Good, fast, and cheap does exist
5 out of 5 - Guasaca is my most visited Durham restaurant and it’s not even close
You know that diagram that has good, cheap, and fast? The idea is you can only choose two of the three options because it’s so rare to find all three. Guasaca lives comfortably in the sweet spot of all three descriptors. I can confidently say that because it’s a big part of the reason I’ve visited Guasaca pretty much at least once a week for the past year and a half.
Good. I’m admittedly biased because I love Latin-American food. I grew up eating it a few times a week (my mom is Panamanian) and it’s always been my comfort food. However, I can be picky when it comes to the staples like rice, plantains, and chicken. Guasaca absolutely delivers on all of this and more. The bowl options are fantastic and the arepas are a nice departure from the typical burrito or something you might get at Chipotle.
Cheap. Cheap can have a bad connotation in a city where you have so many delicious options but trust me when I say cheap it does not reflect the quality of the food. You can get a filling arepa for under $10 and you can get a hearty bowl for around $12 (as of Nov 2022). These prices are a huge reason that I pick up Guasaca so often. It is consistently delicious and I know exactly what I’m going to get for my money which isn’t always the case at cheaper spots.
Fast. When I order online they consistently beat the estimated order complete time. They use toast tab for their ordering system so you don’t have to fiddle with any one-off logins or funky systems. A heads up for those of you that prefer ordering in person: I have had a few slower experiences when ordering at Guasca. Usually, it’s because there’s someone who isn’t quite sure what they want to order or how to best order. They also sometimes have big group orders that can add to the wait time. However, I’ve never had either of these issues when ordering online so I definitely recommend that route unless you’d like to dine-in.
Pro-tips: try the guasca with their chips, try the dessert cup, and definitely try all the sauces to see which is your favorite.