This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to the Dilworth area of Charlotte and to Babalu Tapas & Tacos, a neighborhood restaurant serving upscale Latin-inspired cuisine. From the minute you walk into the dining room you immediately discover that each eating area is uniquely designed.

New and freshly painted. Wonder how long it’ll stay that way. lol

Dora here. I agree. The spacious interior had a little something to make everyone comfortable with various textures like a wood ceiling, open ducts, concrete communal bars, and private tables.

For my lunch, I chose two tacos: the Carne de Cerdo, smoked pork belly, a chipotle-citrus BBQ sauce, peanut slaw, cotija cheese; and the Camarones, grilled shrimp and cilantro slaw, both on blue tortillas. I added a side of grilled broccolini sprinkled with goat cheese.

Carne de Cerdo and Camarones, both great!

The tacos were both great, but the pork belly was my favorite. The crunch of the slaw and the creamy favor of the cheese made this one tasty taco. But the superstar was the grilled broccolini, with its roasted smoky favor and crumbly cheese, this side was cooked to just the right crunch.

Broccolini-superstar of my meal

Dora here. Ernie can keep his broccolini. lol. The Chicken Satay was melt in your mouth delicious! Four mini skewers of teriyaki glazed chicken, yellow rice, black beans and salsa. With a light hint of citrus, this dish packed a little heat but no burn. Absolutely one of my new favorite meals. And, even though this is considered a small plate, this meal satisfied.

Chicken Satay – Melt in your mouth delicious!

Dora here. From their early reviews we understood there might’ve been a bit of a service issue. Apparently, that’s been corrected because service was attentive and the food came out quick. If you’re worried about parking, they have a few spots up front, but their complimentary valet made parking a breeze.

What’s your favorite veggie?

We rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.