*Cues Western Music* There's a new tex-mex in town.....Superica
I'm sure you've heard by now about the newest tex-mex spot in town - Superica. Everyone already has their favorites from Chipotle to Moe's to even Qdoba, but Superica is and should be considered in a space of its own. This is unlike any other tex-mex that you've had before. Hailing from Atlanta, Superica is looking to come and take Charlotte by storm with a more upscale take on that delicious quick and easy tex-mex that we've grown to love. With a higher end experience, the prices are definitely much higher as well so the question on everybody's mind - Is Superica worth paying double or even triple the price of what you would typically spend on tex-mex?! I just had to find out.
Located in South End, it was easy to get to. There is a paid parking lot across the street, or you can just take the light rail like I did. The staff seemed really excited to greet us and we were able to be seated immediately. I really love the decor and ambience here. You'll immediately notice the gorgeous blue mural on the wall upon entering. The restaurant is actually pretty large, but they have a divider wall in the middle which gives it a more intimate feel. There is also a small lounge type area with a couch and seating for those just wanting to hang out. Now for the good part - THE FOOD!
If you didn't realize it before, you'll quickly realize this isn't your typical tex-mex joint when you see the prices on the menu. Items range from around $10-30 and there is a good variety of items that you can't get at the typical spots. They do have your standard chips and salsa, queso, tacos, and fajitas, but they also offer higher end items such as short rib, pork belly, and even a gulf red snapper fish served whole. These items definitely set Superica apart. One of their most popular items that you'll be seeing all over social media is the Queso Fundido - which I'll get into shortly. So what did we order?!?!
Chips & Salsa
Usually I would not include chips and salsa in a review, but the salsa here stood out for me. They provide you two variations complimentary(spicy and mild of course) and both were good. The spicy wasn't extremely spicy, but the flavors here were super well balanced. I almost asked if I could just have a jar of the spicy salsa to take home! They also have a spicy sauce if you want a little(or a lot - whew) more heat. It had a great flavor as well and did add a nice little kick.
Queso Fundido w/ Chorizo
Get your phones ready as this dish is one for your instagram. The queso here is so thick, that people(yes I am one to these people) are doing cheese pulls with it. HOW HIGH CAN YOU GO?! The answer is very high, actually. BUT HOW DOES IT TASTE?! The answer VERY good, actually. I was a bit hesitant to order this at a $12 price point, but it was a fun experience and the queso was delicious. As stated earlier it is very thick, almost just like a hunk of melty delicious cheese, but how can you go wrong with that, right?! I added chorizo to mine which was great. Cheesy goodness!
TACOS DE CAMARONES
As you can see, the main dishes are served family style which I like. We went with the Tacos De Camarones which includes shrimp, cabbage slaw, morita chili mayo, diablo sauce with a side of rice and beans. The taco was was flavorful and fresh, although I typically prefer grilled shrimp over fried. The chili mayo and diablo sauce added a nice addition to the flavors. Overall I'd say the taco was good, but not knock your socks off. The rice and beans were very good. I enjoyed both. They add a bit of pork fat when cooking their beans, which gave them a bit more flavor than most refried beans that I've had.
So that was the first experience at Superica, but I'll definitely be going back to try some of the other dishes. It is expensive, so don't go in expecting to spend the amount that you typically would on tex-mex. You can easily spend double or triple that amount here. The queso was really tasty and fun to play with (I can hear my mom saying don't play with my food now -_-) so it was the highlight of the meal for me. They have several great entree items that I'm eager to try, and they also have brunch on weekend. It's easy to access the restaurant and the staff is friendly. The additional details such as the divider wall in the large restaurant space and add a little pork fat to the beans added to the experience. I am a fan of Superica when I feel like spending a little extra to get my tex-mex fix!