AIN’T NO BELLY FLOP
BELLY TAQUERIA’S
AFFORDABLY
AWESOME TACOS
Belly’s new taco shop is the perfect partner
BY ANDY VALENTINE
F
PHOTO BY TRASK BEDORTHA
or those who have had the pleasure of eating at local dinner phenomenon
Belly, it’s incredibly diffi cult to beat, but the powers that be at the restaurant
have decided to further the Belly name with a new location specifi cally for
tacos. The partnering restaurant location, Belly Taqueria, is just as delicious
as the original spot, though it’s less expensive, and the food is served in
smaller portions. This, however, does not mean that you won’t leave with
your belly brimming with Belly.
If you fi nish, say, one beer-battered, deep-fried scallop taco and still have a
hankering for more (maybe lengua this time!) then the waiters and waitresses will
simply take multiple orders on a need-to-eat-more basis. And we should probably sit
down and discuss the chorizo dish, “El Flameado,” for a second, because, honestly,
it’s a delight, and that’s all there is to it. The house-made chorizo is delectable and
lip-smackingly juicy, and the whole thing is topped with fl aming cheese. Yeah — the
cheese is actually on fi re when it arrives at your table.
Indoor and outdoor seating is available, and the atmosphere in both of these scenes
is worth checking out. Inside, the place is decorated as gloriously and welcomingly
as any Eugene hot spot should be, and it’s nice to hear, literally, that the folks staffi ng
the spot aren’t afraid to let the music blare once in a while (“Thriller” never sounded
better).
The prices at Belly Taqueria, as previously mentioned, are deftly lower than the
original Belly restaurant, with most of the tacos on the menu ringing up at $3-$4. The
new restaurant’s taco tradition originated with Taco Mondays at Belly. The highest
priced item on the entire taqueria menu, as far as food goes, is the El Flameado, which
comes in at $6. Not bad for a big ol’ mountain of cheese and sausage and a huge
tortilla, eh? The drinks aren’t priced all that badly, either, with delicious (and therefore
deadly) sangria coming in at six bucks. And I do believe they are sporting a hibiscus
mojito, also; I challenge you to not enjoy washing your food down with that.
So if you’re in the mood for gourmet badassery — the kind that only the folks over
at Belly are laying down — but your pocketbook is a little bit strapped, then head for
Belly Taqueria; it won’t disappoint, and pretty soon you’ll have a bellyful of Mexican
food-babies to take home and share the memories with. ■
Belly Taqueria is located at 291 E. 5th Ave.; for info call 687-8226 or visit eatbelly.com
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