Huntsville, Alabama officially has the best tacos we’ve ever eaten. Why does Huntsville, of all places, have this wonderful restaurant called “Hops N Guac”? No idea, but it truly qualifies as an absolute hidden gem. This place has the trifecta: tasty tacos, an entire wall of beer, cider, and wine taps, and a variety of games for your group to play! After visiting the nearby Rattlesnake Saloon the night before and then spending the day at the Space and Rocket Center, Hops N Guac turned out to be the perfect place to end our time in Huntsville.

When you first enter Hops N Guac, you immediately notice that it’s a very eclectic atmosphere. It’s fun, relaxing, and kind of goofy. It also smells like heaven. The herbs, spices, and various ingredients they use to make their exorbitant variety of tacos permeates every part of the restaurant; it just smells amazing. Out of all the fun decorations and games sitting around, though, one section of the restaurant stands out proudly: the tap wall.

The tap wall is a dream for any craft beer drinker. When you first order your food, you let them know if you want to take advantage of the brews. You only pay for what you pour, so they give you a nifty NFC bracelet bearing their logo that you literally tap to the top of the particular tap you want to pour. If you’re like me, you can pour just a few ounces to try a bunch of different beers or you can load up on your favorite! Either way, I tried a ridiculous amount of beers and still only paid about $20 for them. If you’re not familiar, go check out my Untappd here to keep track of my quest to try all the beers ever (I have a long way to go).

While the beer taps are amazing, most folks are visiting Hops N Guac for their perfect tacos. Y’all don’t even understand…these tacos are out of this world. Scrumptious. Delicious. Mouthwatering. And they have so many varieties that it can be difficult to choose, but there wasn’t a single one we had that wasn’t miles above any other tacos we’ve ever had. Even their Dorito’s Locos Tacos, or their version of a walking taco, was a standout.

Our order consisted of a smorgasbord of the tacos, including the Pollo Fuego, the Ninja Pig, the Carne Asada, the Dorito’s Locos Tacos, and plenty of others. We also wound up with an order of the churros, which was the perfect way to end such an amazing flavor experience. Nothing went to waste; every member of our family devoured this food, even Ray Ray, who is notoriously picky. My personal favorite, as a spicy food enthusiast, was the Pollo Fuego, but the Ninja Pig was overall probably the biggest hit. Hops N Guac does such a great job with their recipes to incorporate a standout meat with the perfect add-ons for each type of taco, like carrots, onions, specific cheeses, and sauces. The end result is a very well-balanced taco that is bursting with flavor.

Just writing this post and reliving our portion of the trip that brought us through Huntsville to Hops N Guac has made me astoundingly hungry. Huntsville as a whole was a welcome surprise to us, and it truly proved that having preconceived notions of a travel destination can be more harmful than good. We quickly learned that Huntsville is a location that offers a lot more than meets the eye, and being a city in the foothills of the Appalachians it isn’t short of beautiful views. Even as I write out this post we’re both talking about how we can’t wait to go back, and Hops N Guac is going to be our first stop.