$10 Tuesdays – Holy Guacamole

2906 Main St., Santa Monica - a little turquoise building sits with pink window frames, no name on the front, and the only thing that reveals that this place is a restaurant is the neon sign in the window proudly displaying, ‘tacos.’ Not until you walk through their swinging doors do you see the name ‘Holy Guacamole’ painted on the tilted ceiling. I caught wind that Holy Guacamole serves authentic Mexican food at affordable prices, so I decided to check it out for this week's $10 expenditure.

Except for the ‘Holy Guacamole,’ the walls are white and basement-like, and the place is small and rather dark. Four small dark wooden tables with chairs are placed against the wall on the right side of the joint. On the left stands a bar - one end for placing your order and picking up your food, and the rest is composed of bar stools where you can sit and watch chefs preparing the tacos and burritos that you are about to consume.

The restaurant serves their tacos on small corn tortillas with tomato, onion, cilantro and your choice of meat, just like a Mexican street taco. Their tacos cost $2.73 (fish $3.20), and two is about the right amount to fill you up, along with the tortilla chips and hot or mild salsa that come on the side of every order. You can also add Guacamole to any taco for an extra 50 cents.

Al Pastor is the house’s self-proclaimed specialty, a grilled pork marinated in Mexican barbeque sauce. Don’t forget to put salsa on this one, as the Mexican barbeque sauce does not add much taste, and the meat is a little bit dry. Their pollo (chicken) on the other hand is more exciting. Not too mild, and not too spicy, add some guacamole to make it perfect.

If you are a big eater, or just very hungry, a burrito would be the wise choice. Served in a flour tortilla with rice, beans, tomato, onion, cilantro, and your choice of meat, you get a huge burrito for $6.87. You can also make it ‘wet’ for $2.54 extra, meaning your burrito arrives with guacamole, mole sauce, melted cheese, and sour cream ladled over the top.

Sides offered include: beans, Spanish rice, guacamole, chips, and salsa, each for about one or two dollars. Don’t forget to try their pickled carrots, jalapenos, and radishes - free for the picking on the side of the register.

Beverages offered are Jarritos sodas of different flavors, non-alcoholic sangria, and Mexican Coca-Cola served in glass bottles. Mexican coke is sweetened with real cane sugar, unlike the American version that is sweetened with corn syrup. The real sugar gives the beverage a different and more natural taste that I recommend for the Coca-Cola fan.

Holy Guacamole is perfect for lunch as well as dinner. If too crowded, utilize the outside window facing Main St. for to-go orders. The joint is open until 12 a.m. on weekdays, and 2 a.m. on weekends, which makes it a perfect after-bar snack. There is parking on the street and in the rear, but unfortunately not for free.

Yay! – Free chips and salsa with every order.

Nay! – Seating can be hard to find, as the place is often busy.