Taco Cantina opened in Smyrna in the summer of 2015, founded by chef Adolfo Gonzalez and his wife Brianna. Gonzalez grew up in Zacatlán, Puebla, Mexico, working alongside his mother Teodora in her kitchen and at the produce store she ran, where he learned to judge ingredients by hand.
His cooking career started as a teenager at the Atlanta Fish Market, where he became one of chef Pano Karatassos's youngest sous chefs at 18. He went on to work under chef Robert Holley and alongside chef Kevin Rathbun at Buckhead Life Restaurant Group spots including Buckhead Diner and Corner Café, then served as executive sous chef at Coast Bar & Grill in Charleston before returning to the Atlanta Fish Market in the same role.
The menu is built around tacos, tortas, and burritos made with house-marinated meats, along with a salmon taco prepared fresh daily — dishes rooted in the recipes Gonzalez grew up helping his mother cook.
The Infatuation gave Taco Cantina an 8/10.
His cooking career started as a teenager at the Atlanta Fish Market, where he became one of chef Pano Karatassos's youngest sous chefs at 18. He went on to work under chef Robert Holley and alongside chef Kevin Rathbun at Buckhead Life Restaurant Group spots including Buckhead Diner and Corner Café, then served as executive sous chef at Coast Bar & Grill in Charleston before returning to the Atlanta Fish Market in the same role.
The menu is built around tacos, tortas, and burritos made with house-marinated meats, along with a salmon taco prepared fresh daily — dishes rooted in the recipes Gonzalez grew up helping his mother cook.
The Infatuation gave Taco Cantina an 8/10.