La India Taquéria

This place is No More! La India has closed up shop. Burritoville is here now.

Really wanted to love it because the Unilocalers gave it such a glowing review. Ordered the carnitas as a plate to take home for supper. Worked very hard to find the place. As a lone white hair little old lady it was a bit sketchy. Got brave and went in. It was 2pm. Took food right home and heated it up for dinner. Pork was fair, rice was not good and refried beans were burnt. No home made tortillas. They did make the pico on the spot when I asked for it and it was good. Too many other really good mexican places on the way home to duluth on buford hwy. Some other good joints on Pleasant Hill Rd. My husband would balk if I tried to take him to this place.

After missing the Buford Hwy UYE I was extremely jealous of the eats that all of my fellow Unilocalers bragged about. Luckily, I did not have a hard time finding it because of their reviews. :)
I ordered the torta sandwich which the cashier told me I should not order because it was a massive sandwich. I told her that I could handle it! I ate ¾ of one half of the sandwich… It was a monster! It was delicious! I’m going back!

Want the best meal you’ve ever had inside a gas station? Go here! This was a UYE not to be forgotten. After driving up and down and up and down the Bu, I finally called and got told that I need to go inside the Exxon and to the back of the Exxon. HA! It’s anew restaurant, so if you think there was a sign, think again.
Gotta love the UYEs. I learn so much. So there is this sandwich (or this monster) that is HUGE and has all this meat on it: ham, hot dog, pork, Mexican sausage, and (wait for it) a fried egg, plus cheese called a torta. Now look, you can’t approach this sandwich in some shy, punk-​bitch type of way. You need to come correct to handle that bad boy. If don’t don’t stand up to it, this sandwich will slap you. I’m sure.

So, I was able to taste it (the torta) and it was yummy. Yes! A winner for sure. I was also able to taste some kind of pork soup that was very good as well. I ordered a quesadilla (lame choice… sue me) and it was just average. I saw some delicious looking foods at this dinner people.
Have you ever seen a taco on steroids? It’s called a tlayuda. It will be competing in the next Olympic games.
I will be returning to this spot for some grub… and some gas. It seems so crazy that this place, from the back of a gas station, puts out such good food.

The address is deceiving. Here’s how you find this place: Go north on Buford Hwy and pass Jimmy Carter Blvd. When you get to N. Norcross Tucker Rd, it’s inside the Exxon gas station on the left. Yes, it’s inside the Exxon gas station. There are no signs or anything. Just trust yourself and go into the gas station and prepare to have one of the better Mexican foods I’ve tasted in Atlanta.
La india Taqueria is owned by two sisters and serve a ton of tasty Mexican treats. They do almost everything right. They use homemade corn tortillas and not some crappy store bought ones, they give a ton of food for the price, the sisters are friendly and fun, and of course, their food taste great.
When I went there, I didn’t know how big the portions were; so I accidentally ordered too much. You might be tempted as I was to order everything that looks good, but if you order more than 1 thing, you might be taking some home.
I had the Tortas La India. It is one of their popular items. I can see why. It had all the 5 basic food groups: chorizo, eggs, ham, hotdog, and milanese (breaded pork). It also had some avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, and other junk. It was slathered in butter which made it even more tasty. It looked huge. It was the size of my head. I liked it a lot.
The tamale I tried was not bad, but It was probably one of the best I’ve tasted in Atlanta. I can tell they cook it right. I did not have the melt in your mouth texture that I was looking for. It was still a bit dry. But it was still soft enough to hold its structure instead of crumbling when I cut it. I also liked the flavor. Even though I’m nitpicking, like I said, it was still one of the better tamales I had in Atlanta.
I never thought I would like menudo (tripe soup). I am not a big fan of tripe, and I have heard horror stories from my friends who had bad menudo. Surprisingly, La India’s menudo was delicious. The tripe was soft like butter. The soup had very good flavor. It didn’t smell like old gym socks. It was probably one of my favorite dishes there.
The caldo de mariscos was great too. I loved the flavor of the soup. It felt like a nice mixture of seafood and had a slight amount of heat. I wished they put more octopus in it and less shrimp though. I don’t like eating whole shrimp, it gets kinda messy. All in all, it was nice and comforting.
I had a bite of the tlayuda. Tlayuda is basically a taco that’s a size of your torso. Well, at least La India’s version of it was. It comes in a hard tortilla shell. I only had a bite so I can’t really have a good opinion of it. It seemed like another gigantic and decent item at La India.
I also tried their platillo with bistec. It came with tortillas and beans and rice. Unfortunately the meat was tough. Luckily, I loved the beans and rice it came with. And of course, their homemade tortillas were awesome.
Now, there were some problems with this place. First, they didn’t have knives, or they ran out when we got there. Some dishes required knives like their bistec. It is fun to pick up a piece of bistec with your mouth and try to chew through it like a dog (you can even shake the meat around and growl). It would’ve been easier with a knife though.
Their lemonade was bad. It smelled and tasted funny. I did not drink it after my first sip. I asked Cindy, one of the sisters who owned the place, if this was normal. She said it was because the lemon was fresh. I don’t think so. Several people at my table agreed something funky was going on with the lemonade. Maybe it was just that day, but I would caution you about the lemonade.
There was also the whole inconvenience thing. They only serve 2 drinks when we went there: jamaica and lemonade. If you wanted to order other drinks, you have to buy them at the gas station. On the other hand, that could be a good thing since you have the whole gas station to choose your drinks from.
Also if you want to pay by credit card, you have to get a receipt from the sisters, then go to the gas station register, and pay there. That’s pretty inconvenient too. I would just get cash to make things easier.
They also close early, so if you want to try this place out, come before 7PM. I think they open later on Fridays though.
This is probably one of my favorite Mexican places I’ve tried in Atlanta. I think the atmosphere made it even more awesome since it has the hole-​in-​the-​wall feel. Usually, the best places are hole-​in-​the-​walls. Because of their lack of silverware and the sheer size of some of their foods, it can be a messy experience. Overall, the food tasted great, and it was a great value. I give it 4.5 stars.

I am totally sold on this place! Mad props to Daniel B. for organizing the UYE… without this, I might have spent the rest of my life driving past this Exxon station, and therefore missing out on a unique spot serving up some amazing Mexican treats.
I am happy to report that the food is just as delicious the next morning… I had half of my giant tlayuda left, which I gobbled down for breakfast, AND, their food was just as good today, when I went BACK for lunch with some friends. Yeah. I have an eating disorder. So what. I wanted my own damn torta la india.
The owner is so sweet, and clearly takes pride in her fabulous food. Today at lunch I had more time to actually talk with her, and as we chatted, she hand rolled out her own fresh corn tortillas. Hello? I love that. And talk about Unilocal love… how cute that she rented 2 giant tables for our UYE, normally there are only 3 small tables for two.
Last night I had a tlayuda, which was aptly described as a taco the size of your torso, filled with beans, the meat of your choice, tomatoes, avocado, cheese, shredded cabbage and a host of special flavor that made me want to holler. Apparently the special giant sized tortillas are handmade in Mexico, and someone brings them to La India Taqueria 3 or 4 times/​week. Same with the cheese. Talk about authentic! Everything I tried was fresh, wonderfully seasoned and made to order (well, I guess the tamales can’t be, but they are delicious… and a dollar!)
My best advice? Go hungry and try anything… it’s all good! Who knows… there may be new things on the menu the next time… as when she has downtime, she likes to experiment with new recipes. Get a cup of ice cold jamaica (it’s not sickly sweet), pull up a chair, and patiently wait for your giant platter of yumminess. Who knew that the corner of Buford Highway and North Norcross-​Tucker Road was a little portal to Heaven?

After 696 Unilocal reviews, not once have I ever used the overused dining cliché «hidden gem.» Well folks, I have not found a more appropriate restaurant to use that phrase until now with La India Taqueria. The food here is awesome and the restaurant is truly hidden. Currently, there are no signs for this business because the owner is still having them made. The only way to know where this place is is through word-​of-​mouth.
La India Taqueria is located inside the Exxon gas station at the corner of Buford Highway and North Norcross Tucker Road. Yes, the restaurant is tucked away inside a corner of a convenience store.
Apologies to those who got lost trying to find this place for last night’s UYE (
). It was my first time and I had no idea where this place was either. Surprisingly, 14 Unilocalers managed to make their way inside the gas station, whether it was through calling other Unilocalers, calling the number posted on the event page, or in Shy G’s case, coming to the gas station to ask for directions, only to stumble upon a dozen of us inside chowing down!
The name can be confusing. La India Taqueria was named after the owner’s daughter. As the owner explained to us last night, all of her children have blonde hair and light skin, except for one daughter that came out looking like an «Indian.» So the restaurant is named after her «La India» child. No Indian tacos are served here. It’s purely authentic Mexican food.
La India is new and the business is still getting itself together. Inside the store, the menu is currently presented handwritten on notebook paper taped to the glass next to the ordering counter. There do have nice paper menus, though, and I’ve posted them under the photos for this business so you can see:
.
While you can eat in, this place is designed more as a takeout joint than anything. You can order: wings, nachos with dip, hamburgers (with ingredients like habanero peppers, pinapple, mango, salsa), taquitos (crispy rolled tacos), tacos, burritos, tortas (Mexican sandwiches), huaraches (flat long tortilla with meat and veggies), tlayuda (a giant Mexican pizza/​taco), and Mexican soups including seafood, pork, tripe, and more. La India even opens early to serve breakfast foods like eggs with chorizo (Spanish sausage).
Mexican fast food generally has low prices. However, at La India, the quality is very good and the quantity is extreme. The size of the tortas and tlayudas are enormous, so the value is that much better. For example, tortas are anywhere from $ 4.50 to $ 6.50. The most expensive things on the menu are the soups ($ 9) and tlayudas ($ 10) and they are worth it.
The fountain machine is currently down, so the only drinks the restaurant has to offer are lemonade and Jamaica (purple hibiscus herbal tea drink). If you want anything else (water, soda, beer), you can just buy it from the convenience store.
We ordered a good variety of food (photos:
). I tried the following:
Menudo — tripe soup
La India Torta Especial — torta sandwich with milanesa, egg, ham, chorizo, salchicha (hot dog), quesillo (fresh cheese)
Tlayuda — Mexican pizza/​giant taco with steak, beans, cabbage, tomato, avocado, sour cream, cheese, and fresh jalapenos
Everything was delicious. Menudo is a traditional Mexican soup made from beef stomach (tripe). La India’s version contains tripe, cilantro, onion, peppers, and lime in a deep red chili broth. The soup definitely has a unique aroma. Some people may find it (the smell) unpleasant, but I thought the bowl was excellent. The tripe had an expectedly soft and slimy consistency.
As mentioned previously, the tortas are gigantic. I think one torta here is equivalent to almost two tortas elsewhere, like El Taco Veloz. All tortas come standard with tomato, onion, jalapenos, avocado, and mayo. The special La India torta comes with the extra ingredients listed above. Everything was prepared fresh. As Mike Y. commented at dinner last night, this is definitely a «man’s sandwich.» I thought the proportion of fillings and the quality of the meats was very good and savory. Highly recommend this sandwich.
The tlayuda is like a deluxe taco on steroids. It’s a taco made for a giant. Everything is bigger in the tlayuda, whether it’s the large slices of tomato or the big chunks of avocado. One tlayuda can comfortably be split between two people. Good thing they have to-​go boxes because many of us left with leftovers.
Service was excellent. Cindy and Elizabeth were both great. Cindy, the owner, stayed open late just for us.
There is no credit card minimum, but people paying with credit card will have to pay separately at the convenience store register.

I’m gonna put a 4 star I’m a fan on this very hard to find location for now, just to give me some room for more tasting and a re-​review ;)
So first of people, you should all know that this hole in the wall (literally) is located INSIDE the Exxon Gas Station at the indicate address. That’s right: it’s hard to find and there’s no signage to indicate they are actually in there, all the way in the back, passed the gas station register …
BUT
Once you are in there and overlooking the counter display to try to determine a fav out of the handwritten menu … Oh boy you’re in for a treat ;o) Let me tell ya: those tortas especial are ginormous!!! O_​o You easily have with one a combo lunch/​dinner for about 6 $ if you don’t eat like I do (Apparently my fellow Unilocalers were surprised I could gulped down one of those without a word or a pause … Oh well. I was hungry: D)
What else can I add: cheap, tasty, humongous portions … Paradize! ^_​^
Go check it out for yourself fellas and chicas ;o)
PS: nope, you won’t find any Indian food in there ^_​^ Only True tasty Mexican: o)

Tortas. Grande. Exxon.
Tonight I experienced one of the best but maybe «so-​not-​good-​for-​me» tortas ever. I asked the lady taking our orders what was her favorite, and she said the most popular was the «La India» tortas — so that’s what I got. Honestly I was hesitant after hearing the ingredients but hey, how could I not get the crowd favorite.
LA INDIA TORTAS ESPECIALES — $ 6.50
When the tortas arrived, I couldn’t believe how big it was — it was beyond normal. Definitely enough for 2 meals if you can practice self-​control … honestly I think I could’ve finished it all but my heart said no, eat the rest tomorrow. Not because of the size but because of what was inside (very delicious, by the way) — breaded pork, ham, hot dog, chorizo, fried egg, jalapenos, avocado, refried beans, carrots, quesillo, mayo … plus I added some chopped cilantro and red onions, and then a little of the spicy avocado sauce. One of the best parts was the bread — slightly sweet, fluffier than other tortas bread I’ve had, and perfectly toasted.
I also tried a bite of the pork soup which had lots of goodies inside ($ 6.50), and a bite of the Tlayuda ($ 10) which looked like a gigantic quesadilla w/​the same ingredients as the La India Tortas — except the corn tortilla was very thick/​hard/​crunchy, kinda had a popcorn flavor to it, and honestly thought I could break a tooth (it was that crunchy — but tasty!). Again, enough for 2 meals.
I’m definitely coming back to try the other tortas and tacos. The folks here are super nice, and definitely a business worth supporting. Please check them out, esp. if you’re a tortas fan!
FYI — this place is located inside the Exxon gas station on the corner of N. Norcross Tucker Rd and Buford Hwy. There is no signage at all. And yes, you guessed it, it’s a total dive :) Dives and Buford Hwy … my kind of place :)
Thanks to Daniel B for organizing the UYE, and thanks Unilocalers for the good word-​of-​mouth!