Friday was Dos Taquitos on Creedmoor’s Last Day of Lunch

It wasn’t 9 months ago that Dos Taquitos’ original location on Creedmoor finally started serving lunch.  North Raleigh foodies didn’t have a lot of lunch choices that were on par with the fresh, delicately seasoned, vegetable rich, entrees that Dos Taquitos offered up.  Sure it was a bit more expensive than your typical ‘mexican restaurant’ - but damn it was light years ahead food wise.  Well, today, that is all coming to an end. 

The owner Carlos Salamanca had been on an extended trip away from his businesses and in his absence, the temporary management took on the task of opening for lunch. Very quickly the restaurant was packed every day for lunch, or so we thought.  A limited menu was presented with just eight or nine items, all of which were crafted with the same care as the restaurant’s wonderful dinners. Now Mr. Salamanca has returned to running the restaurant and he says the business just isn’t there and he isn’t interested in the extra work it takes to keep it open for lunch. “It is hard for us to have enough help at lunch and offer the same service as dinner. We have been around for almost 20 years and we want to keep our reputation.” Color us disappointed to say the least, and if you don’t have lunch plans, go grab some at Dos Taquitos one last time. 

• arthurb3
  07/30 11:40 AM
  

  Never been fond of Dos Taquitos.

• oakcity
  07/30 01:18 PM
  

  thanks for informing us of that, i’m sure people all over raleigh were sitting on pins and needles wondering if arthurb3 REALLY enjoyed dos taquitos. now we know, and knowing is half the battle.

• ct
  07/30 02:44 PM
  

  Often a difficult shopping center to get into and out of.

• Carol
  07/30 03:20 PM
  

  I LOVE Dos Taquitos.  It has been my favorite spot for lunch since I discovered it about 6 months ago.  I work nearby and everyone in my office is very disappointed.  Any chance we could change Mr. Salamanca’s mind on this one?  I can’t believe the business isn’t there-  I thought my office alone was keeping it going : )  There are lots of commuters who eat in Raleigh for lunch but can’t make it back often for dinner.  We will really miss this treasure.

• El Rodeo and El Dorado sound better
  07/30 03:41 PM
  

  If the staff doesn’t start listening, they may soon not be open for dinner!  I was there earlier in the week and it was like pulling teeth to get decent service with a reservation and small party.  It’s a great spot with good food, but the vibe the other night was like customers were bothersome or hindering them. Weird.

• tjoad
  07/30 04:17 PM
  

  Their food is not ‘light years ahead’ of other Mexican restaurants, maybe just a notch.  Maybe light years ahead of any other Mexican restaurant owned/run by Colombians?

• David
  07/30 04:31 PM
  

  If we work hard enough we can squeeze out all the joy of celebrating the things that make this city authentic. If we nit-pick enough we can crush the romantics and find everything that is wrong with things that aren’t corporate or generic.  Then when everything is up to our standards we can revel in our pure averageness. Thank you folks, you are an inspiration to strive for the boring.

• sally
  07/31 08:47 AM
  

  I love Dos Taquitos - and have always been more than satisfied with their service. Furthermore, it’s not that hard to get into and out of that shopping center if you do so at the traffic light (on approach from Creedmoor Road, headed north from Crabtree Valley).

• ct
  07/31 08:59 AM
  

  Agreed, it’s not hard to get into and out of the shopping center if you work at Crabtree. The problem is if you work farther north on Creedmoor or in either direction on Millbrook. The shopping center was built in the early 1980s when Creedmoor and Millbrook were still two-lane country roads. The Creedmoor/Millbrook intersection often backs up and it’s difficult to get out of the shopping center in any direction except towards Crabtree.

• CSP
  07/31 02:31 PM
  

  I love Dos Taquitos, honestly, I have had a great time every time I have been there. Sad to hear about the lunch, especially for that location. I do like their food better than most Mexican restaurants around Raleigh.

• Skillet
  08/01 12:39 PM
  

  I guess we’re officially F’d in the A if people are judging restaurants on the ease of getting out of them.

• ct
  08/01 12:44 PM
  

  There really are people who happen to have fixed hours at work. They get a predefined lunch break and they had better be back at work by the end of that break. It’s not easy for them to hop in a car, drive to a restaurant, eat a decent meal (not fast food), and drive back to work before their 45 or 60 minutes are up. Maybe the two or three minutes getting out of a shopping center isn’t really that critical, but it’s the perception of delay that matters. (Marketing 101, perception is reality.) Those of us who can take all the time we want at lunch, let’s remember that not everybody has that luxury.

• John
  08/02 11:12 AM
  

  Perhaps light years ahead of Taco Bell or On The Border. I was never fond of their food and always found it over-priced and far from authentic. Hope they can make it work serving just dinner.

• Ron Burgundy, Anchorman
  08/02 11:55 AM
  

  The food at Dos Taquitos is delicious. I’ve loved it for nine years and hope they are open for decades to come.

  Only nitpick I have is that the Top Shelf margaritas are barely worth calling them that at the Creedmore loc. At the Centro loc., they are incredible. Once this discrepancy is fixed I’ll be happy!

• Little Timmy
  08/02 12:04 PM
  

  What’s “authentic” Mexican food?  Using cheese on tacos and tostados is not “authentic” in most Mexican regional cuisines, but is par for the course in the far south of Mexico.

• WILLNCSU
  08/03 10:48 AM
  

  For those complaining, name one mexican restaurant in Raleigh that is better besides Jibarra?  I would seriously like to know so I can eat there.  There is one off of perry creek that is close but I cant think of another one.

• gd
  08/03 11:17 AM
  

  I prefer Cafe Capistrano (the one off of durant - i havent eaten at the morrisville location)over jibarra and dos taquitos any day.

• shane
  08/03 02:07 PM
  

  So far in North Raleigh I’ve been pretty loyal to El Rodeo Grill on Six Forks (the old jibarra loc). It’s definitely better than your average mexican joint. Their steak and fish tacos are some of the best I’ve had around.

• Stock Chart
  08/04 01:24 AM
  

  I love Dos Taquitos - and have always been more than satisfied with their service. Furthermore, it’s not that hard to get into and out of that shopping center if you do so at the traffic light (on approach from Creedmoor Road, headed north from Crabtree Valley).
  Stock Chart

• check_out_my_new_pbr_trucker_hat
  08/04 08:29 AM
  

  I prefer something like Salsa Fresh or Los Cuates for lunch anyway. Dos Taquitos is a little expensive.

• mgd
  08/04 10:09 PM
  

  Never new they opened for lunch.  Guess I missed my chance. It is good but always packed and as ct said it is hard getting out if you want to go North on Creedmor or West on Millbrook.

  I go to the BP on Capital next to Edward McKay!