I don’t know about everyone else, but every so often I get a craving for Latin American food.
Not just any meal, but the kind that brings together sweet plantains, rich black beans, fluffy rice, fresh cilantro, onions, pickled onions, lime, and flavorful sauces that make every bite a little different. That’s exactly what brought us to El Tejano Latin Cuisine Express in Augusta.
We have only visited once, so this review is based on our first experience. Even so, before we finished eating, we were already talking about coming back. The food was colorful, beautifully presented, and full of the rich Latin American flavors we had been hoping to find.
El Tejano Latin Cuisine Express is located at 826 Cabela Drive, Suite 5, Augusta, Georgia, in the former I Heart Mac & Cheese location near Costco. Today, the space is home to a restaurant serving a menu inspired by a blend of Latin American cultures, making it a welcome addition to Augusta’s growing dining scene.
For more family-tested places to eat, explore our complete collection of Cuisine Reviews.
Before we finished eating, we were already talking about coming back.
The colorful presentation first caught our attention, but the balance of sweet, savory, fresh, and tangy flavors is what made the meal memorable.
Sometimes you aren’t simply looking for lunch or dinner. You’re looking for a very specific combination of flavors that only Latin American cuisine seems to satisfy.
Those ingredients work together to create meals that are comforting, vibrant, and incredibly satisfying.
El Tejano captures those flavors beautifully.
The restaurant describes its menu as a blend of Latin cultures, and that’s exactly what makes it interesting. Rather than focusing on one style of cooking, the menu offers a variety of Latin American favorites that make you want to come back and continue exploring. Readers who enjoy comparing bold regional flavors may also appreciate our Taco Madre review.
The first thing that impressed us wasn’t how much food we received. It was how much flavor each bite offered.
The sweetness of the caramelized plantains balanced the rich, savory black beans. Fresh lime brightened each bite, while cilantro, onions, pickled onions, and the restaurant’s sauces added freshness, acidity, and just the right amount of contrast.
Nothing tasted heavy or one-dimensional. Every ingredient had a purpose, and together they created exactly the kind of meal I hope for whenever a Latin American food craving hits.
Before taking the first bite, we both commented on how inviting everything looked.
The food arrived with vibrant colors, fresh herbs, bright lime wedges, colorful sauces, and thoughtful presentation that immediately made us excited to eat.
Presentation alone doesn’t make a meal memorable, but when fresh ingredients look this good and taste this good, it becomes part of the overall experience.
Even though El Tejano is a casual order-at-the-counter restaurant, nothing about the meal felt rushed or carelessly assembled.
If you enjoy sweet plantains, don’t skip them.
They were soft, naturally sweet, and beautifully caramelized around the edges. Their sweetness paired perfectly with the savory flavors throughout the rest of the meal.
For me, plantains are one of the signature flavors of Latin American cuisine, and these were exactly what I had been craving.
The black beans and rice deserve special recognition.
The black beans were rich, savory, and full of flavor, while the rice provided the perfect foundation for the rest of the meal. Together they paired beautifully with the fresh cilantro, onions, pickled onions, lime, sauces, and the other bold flavors on the plate.
Rather than feeling like simple side dishes, they became an important part of what made the meal so satisfying.
The yuca fries were another standout.
They were crisp on the outside, tender inside, and paired wonderfully with the dipping sauces. If you’ve never tried yuca before, this would be an excellent introduction.
We’ll definitely be ordering them again on our next visit.
One of my favorite parts of the restaurant was the fresh toppings.
Cilantro, onions, pickled onions, fresh lime, and sauces allowed us to customize every bite exactly the way we wanted.
Those simple additions made each bite taste fresh, bright, and balanced while allowing everyone at the table to personalize their own meal. That same build-your-own appeal is one reason we also enjoyed The Southern Salad in Augusta.
It’s a small detail, but one that adds a great deal to the overall dining experience.
One meal simply wasn’t enough to explore everything El Tejano has to offer.
The menu includes a wide variety of Latin American dishes, including bowls, sandwiches, empanadas, and tacos, and there were several items we found ourselves wanting to try before we even finished lunch.
That’s one of the strongest compliments we can give a restaurant. We weren’t just satisfied with what we ordered—we were already looking forward to our next visit.
For another Augusta restaurant centered on bold regional flavors, read our review of Taco Madre. Readers comparing casual Mexican and Tex-Mex options may also find our honest review of Nacho Mama’s helpful.
El Tejano Latin Cuisine Express is located at 826 Cabela Drive, Suite 5, Augusta, Georgia, in the Village at Riverwatch shopping center.
El Tejano describes its menu as a blend of Latin cultures. The menu features a variety of Latin American dishes along with fresh toppings, sweet plantains, yuca fries, black beans, rice, sandwiches, bowls, empanadas, tacos, and flavorful sauces.
Yes. The relaxed atmosphere, welcoming staff, and straightforward counter-service format make it an excellent restaurant for families.
Our favorites from our first visit were the sweet plantains, crispy yuca fries, flavorful black beans and rice, and making full use of the fresh cilantro, onions, pickled onions, lime wedges, and sauces that bring every meal to life.
Absolutely. The menu is approachable while still offering the fresh ingredients and bold flavors that make Latin American cuisine so enjoyable.
Yes. The menu includes several vegetable-based dishes and sides.
Yes. Ordering is simple, but the food still tastes fresh and carefully prepared.
Without hesitation, yes. Our first visit was enough to convince us that this is a restaurant we’ll happily return to whenever we’re craving Latin American food.
At Family Critic, we look for restaurants that give families a reason to come back—not because they’re trendy, but because they consistently deliver an experience worth sharing.
Although this review is based on our first visit, El Tejano made a lasting impression.
The rich black beans, fluffy rice, sweet caramelized plantains, crispy yuca fries, fresh cilantro, onions, pickled onions, bright lime, flavorful sauces, and colorful presentation all came together to create exactly the kind of meal we had been craving.
Just as important, the restaurant reminded us that some of the best dining experiences aren’t the most expensive or the most elaborate. Sometimes they’re simply restaurants that prepare fresh food with care and let the flavors speak for themselves.
If you’re searching for fresh Latin American food in Augusta, whether you’re introducing your family to new flavors or satisfying a craving of your own, we believe El Tejano is a restaurant that’s well worth experiencing.
We walked in hoping to satisfy a craving for Latin American food.
We walked out already looking forward to the next time that craving comes back.
