On average, Americans consume over 47 million pounds of avocados per week — that’s over 2.6 billion pounds per year. Those numbers continue to grow, and are projected to further increase in 2019.

Avocados are dominating household fruit bowls, restaurant menus and grocery store produce sections across the country. You’ll often find them mashed into guacamole, which has been gracing us with its creamy, earthy, slightly buttery and fresh flavor since the Aztecs christened it āhuacamolli — literally translated to “avocado sauce.”

Orange County is home to several restaurants that serve up variations on this versatile classic. When it comes to finding the best guac around town, there are plenty of candidates: Babalu, Lucha Tigre, Carrburritos, Monterrey, Ixtapa and last — but certainly not least — Mez. But who does it best? Where can you find the best guacamole around town?

The first stop on our guac tour was Babalu, in Chapel Hill. Babalu has been in business for just over a year now, tucked away in an alleyway behind Eastgate Shopping Center. Walking up to the restaurant you feel as though you’ve perhaps taken a wrong turn but, sure enough, there’s a hidden gem just a few steps away!

The restaurant welcomes you with a friendly entrance sign to reassure you are in the right place. The spacious interior is fitted with contemporary decorations, and the restaurant uses its somewhat obscure location to its advantage, diverting attention and making the atmosphere feel more like a private party than a public restaurant.

The first thing on the menu is, lo and behold, guacamole. Their guac is prepared tableside, a special guac cart rolled to you while you stay sitting pretty. Before we get too carried away, this show — and guac —  does come with a cost! Babalu is one of the more expensive options we explored in our guacamole tour, so keep that in mind. The designated “Guac Mixer” mixes together avocado, sun-dried tomato, red & green onion, kosher salt, cilantro and a squirt of lime juice in a traditional molcajete bowl. If you’re feeling a little frisky you can add jalapenos, fresh veggies and — wait for it — bacon. Yes, bacon! If this isn’t a major selling point for Babalu, I don’t know what is — and I most definitely added the bacon bits! The bacon added a new dimension of flavor, and the smooth tasting guac pairs all too well with the crispy and salty bacon bites. Customization is cool, as is the idea of seeing your guacamole freshly prepared tableside.

 

 

 

 

 

Next on the list is Lucha Tigre, an unassuming local favorite right off of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Lucha Tigre is a Latin-Asian fusion restaurant and might not come to mind as authentically Mexican, but the varities of flavors coming together make interesting and delicious combinations — to say nothing of the tequila/sake bar! Lucha Tigre almost has an artsy, modern art vibe — complete with a small courtyard and chic murals. The menu is divided by entrees and tapas to allow guests to choose between full meals and small plates to share.

The guac and chips has a surprising twist typical of Lucha Tigre’s fusion style combos. You can choose between sake-ginger or chipotle-pepita guacamole, or try a little bit of both. Either way, these guacs are priced in the middle tier, making them attractive for a more affordable night out. The sake-ginger guacamole is sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and is super refreshing, as it brings hints of ginger throughout each bite. The chipotle-pepita is topped with freshly diced tomato and has a mild spice and smokey flavor. Both varieties aren’t overpowering and are intriguing to try. A mix of thin corn and thick bubbly flour tortilla chips accompanies these unexpected guac flavors, also contributing to keeping things fresh and delicious.

  

Next, our journey brings us to Carrburritos, a family establishment local favorite for over two decades. It’s a quaint restaurant, tucked away off of Rosemary Street with a picturesque patio in the back. The restaurant has pops of color throughout and plenty of character. Carrburritos prides itself on serving fresh Mexican food, and you’ll see things like pure de papas — mashed sweet potatoes with caramelized onions — and vegetable asados with grilled marinated portabella mushroom, zucchini and red pepper on the menu, rotating based on what’s fresh and available that day.

The “freshest” guacamole and chips is a staple item here, but the secret to this combo is the homemade tortilla chips. A mix between these house-made chips and corn chips are served up with your guac. These salty, delectable chips provide the perfect transportation from point A (the guacamole) to point B (your mouth). If only this place had free refills on chips… and guac.

  

We continue the guac expedition to Monterrey Mexican Restaurant. Monterrey has two locations: one in Chapel Hill and one in Carrboro — plus the Monterrey Express, their local food truck. The go-to locations are filled with Mexican tile work, traditional Mexican art work and comfy booths that will have you glued to the seat bracing you for your Mexican feast. It’s family friendly and perfect for casual summer nights. The chunky guacamole dip is a prerequisite before any entrees come out. And they don’t lie when they say “chunky,” either. The guac is lightly mashed with hunks of ripe avocado, and loaded with onions, tomatoes and cilantro. It comes out quickly, served with a red picnic basket of tortilla chips ready to scarf down. Don’t worry about the chip-to-guac ratio, either. As long as there is guac, there will be chips. The restaurant refuses to leave any chip basket empty so that no guac gets left behind!

Monterrey is well known for a casual dining experience and munching on chips and guac. Even better, the two locations and food truck make it easily accessible for when your guac cravings need to be satisfied. Monterrey truly has the town bases covered and is affordable too!

 

We proceed to El Restaurante Ixtapa in Hillsborough. The restaurant is situated near the Eno River entrance in Hillsborough. Although this could be considered out of the way, if you’re looking for some heavenly Mexican food, they’ll hook you up. The guacamole “Ixtapa” is served with totopos, deep fried corn chips, and is the perfect introduction to this place. This guac is by far the most flavorful of the candidates. Every bite of this mouthwatering guac is filled with tomato, onion and cilantro. What could be better than a hot tortilla chips and cold guac on a summer day? Or any day, for that matter. Between the salty chips and tasty guac, it’s easy to scrape the bowl clean at this place.

  

The homey restaurant is filled with Mexican decorations and has an expansive outdoor seating area with lots of well-maintained foliage and welcoming, colored umbrellas for shade. Although this locale has a not-much-to-look at exterior, it’s serving up super authentic Mexican eats. Next time you’re in the Hillsborough area and hungry for Mexican, check it out! Ixtapa is the place to go for homestyle authenticity.

Last, but not least, we tried the guac at Mez-Contemporary Mexican in Durham. Mez is part of the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group, and incorporates a modern and healthy twist to traditional Mexican recipes. Located off of Page Road, it’s hard to miss Mez due to the pure size of the building you’ll find it in! This place is enormous, even fitting a rocky waterfall feature inside! It is a more upscale restaurant compared to others on our journey, so keep that in mind when planning a trip.

The guac is found under the “Antojitos” part of the menu, and does not disappoint! It is accompanied by a generous serving of tortilla chips and delivers straightforward and classic flavors. There’s no messing around with a simple recipe. The lively ambiance is the perfect pairing for this appetizer.

The area around Chapel Hill has plenty of options when it comes to restaurants serving up fantastic guacamole. It’s difficult to go wrong! For a fun and exciting experience head to Babalu. If your taste-buds are bored, Lucha Tigre will surprise them with new flavor combos. Carrburritos will be sure to deliver fresh and homemade flavors. With family or large groups? One of the several Monterrey locations will be sure to satisfy. If you’re looking for authentic bang for your buck, Ixtapa is the place for you! Lastly, Mez gives you a wow factor with its extravagant setting and guacamole!