Barracuda brings tacos, New Orleans vibes to downtown Huntsville
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Barracuda is in a prime downtown spot. Photo: Derek Lacey/Axios
Barracuda Taco Stand opens Sunday in downtown Huntsville.
The big picture: New Orleans-based Barracuda is "a neighborhood taco stand and margarita garden," with an uber-casual vibe.
Catch up quick: It's Barracuda's fifth location, joining two in New Orleans, one in Baton Rouge and one in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
- The company first began looking for a Nashville location a couple years ago but was pointed toward Huntsville, where its team found "such a courteous and welcoming environment," founder Brett Jones told Axios.
Zoom in: The restaurant worked with the city to lease the spot at the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Meridian Street, and Jones said it fits right in with their other locations.
What they're saying: "We're always adjacent to music venues ... It just always happens that we're by a park," Jones said.
- "The canned answer I could give is, 'We look at demographics and traffic counts and all that sort of stuff,'" he told Axios. "But ultimately, it's 'Does this feel like the right spot? Yeah, this feels good.'"
- Jones also noted that the location is in the Arts & Entertainment "purple cup" district.
How it works: It's a very casual, order-before-you-sit taco stand, with a focus on tacos and margaritas and a compact menu. The grand opening is Sunday, March 22.
- They'll be open 7am-9pm seven days a week after that, with year-round covered seating on-site, including heaters in case the weather does what it's been doing this month.
- Jones said he tested out the heated seating on Tuesday, when temperatures were mostly in the 30s, "and it turned into kind of a greenhouse."
By the numbers: Tacos run between $3.95 and $5.75 each. Chips and salsa are $6, chips and guacamole $8.
- Margaritas, "all served over the good ice," and cocktails start at $9.
Zoom out: Barracuda joins MidCity's Blue Oak BBQ — the owners of which Jones said were friends — in restaurants making the jump from New Orleans to Huntsville.
- The stand has hired 40 people already, Jones said, and a press release on the opening notes several more locations are in the works.
💠My thought bubble: I'm easy to please when it comes to food, and tacos in particular, but these were above and beyond.
- At a soft opening Thursday, I had the crispy fish and shrimp macha tacos. They were fresh and appropriately spicy, enough to make you notice without having to run for the water cooler.
- I'll probably be there for lunch on Sunday.