The building located at 101 Highway 22 W., Madisonville, La., has been cursed for years with plenty of restaurants coming and going, never staying for more than a year including River Chicks and a Krispy Krunchy.  Empa Taco has been in that location for more than two years now and has even done some expansion. The only reason Empa Taco has been able to outlast the curse is because of how fantastic their food is.

Empa Taco started out as a small place with posters on the wall with their menu and only a couple places to sit. Just two years later, they just finished their first remodel, adding a covered outside seating area and two flat screen televisions for their menus. This is the most successful building that’s been there since I can remember.

I go there so much that when I walk in they ask, “What’s it today, the Empa Hawaiian or the Arepas?” I was hungry that day so a went for the Arepas. An Arepa is a sandwich-type thing with beautiful, thick golden-fried corn tortillas as the bread with either shredded pork, beef, or chicken (I always get the pork), and a thick layer of mozzarella cheese and bright red cabbage. Right after I order, I go straight to the sauces. I get two sauce cups of vibrant orange chipotle avocado sauce and two cups of the deep red Empa spicy sauce.

The woman who took my order brought out my pork Arepa with a smile on her face. I tried to take a bite immediately but it was way too hot for any human to hold. I waited a couple of minutes, and my mouth started watering from hunger and the smells of the pork. Finally, it was finally cool enough to pick up and eat, so I took a huge bite out of it, and the pork was incredibly juicy along with the golden brown crispy-fried corn tortillas and the smooth creamy mozzarella. It was still hot, so I took a big gulp of water to wash it all down. I took my next bite with it smothered in the two sauces, and it was super spicy, but still delicious.

If you are looking for something cheap, small, and fast, I highly suggest the the Empa Chicken. It is $3 overall, and it comes out in two minutes. Most importantly, however, its affordability and speed in no way compromise the delicious flavor that is unique to Empa Taco.

Overall, I give Empa Taco an almost perfect 9.5 out of 10.