HHJ Eats: Taqueria Don Sammy

4.75/5

WARNER ROBINS — A few weeks ago, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we published a spotlight on a locally-owned authentic Mexican restaurant in Warner Robins: Taqueria Don Sammy. In a similar story to Sabor Latino, my husband and I were dying to try this place, and once we found out they had a dish my husband had been craving, we had to stop in for dinner.

I had known the restaurant moved locations from the article, so finding it wasn’t an issue, but I could foresee this being a problem if regulars are used to their former location, or if it isn’t updated online. 

We arrived on Sunday for an early dinner, around 4:30, and luckily, it wasn’t too busy. We were able to find a table right away and our order taken. Our waiter was very nice and personable, so much that my husband started chatting with him, which is kind of rare.

Both of us gravitated to the same thing. My husband and I ordered birria tacos. I felt like I would have wanted more than one from his plate, so I ordered me a pack of three and him a pack of four. My husband also ordered a chipotle al pastor burrito to-go, which includes rice, beans, cream, cheese and chipotle sauce. (I assumed it was for a late night craving.)

At this point, I was more excited for horchata. I saw it on the menu online and it had been a while since I had some, so I ordered that, too, but was told they were out. No big deal, I got a Mexican Coke, but I was dealing with a little bit of fear of missing out.

While we waited for our tacos, the traditional Mariachi music got me dancing in my seat. My husband and I tried to translate a note written on the table. (Thank you, Duolingo, I got the gist of it.) And, of course, I had to get a photo of my husband at the table (lined up to make it look like he was wearing the sombrero behind him.)

After about 10 minutes, our tacos came out to the table, and we were ready to dig in. For me, birria tacos are a new addition to my dinner rotation, and I don’t eat them often, so I don’t have the best baseline to compare them to, but all I know is these were delicious!

As always, I’m afraid of food being too spicy, but these had just the right amount of flavor. The tacos didn’t register for me as spicy. They were more savory and flavorful, with a cheese pull that makes pizza commercials jealous. The consomé with it was also delicious and was perfect for dipping them into. I’m not entirely sure if I’m supposed to drink it after, but I did anyway.

The expert on birria tacos — my husband — said Taqueria’s were the best he’s ever had. 

Later that night, my husband had a midnight craving and decided to eat the burrito he bought. I asked for a bite — the wife tax — and the burrito was also very delicious. It had a bit more spice than the tacos, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. My bite turned into eating half of the burrito, (sorry to my husband.)

Overall, for our tacos, burrito, a side of beans, drinks, and tip, our order came out to around $60, which I think is a good value, considering we ordered an extra entree for later. Tacos are a la carte, so if you’re not as ravenous as we were that day, you could certainly elect to order only two and save some money. Other items on the menu were in the high single-number range, but sides and drinks are a la carte as well.

The only thing I docked points for was my sadness at my inability to have a horchata. I want to come back to have one and try some other dishes and drinks. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good torta and an agua fresca.