Why do people love Mexican restaurants? Is it the fast service, the free chips & salsa, the spicy food, the festive decor, or the Margaritas? If you answered “all of the above,” you’re an aficionado. My husband and I are not just aficionados, we’re fanatics. We’re passionate about Mexican food. Our own rating system is based on several categories with a scale of one to five peppers with five being the best. We recently dined at Acapulco, located at the corner of Third and Cherry Streets in Downtown Macon.

Acapulco is owned and managed by Gus Barragan, from Guadalajara, Mexico. Barragan spent most of his life in the restaurant business, and so has his family. His extended family owns restaurants in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Georgia. “My family has been in the restaurant business for over fifty years,” he said.

Barragan and his wife moved to Macon from Florida, about ten years ago, to be closer to her family. After working in other restaurants for a couple of years, he started scouting for a place to open his own establishment. Barragan was attracted to the Dempsey Hotel building because he could see potential in the location. “We saw a lot of traffic, and we liked the sidewalks. It seemed like a nice area,” he recalled. Acapulco opened in the spring of 1997.

The restaurant occupies what used to be the lobby of The Dempsey Hotel, a grand hotel from a by-gone era. The only trace of that past elegance is in the beautiful inlaid terrazzo floor in the entrance. Besides the floor, the appearance in Acapulco is tropical cantina. The walls are sponged in a burnt gold with an eclectic display of brightly colored wall hangings, paintings of conquistadors, and photographs of Mexican scenery. Large, green booths with striped cushions line the walls. The décor is very typical of most Mexican restaurants, but with a bit more class.

Non-smokers would be pleased that the bar and smoking section are in a separate room. The non-smoking section is divided into two areas, one of which is used for private parties or large groups. Barragan made good use of the sidewalk with an outdoor seating area that is enclosed by decorative iron railing.

Fast service is one of our requirements, and we were pleased that we had barely settled in our seats when the chips & salsa and menus arrived. Our friendly, efficient server spoke with an accent, but his English was fluent and his service faultless. We ordered cheese dip to keep our daughters entertained while we studied the menu. The server returned with drinks, cheese dip, and extra napkins. He brought the napkins on his own initiative, correctly guessing that our children would need them. That scored him bonus points. Service: 5 Peppers.

We believe you can tell a great Mexican restaurant with its chips & salsa, because quality is in the details. Acapulco’s chips were fresh, crispy, not too greasy or too thick. The tomato sauce-based salsa was well-balanced with jalapenos and cilantro . While it was muy caliente, it was still a few degrees below our pain threshold. We enjoyed it, but I caution diners with a lower pain tolerance. Chips & Salsa: 4 Peppers.

I asked our server to suggest appetizers, and he recommended the original guacamole dip and the chorizo fundido. The guacamole dip was made with chunks of avocado with diced tomatoes, and onions. It was addictive. Acapulco also serves the traditional creamy Guacamole dip, but I much preferred the chunky style for texture and flavor. The chorizo fundido is a cheese dip with Mexican pork sausage. The cheese was similar to mozzarella except slightly sharper. While the taste was fantastic, the cheese was so stringy it was difficult to get on the chip. When the cheese cooled and hardened, dipping a chip became impossible. Appetizers: 3 Peppers.

Acapulco’s menu has 24 entrees and 10 specialties. However, if you like the basics, you can choose your own combination of rice, beans, chili con carne, chile relleno, chalupa, tostada, enchilada, burrito, taco, flauta, or quesadilla. The children’s menu has several options including tacos, cheese quesadillas, and the safe American standard of chicken fingers with fries. The lunch menu is slightly abbreviated with an emphasis on the salads and the combos are offered at lower prices.

Even though I found the chorizo fundido a frustration, the tasty sausage intrigued me. I scanned the list of entrees for chorizo and chose the quesadilla sincronizada: Chicken, cheese, and chorizo folded in a flour tortilla, lightly fried, topped with a crumbled, tangy, Parmesan-like cheese, and served with rice and guacamole salad. On first taste, I was entranced by the complex, heavy seasonings, but realized after just a few bites that the lettuce and guacamole were necessary to help neutralize the sodium. If you like Cajun blackened foods, you would like this dish.

My husband opted for lighter fare with the taco combo. The name is misleading because it’s actually fajita-style shrimp, chicken, and steak strips served in a tortilla salad shell. The grilled, lightly seasoned meats were set on a bed of lettuce with guacamole and sour cream. Simple, but delicious. Our daughters tasted the chicken and were soon begging for more. I was allowed to sample one shrimp, but that was all my husband would sacrifice to the cause. Entrees: 4 Peppers

There’s only one category left on our rating chart and that’s margaritas. Acapulco has a full bar that serves beer, wine, and mixed drinks. The menu lists 12 different flavors of margaritas that can be served frozen or on the rocks. We opted for the house specialty, the Acapulco margarita. I was worried when I saw its shocking shade of neon green, but one sip squelched my concern. It was tart and sweet with just the right kick. Margarita: 4 Peppers.

We were as stuffed as a chile relleno by the time we finished our meal, so dessert was out of the question. However, there were several choices including a Kahlua cheesecake, sopilla, and fried ice cream.

One of the surprising pleasantries about Acapulco was the relaxed pace. We were there on a weeknight. We parked right in front of the restaurant, were seated in a comfortable booth, and served immediately. The service was quick without being manic. We didn’t feel rushed to finish our meal just so the table could be cleared for the next party. The staff paid particular attention to our children, greeting them with warm smiles and friendly “hola’s”. It was an enjoyable evening for the whole family. Overall, we give Acapulco 4 out of 5 Peppers.

VITAL STATS

Cuisine: Mexican

Acapulco Mexican Restaurant
379 Third Street
Macon, GA 31201
(478) 738-0028