Tzango’s a new take on Mexican food available in Macon

There has been a Mexican restaurant for years at this location on Hartley Bridge Road, but the new owners of Tzango Cocina del Mundo pride themselves on their food being more authentic and of a higher quality than previous restaurants located here.

However, higher quality comes with a higher price. Where a family of four could have dinner for less than $30 before, it’s now double that, at an average of $15 per person including an 18-percent tip.

The menu is unlike most Mexican restaurants around Middle Georgia. The “Tacos de Plaza” section has taco selections at $3.50 for one and $9 for three, with no mixing or matching. Choose from steak, marinated pork, shredded brisket or pork, grilled shrimp or chicken, chorizo, ox tongue, grilled or fried fish, or vegetarian with broccoli and peppers. Add another $2 and get avocado, black beans, corn salsa, refried beans or rice.

The fajitas start at $13 for a single meat or $15 for two meats. If you want all the meats — steak, chicken, chorizo, carnitas and shrimp — it’s $17. If you want any of them for two people, add $7.

“Torta Day Specials” means you can get certain sandwiches, with two choices of fries, rice, refried beans, black beans or a salad, for $8 on certain days. Sunday features hamburger on a Portuguese roll, Monday features a Cuban, Tuesday has a Milanese lightly fried steak sandwich, and Wednesday has a beef sausage topped with bacon and caramelized onions. You can have them any other day for an extra $2.

Platters include the Old Mexico with two burritos and all the usual sides for $12, Pollo Asado with mushrooms for $10, and a charbroiled 10-ounce Fire Steak topped with fire-roasted salsa for $17. The jumbo Bulldog burrito contains stewed chicken and ground beef for $9.

The $6 guacamole had authentic ingredients — and no gringo additions like sour cream —but it was an unattractive mash of unwieldy chunks on a flat plate. The Oaxacan-style tamales, which I’ve never seen on a local menu, are wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn husks.

Overall, the restaurant is super clean and working hard to bring something different to this area. If you enjoy Latin American food but are tired of the same old choices, Tzango’s is worth a try.

Read more reviews of local restaurants

This story was originally published March 9, 2017 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Tzango’s a new take on Mexican food available in Macon."