30 Under 30: Taco Tuesdays

By Megan Peck

Tuesday is a great night for thrifty spenders looking for food or drink deals. Attempting to lure in customers on a typically slow weekday night, Tuesday specials abound at a variety of restaurants and bars throughout the city (I recently highlighted one such early week special featuring $2 drinks all evening).

In search of a deal that included both food and beverage, I embarked on my first local experience of one of the most popular Tuesday specials available anywhere: Taco Tuesday.

After living in San Francisco for two years, I’m well aware of Taco Tuesdays, a staple of the SF social scene. Of course, I knew that New Orleans would have its own twist on this popular offering.

To begin the Mexican-themed evening, I met a friend at Superior Grill, located at 3636 St. Charles Avenue, for happy hour. We each ordered one of the restaurant’s famously strong frozen margaritas ($6 for a large during happy hour) and munched on free chips and salsa (a disappearing species in culinary circles). Next we headed to the Rum House, located nearby at 3128 Magazine Street, for its Taco Tuesday special.

True to local inventiveness, the Caribbean taqueria offers an eclectic array of 14 tacos – from brisket to chili-glazed shrimp. On Tuesdays all tacos are $2 except for the mole pork, seared scallop, duck duck goose and lamb vindaloo, which are each $3. All beers (except Blue Moon) are also $2 and the margaritas are $4 until 6:30 p.m.

After adding a few more taco enthusiasts to our party, we decided that the favorite taco options were the calypso beef and fried fish. The fried oyster taco (only in New Orleans, right?), an off-the-menu item, also was deemed a winner.

The total bill for my first NOLA Taco Tuesday outing (spent on one Superior margarita, three tacos and one Pacifico beer), including tax and tip, amounted to approximately $20 – a bargain any day of the week.

This experience can also be enjoyed without the need for a designated driver. Hop on the streetcar, which will drop you off right in front of Superior, then take the 10 to 15-minute walk to Rum House. Superior Grill happy hour occurs daily from 3:30 to 6 p.m.