Restaurants seem to come and go on Green Street in Champaign as students have had to say goodbye to some of their favorite food stops over the years. However, with every restaurant that closes, another opens with an even wider variety of foods to offer the student body. Taco Shack is a new Mexican restaurant officially open on Green Street.

Taco Shack is located right next to bubble tea store Teamoji, a very convenient location for students. The restaurant offers various types of food items, such as taco trios, single tacos, burrito bowls, burritos, nachos and quesadillas. They serve steak, chicken and pork as protein options. If you’re not a fan of meat, you can try the vegetarian options, tofu or grilled vegetables, with your choice of a flour or corn tortilla.

I tried one chicken, steak and pork taco, and each one was more than generously filled. There was so much meat that it was spilling out of both ends, but hey – that’s how you’ve gotten your money’s worth. I specifically had to ask for salsa roja and guacamole to top my tacos, and there wasn’t much put on, so I would recommend asking for those toppings to come on the side. Both the salsa roja and guacamole were very savory and had the right amount of spice to compliment the serving size.

The only problem I had with my tacos was the thickness of corn tortillas, which were very thin even though two were stacked per taco. Maybe it is a common quality of corn tortillas, but I would suggest going for the flour tortilla not to have to eat your tacos in tiny pieces.

The best part of Taco Shack, besides the food, is the customer service that is provided. When I walked through the door, I was immediately greeted with a huge smile from the cashier, who was very engaging and asked about my day. It is expected from a cashier, but the Taco Shack cashier was very enthusiastic about my business and quickly took my order and started cooking it immediately.

Around five minutes after I ordered, another customer came in and ordered two burritos. Still, there was a shortage of tofu options, so the cashier listed substitutes for the protein and was readily prepared to deal with this issue.

To everyone and anyone who is constantly looking for new eats around the Champaign area, I would definitely recommend Taco Shack, as it has now become my second favorite taco place next to Maize. Tacos are usually a perfect food no matter how it’s cooked, but I can promise that out of the amazing Mexican eateries, Taco Shack deserves a chance to join the ranks.

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