Taquikin Restaurant

Out on the West side looking for some cheap food fast, got what I was looking for. I ordered a veggie burrito, and a cheese quesadilla for the little one, and we ate ourselves happy. Chip and salsa came with the meal, as well as red and green chili sauces for my burrito.
Service got slower as more people filtered in, there being only mom and pop working. My bill was only 12 something dollars. My only qualm was ordering a water, she brought me a water bottle. I don’t have a problem with up-​selling, but only if its OKAY for the customer. I dislike using disposable bottles as they’re bad for the environment.

Takquikin is a new restaurant which has opened next to the Panaderia Oaxaquena store front on Murray Hill. They’re operated by the same family that put together the Takquikin taco truck, and you can see a lot of that experience in their setup. In addition to a menu, diners on the patio have a large whiteboard that explains the basic offerings, and if you choose to eat inside, you’ll see a whiteboard set up explaining the types of meat and aqua frescas they’re offering that day.
What I went in for, thanks to a reccomendation from the TacoTrucksColumbus team, was one of their weekend specials, and one of my personal holy grails of real Mexican food: The Torta Ahogada.
This is a Jalisco style dish that one of my friends got me hooked on out in California (and will occasionally post pictures of on twitter when he gets them, because we didn’t think I could find them in Columbus) — almost too-​thick to eat crusty birote bread, stuffed with carnitas and then «drowned» (that’s the Ahogada part) with sweet and spicy chile de arbol sauce, and garnished with slices of avocado and pickled or raw red onion to help you fight the burn.
Taquikin’s rendition of the dish did not disappoint when I finally got to scratch my five year Ahogada itch. Their chile sauce is a little more to the sweet side than the hot side, but that spice will still slowly build up on you as you eat, encouraging you to take a bite of onion or avocado for tasty relief, while complimenting the meaty undertones of the pork.
I also tried a couple of their tacos, and found them pretty much the same to what I would have gotten from the taco truck had I driven over there, right down to the massive squeeze bottles of salsa dropped onto the table when they arrived.
The menu looks quite good, but the ahogada, posole, and menudo all appear to be «weekend only» dishes — probably a legacy of their truck experience.
They offered dessert, as well, but by the time I’d finished the torta and my taco, I was stuffed! Maybe next time.
Other things to note: Right now, they are CASH ONLY. There was a sign up stating that they’ll be accepting Visa /​MC «Soon», but soon isn’t here yet. There is an ATM next door at the Panaderia, worst comes to worst.
Service was a mixed bag. My server was friendly, but I don’t think they were expecting a customer when I walked in around 6 on a Sunday, and she just gestured for me to sit down wherever. When I put my order in, she had to come back to confirm it a few times, though I do appreciate them asking me if I was «really» sure if I wanted the torta fully drowned, instead of «media ahogada», where only half the sandwich gets sauced.
We also had a problem with getting our check mixed up with another table, but the server was good about taking care of that and making sure she got things sorted out.
Last, and it’s very minor, they offered a plate of chips and salsa when I sat down to order, and the salsa wasn’t bad, but the chips were clearly out of a bag, really, really salty, and borderline stale. I just skipped them to leave room for my meal, and I’m glad I did!