It’s funny how you have to eat your words sometimes. Just last week I was complaining about the lack of a good taqueria in the Duluth area and neighboring environs. And then we went to Pure Taqueria that opened just three weeks ago on Main Street near the Duluth Town Green.
An a la carte plate of three tacos at Pure Taqueria in Duluth, Ga.
Over the course of the summer, I had seen the Pure building going up, on the corner of Main and Duluth Highway, right next to the Red Clay Theater, but didn’t really know what it was going to be. With several large open-bay doors, it looked like it was going to be a garage, but now that the restaurant is open, I can see that they are big roll-up windows that will really make the place interesting when the weather is right.
So, yeah, back to eating my words. I was saying that there were some really good taquerias in Midtown Atlanta, such as Escorpion or Prickly Pear, which offer smart, interesting takes on the standard taco, with out-of-the-ordinary ingredients. These are not Taco Bell tacos.
Last Friday night, with no kids around, Johanna and I decided to try Pure, which opened on Oct. 8. We were a little surprised to find the place packed, but ended up being seated pretty fast. I liked the look of the place right off, with a sort of neo-retro décor (is that even possible? Yes, and I’ll explain). There were some actual retro things in the place, such as a very bright blue ’50s refrigerator and some antique Coca-Cola and 7-Up ice chests behind the bar, while the tables and chairs were a modern take on the chrome-and-Formica dinette sets.
As we were looking at the menu, Johanna noticed an item she has been looking for for a long time: Albondigas ($9.49) – spicy, Mexican-style meatballs that she used to get all the time at a Mexican restaurant back in Australia. Yeah, I know . . . there’s nothing like Australian Mexican food. But she was excited and ordered it. I picked three a la carte tacos—a Costilla de res, a Caramónes and a Puerco al pastor. With the meal ordered, we started to people watch. As it turned out, Johanna knew people at three or four different tables, as well as one of the hostesses and a couple who happened to be walking on the sidewalk on the other side of our window. Yes, Pure Taqueria is the hip and happening place to be.
A plate of Albondigas, a kind of spicy Mexican-style meatball.
When we were served, we both dug into our meals. Johanna said that this version of Albondigas was different from what she remembered from back home; there was more spicy sauce than the Aussie version, but she liked it. I had a bite, too, and it was pretty good, with a heat provided by a chipotle tomato sauce. I may have to try a full order of it next time we’re here.
My tacos ($11.99) were each really good, too. The Costilla de res was made with beef short rib meat, smoky pickled red onions and a chile morita salsa; the Caramónes featured three big, plum shrimp with a poblano slaw, chipotle mayo and a cruda tomatillo sauce, while the Puerco al pastor was made with pork and a mixture of pineapple, orange, annatto, Chihuahua queso, guquillo chilies, onion and cilantro. All three were excellent and totally blew up my argument that the only place to get adventurous, tasty tacos was anywhere but Duluth.
Pure Taqueria
3108 Main Street
Duluth, Ga. 30096
770.609.2630
Post by and photos credited to Gregory Watkins.