Amigeaux's Review: This Is The 1 Taco You Must Try

JOLIET, IL — Joliet and Louisiana have practically nothing in common. We don't have any swamps, wild alligators, and downtown Joliet will never be confused with the French Quarter in New Orleans. But Joliet and Louisiana have more in common today than a year ago, and that's because of the new restaurant called Amigeaux's Sophisticated Street Food.

Amigeaux's opened in July at the former Arby's at the corner of Republic Avenue and Jefferson Street. Three restaurant entrepreneurs from Louisiana, who own several Arby's restaurant franchises, decided to make Joliet, of all places, the first site for their new restaurant spinoff called Amigeaux's (pronounced like Amigos).

"Experience a dynamic medley of traditional Southern and Tex-Mex-inspired cuisine with the jazzy flavors of New Orleans! Our gourmet tacos and sandwiches are inspired by street food traditions from around the world," Amigeaux's proclaims on its Facebook page.

Joliet's Jefferson Street has a wide variety of food choices, but it's always refreshing to see us land something new and something unique. That's where Amigeaux's excels.

Prior to Wednesday, I had never tried any of its food. That meant for some awkward encounters with a number of people around Joliet in recent weeks. This month, I've had several people ask me, "Hey, what do you think of that new Amigeaux's place at the former Arby's?"

I haven't checked them out, yet, I was forced to admit.

Finally, late Wednesday afternoon, I made it a point to try this new place out.

I went through the drive-thru. There were already two other vehicles waiting in front of me to pick up their orders.

What would I get? A new restaurant menu can be overwhelming at first. But I had heard through the grapevine that a lot of first time customers have been impressed with the coconut shrimp taco.

On the menu, it's No. 8, called the Coco Shrimp. The taco features crispy fried coconut shrimp, and it comes with avocado and Amigeaux's homemade pineapple salsa, plus there's a sweet chili sauce. This particular specialty taco comes on a flour tortilla.

Besides the coco shrimp taco, I went with the combo meal and selected the Cajun crinkle fries for my main side.

Sure enough, the pineapple, avocado and sweet chili sauce made for a great flavor blend. It's a sweet-tasting taco, definitely not on the spicy side at all. I also thought the Cajun crinkle fries were good, too. They taste absolutely nothing like the fries you would order at McDonald's, for instance.

I noticed the employees at Amigeaux's also strive for a personal touch. They ask for your name at the drive-thru station and write your name on the bag with your order. But if you're thinking of visiting the Amigeaux's for a Sunday afternoon lunch, don't do it.

Like Chick-fil-A, Amigeaux's also takes off Sundays off.

I included photos of the full menu at Amigeaux's below.

Not everyone in Joliet is going to fall in love with Amigeaux's. I get that. After all, Joliet's a rough and tough town and people around here often tend to the highlight the negative in everything they see. I'm sure people will be complaining about the new Portillo's Pickup triple drive-thru restaurant when it opens on Joliet's Larkin Avenue this winter.

But if you're in the mood to expand your horizons and step out of your usual fast-food comfort zone, consider giving the new Amigeaux's a try.