A well-known fact about me is that I hate spending my money. What can I say? I already have so little of it as a college student. Don’t expect any Galentine’s Day gifts from me this year, my friends.
And yet, I also believe in supporting the local scene— and keeping the local scene alive typically involves spending a little bit of money at local businesses.
Thus, I’m chronicling my thoughts on local experiences in Asheville and whether or not I think they’re worth the time and money— all in the name of students like me who want to support local but don’t want to gamble with their money.
Mamacita’s Taco Temple — is it worth it?
“Need to hang out soon love u lots maybe tmr night?!” read the text I received from my good friend and classmate, Moon Stracener, at 8:23 p.m. on Feb. 2, 2026.
It’d been a while since we’d gone out together. There was a local dive I’d been itching to check out— Taco Temple— so naturally, we agreed to go there.
Asheville certainly isn’t suffering from a shortage of places to get tacos— Taco Billy, Taqueria Muñoz and White Duck Taco Shop are a few of the many spots that immediately come to mind— but Moon and I heard so much buzz about Taco Temple from our friends and peers at UNC Asheville that we had to give it a try.
So, in the grayish slush of Feb. 3, Moon sat behind the wheel of their Subaru, cruising just north of downtown, before pulling the two of us into that tiny, tiny parking lot at 132 Charlotte St.
“I tried to come here once but ended up choosing to just drive past it because the parking lot was too scary,” Moon said as they locked their car.
Taco Temple, situated in what used to be a gas station built in 1930, fills up quickly— it’s a small building with an unpretentious atmosphere. Fortunate to beat the dinner rush, we watched 20 or so young people come in right after we ordered our food at the counter.
Looking at their menu, they have a good selection of both tacos and tortas, but I ultimately decided to get tacos since I was interested in trying their well-advertised handmade corn tortillas.
Moon also got tacos— two Baja tacos ($4 each) with fried cod.
I ordered a taco borracha ($4), which, according to their menu, is rotisserie chicken simmered in a beer and chile sauce that is also known as drunken salsa.
I also decided to try their taco al pastor ($4), because, well, I can never say no to al pastor. The same can be said for the chips and queso ($8) we ordered as well, which Moon and I agreed to split.
If anything, Taco Temple can be described as quick and casual— you order at a counter and only have to wait a couple of minutes for your tacos— so I imagine it would make a good off-campus lunch spot where one could grab a quick break and bite before needing to run back to Karpen Hall (or wherever you have to go). Off of that, it makes sense why my peers love it.
We sat down at the window right as a jogger ran past, his long gray beard whipping around in the wind and his once-bright New Balance sneakers now muted and discolored from the icy slop lining the sidewalks and roads.
We chatted for a few minutes— friend falling-outs, dating— before two trays of food were brought out to us, as well as a brown bag of chips.
The first thing I noticed about the taco borracha was that the chicken resembled Dubai chocolate filling— yes, this certainly marks me as Gen Z— which, if you know, doesn’t necessarily look the most appealing.
Nonetheless, I took a bite. The borracha tasted smoky, slightly malty and savory. It was a unique flavor profile with its earthy heat. The pico de gallo and cotija on top refreshed and lightened the flavors of the chicken.
The al pastor was splendidly savory and paired well with the sweet heat of the pineapple-poblano. It was generously packed with pork, salsa and cilantro— which unfortunately led it to fall apart after my first bite. I still wolfed it down. Corn tortillas are finicky!
The tub of queso was a generous portion, but I’m not sure if I’d splurge on it again since we didn’t receive nearly enough chips for it all. I stand staunchly against double-dipping. Nonetheless, we took the leftover queso home, which was nice for later.
Moon said they enjoyed their tacos. The Baja tacos had fried cod topped with cabbage and Baja sauce (a creamy, tangy sauce often on fish tacos).
“It’s kinda just like any other taco place in Asheville,” Moon said. “Price-wise, it’s the same as most of the other ones.”
I agreed. There’s certainly no shortage of $4 tacos in this town. Most of them are good. That being said, it’s nice to have some pretty good ones just 7 minutes from campus and, in general, it’s always nice to have a place for a break.
It’s good to spend time with a friend before hopping back to real life.
Onward!
