McDonough: Chalo Fast Food
FALL 2024
By: Cristy McAbee
It seems I’m on a roll with spotlighting and reviewing restaurants connected to convenience stores, so I’ll keep that theme alive for this issue by reviewing the highly-rated Chalo Fast Food off Highway 155 in McDonough. This spot is truly a hidden gem that I only discovered through compiling the Stars of HENRYeats listing, (and I’m so glad I discovered them!) This authentic Mexican joint has an astounding 4.7 star rating on Google with over 500 reviews!
They offer a wide gamut of true Mexican cuisine ranging from burritos and empanadas to tacos and even a few American staples like burgers and wings. This visit required me to order tacos, so I opted for the birria tacos (the same order placed by a construction worker in front of me). Full disclosure, this was my first time ordering birria tacos, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Within 10 minutes of ordering my food, I was handed a red basket with three birria tacos, accompanied with a stew, homemade sauce, and limes.
The actual taco was very crispy and came pan-fried (similar to a quesadilla) with shredded beef that was moist and tender. The tacos came topped with grilled onions, cilantro, and melted white cheese (reminded me of mozzarella).
The tacos were served alongside their birria consome (stew), and a homemade green sauce. Everything melded really well together and the stew was a nice pairing for the tacos that were plentifully stuffed with beef and cheese. If you’ve never had birria, it’s much different than a traditional ground beef taco. It’s similar to shredded roast beef and was surprisingly mild (not spicy at all), but still very flavorful. This particular taco would be a great comfort food when the weather chills down; think taco Tuesday in January!
I did dine -in for my visit, but do note, Chalo Fast Food offers limited indoor seating, so it’s advised to be prepared to order as takeout. On a pretty day, diners could also choose to sit at one of their picnic benches conveniently located under a shade tree.
