ANNE BRALY: Taco Mamacita is one of the coolest restaurants in town. I love what they’ve done with the place — quite a transformation since its days as an Irish pub.

The food matches the decor, with interesting twists on Tex-Mex: tacos with panko-breaded shrimp and Thai chile sauce, tacos with a Greek gyro twist and Caribbean jerk chicken. I was surprised to actually find chips and salsa, along with guacamole on the menu. This place has it all.

When we arrived shortly after 11 a.m., there was just one other table filled with only two people. By the time we sat down and had our drinks, the place was nearly full.

The eatery recently announced it would open its second location in Nashville. Lucky for Nashvillians.

HOLLY LEBER: I’m not really sure if the current location is a boon or a curse, however. It can be nice to be a bit separated from the rest of pack, but the view of the Family Dollar and a parking lot from the restaurant’s outdoor seating area isn’t quite as appealing as getting to people-watch on Frazier Avenue. Perhaps it doesn’t matter after partaking in one of Taco Mamacita’s specialty cocktails or sampling from the tequila selection.

A reader questioned the lack of attention to beer in last month’s column on the Terminal Brewhouse, so for clarity’s sake: Out to Lunch focuses on the workday lunch; thus we will not be discussing the alcoholic offerings at any establishment.

But I’d happily sample one of Taco Mamacita’s margaritas when I’m not on the clock. For now though, it’s all about the food. Anne, how was yours?

ANNE Mine was excellent and much larger than I’d expected. I was hungry and knew that one of the $3-plus tacos wouldn’t be enough. The tacos are small. I was glad to see, though, that they’ve started offering lunch specials with a deal on multiple tacos. I’ve had them before though, and as excellent as they are, I thought the Grande Chopped Salad sounded good.

It’s a huge amount of lettuce, chickpeas, red beans, sliced shallots and tender roasted chicken. The menu said it came with cherry tomatoes, too, though mine didn’t have any. Didn’t miss them, though, since there was so much else going on in this salad. It comes with two dressing choices. I couldn’t get enough of the smoked sweet chile dressing. What about you?

HOLLY: I had the vegedillas with tomato, corn, black beans, feta and a jalapeno-cilantro sauce. It was OK. I thought the sauce overwhelmed the vegetables a bit, and there was too much tortilla for not enough filling. In my mind, the veggies (or meat should you choose) ought to be the main event, with the tortilla as the carrying case. I also didn’t think it was worth the $9.99 price tag, but it was far from inedible.

I am, however, a fan of the guacamole. Fresh pieces of avocado throughout make it a good, tasty treat. And avocado is a healthy fat.

Your salad did look excellent. I think next time I hit Taco Mamacita, it’ll be for some chips and a drink. And I live close by, so no worries about driving after a margarita or two. Tasty and safe — I like that combo.