Location: 415 Hawthorne Ln, Charlotte, NC 28204
Those who know me know that there are two things I love A) eating authentic, delicious food and B) squeezing a dollar. Sabor Latin Street Grill allows me to do both of these. This restaurant has three current locations, with four more on the way. Normally I am not a fan of any restaurant that begins to resemble a chain, but SABOR is one of the exception.
The Good: The food at Sabor Latin Street Grill is delicious and fairly authentic. Admittedly, I have a sort of “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it” attitude which leads me to ordering a lot of the same items on every visit. The tacos are usually my go to choice, typically ordering at least three, but easily finishing off double that amout at times. There are two types to choose from “Authentic” or “Americano”, both coming with your choice of protein. I always steer toward the “Authentic”, but to be honest I don’t taste a whole lot of difference between the two. These are not your normal, run of the mill, hard shell tacos . They are more reminiscent of what you would get out of a taco truck on the side of the road. The price is right at under $4 a taco. I can usually get out of there for under $15 and that’s with beer.
Man can’t live on Tacos alone, and I have strayed from them before. The nachos are always good, but I am a bad judge because I can’t recall ever eating bad nachos. If you like burritos, especially giant ones, the Three Amigos (which I believe is also on the menu of the owners other restaurant of the same name) hits the mark. My only problem with it is the dish seems to be the size of a house and I have a “no empty plates” rule, so it often turns out to be a bad combination.
The drink specials are another positive, offering some very good daily deals. Lastly, I need to give a nod to the sauces, which located at the back of Sabor Latin Street Grill, come in varying flavors and spice. And as opposed to some other Mexicans restaurants I have visited, they aren’t afraid to bring the heat.
The Bad: While the food and value at this restaurant are exceptional, the other aspects fall short. There is basically no service, having to walk up to the counter to order and wait to pick up your food. They shout out your name and that is the extent of the help you get. If you want another beer, or anything for that matter, you have to wait in line for the one person at the counter to help you. When it gets crowded it (and it gets crowded) the ordering process and food delivery borders on hectic. The atmosphere is also nothing to write home about, almost resembling a cafeteria instead of a restaurant.
As mentioned the crowds can be overwhelming and they possibly can end your visit before it begins. The place is small and at lunch it fills up quickly. Many customers also don’t seem like they want to leave their table, even well after their meal is done. This is another drawback to not having real servers. Parking is an additional victim of the busy restaurant, sometimes having difficulty finding a spot at peak dining hours.
The Ugly: Let me once again stress that I thoroughly enjoy the food. Having said this, I do get a chain feel from Sabor Latin Street Grill. With already three locations (and a sister restaurant) my fear is the quality will begin to suffer as more locations begin to open. I find eateries have difficulty maintaining the standards they have upheld when multiple locations are introduced. In Sabors case, they are more than doubling their locations in a years time. Who knows how many will be open within five years. While I believe the owners deserve wealth and success due to the quality food that is delivered, I would hate to come back to Sabor one day and feel as if I was in a Chipotle.
The Verdict: 6.5 out 10 Try it Putting the poor service and the chain feel aside, this is a solid restaurant that I can recommend, if used for its intended purpose. I hope to never to see a 50th anniversary celebrated here . On the other hand, if you want a good lunch at an extremely low price, give Sabor Latin Street Grill a try.
*Update 7.16.2017: Since I first wrote about Sabor Latin Street Grill they is has been multiplying like bunnies. The food so far has been consistent, but I haven’t tried most of the new locations.