think we were the only people in there who got the chips and salsa since all of the other tables were occupied by Mexicans (or possibly Hispanics from another country).
So no problem with the food. But the service was terrible. Very unfriendly. People who came in well after we did got their food before we did. We had to ask for utensils. We had to ask for the salsas in the squirt bottles. We had to ask for refills. Took forever to bring chips and salsa, too.
When we went to pay, the bill was $ 9.90. (Like I said, we were just there to sample.) We gave her a $ 20. «Oh, I only have five dollars in change.» Really? The place was slammed all day and that’s all you have? We were going to give her $ 2 very undeserved for the tip, so I said, «Just give me $ 8.» She pulled two dollars out of her pocket and started to break open a roll of quarters. I said, screw it, just give me $ 7.
All in all, not worth it. The food looks good and what we had was excellent, but they lost this gringo for a customer. Lucky for them, plenty of Mexicans to keep them going.

I’ve been wanting to try this place and today I decided to go and get a few different types of tacos. I ordered Carne Asada, Barbacoa and Al Pastor.
The Carne Asada and the Barbacoa were both delish! Tons of meat in the taco, nice sprinkling of onions and cilantro. Included with the order were limes and choice of a red and green salsa. The red salsa smelled super hot and my heartburn wasn’t going to like it so I skipped that one, but the green chile salsa was very yummy. Just a little bit of heat and nice green chile flavor.
Now the pork taco wasn’t the typical Al Pastor style I am used to so I’m not sure if they mixed it up with another type of pork. It was like a shredded pork and didn’t really have the al pastor flavors.
The tortillas are good and at $ 1.75 a taco, they are a bargain. I’m telling you these tacos are FULL.
The menu has so many items on it and I want to try them all. Definitely going back to try more things soon. This could become my new fav Mexican place.

Outstanding. The best Mexican food in Chattanooga. The sauces are awesome especially the green sauce!

I really liked this place. The menu had a lot of taco options but since I don’t eat beef, chicken or pork, I was disappointed to see no shrimp/​fish or even a vegetariano option. Hey now, the server said they’d be happy to make some shrimp tacos!
She brought me some complimentary chips and salsa. Three different bottles of salsa! Right up my alley! One delicious red, a delicious green, and a most delicious creamier style green. Oh they were great and between those chips and my three tacos, I squeezed a ton out of those bottles alternating between the three.
The tacos then came and they were great and very fresh tasting. I almost wonder if they were crawfish tacos and not really shrimp. They looked and tasted more like crawfish I thought which was A-​OK to me. Being the child of parents born and raised in New Orleans, I’m happy whenever I can get some crawfish in my mouth. I had put so much salsa on them though that it was a little hard to tell.
The folks running the place were very laid back and nice and made me feel welcome.
I think that this place is on par with Taqueria Jalisco downtown. Throw in the complimentary chips and salsa and a much bigger dining area, I might say I prefer this place, even though I have no idea how to pronounce the name.

Excellent Mexican restaurant. Authentic and great menu of selections. Very reasonable price and great potions. The fajitas were great and could easily serve two. The chicken enchiladas were great. There are Many selections of beef, chicken, shrimp, and fish. The are plates, small plates, appetizers, tortas, tacos, etc. Everything is fresh. Try the mango juice fresh and loaded with chunks of mango.