Mexican for all: Two Guys tacos tempt

Business men stroll in for lunch, families grab a quick bite for dinner, and students roll in at 2:30am to scarf down some late night post party food. It's a rare restaurant that can expect such a diverse daily parade of customers, but Two Guys Tacos appears to be juggling them all quite nicely.

Since its opening on New Year’s Eve, the restaurant has been expanding its menu options. Unique and reasonably priced dishes are offered for lunch and dinner every day but Sunday, and late night munchies are served up Thursday to Saturday until 3am.

Thomas McFarlane, general manager of Two Guys Tacos, says a "different style" helps set Two Guys apart from other Mexican restaurants. "We use beef brisket instead of a ground beef and we smoke all of our meats, which gives it a really unique flavor," he says. "We pretty much make everything in-house.”

It's not just the main courses that are made in-house– McFarlane's salsa recipes are original and specifically paired with the tacos to complement the flavors.

Dinner's not over after the tacos are gone at Two Guys, where dessert creations go beyond standard churros or fried ice cream choices.  McFarlane– who is one of the founding "two guys," along with partner Matt Frazer– suggests the banana empanada, or, if you don’t mind getting your hands a little messy, the cinnamon sugar tortilla chips, which come with a side of icing, of course.

The multi-colored stools and cabana-like canopy above the counter add to the overall theme of the restaurant that McFarlane says is inspired by the the growing popularity of street food and food trucks. "We wanted it to seem like you were just coming to a little taco shack," he says. "The thing that’s nice about taco shacks is they're local and they're a very social kind of food.”

Social is right. On an average afternoon, there's a broad cross section ordering up: workers on their lunch breaks, couples, families, and students are buzzing in and out of the restaurant, enjoying the window seating and people watching.

Whether you need a taco at 1:00 in the morning or prefer a chicken empanada at noon, chances are these Two Guys have something for you.