Crafted! The Art of the Taco, is Not a Mexican Restaurant. But Oh, What it Is!

Crafted! is located at 219-A South Elm Street (near the intersection with February One, across from Inferno nightclub). Open 11am - 2pm Monday, 11am - 10pm Tuesday through Saturday; and 11am – 3pm Sunday.


I had the great pleasure of visiting downtown Greensboro's very own Crafted! and meeting and speaking with co-owners Rhonda Fuller and her daughter, Kristina Fuller. Rhonda, vivacious and bubbly, socializes easily with customers and handles the business side of things, and Kristina, full of knowledge and expertise about food, is the culinary wizard behind the amazing menu. They emphasize that Crafted! is not a Mexican restaurant, but a restaurant that features “globally-inspired creations, housed conveniently in a tortilla shell.” Kristina is a big advocate for the tortilla, deeming it to be a more or less perfect container for all kinds of great food.

Of course, even though Crafted! is well-known for its fantastic tacos, whimsically named after hipster gear (the Fedora, Bow Tie and Messenger are as de rigeur to eat as they are to wear, now!), there is so much more available on the menu: The restaurant features mouth-watering burgers, such as the immensely popular One and Only, a beef burger topped with aged white cheddar pimento cheese, bacon and caramelized onions, and such cool appetizers as the Stuffed Avocado and the Mason of Bacon, a mason jar full of sliced applewood bacon with salted caramel, cracked pepper and spicy chocolate that often ends up as dessert selection, as well! The food is complimented by selections from the bar—best-sellers include the bacon bloody mary, the jalapeno margarita, and the orange-ginger margarita, which sounds amazing.

Although tacos like the Fixie and the Big Truck are perennial faves at Crafted!, Kristina also recommends the Oxford, which contains fried chicken, spaghetti squash slaw and spicy Asian mustard. I personally enjoyed the Bow Tie, a fried fish taco with roasted corn and poblano salsa, sweet chipotle aioli and honey mustard, garnished with fresh cilantro. The fragrance of the fresh cilantro, the crisp snap of the sweet corn and the crunchy, flavorful fish were an incredibly delicious combination of sweet and savory tastes, and although I am fairly sensitive to spicy food, Scots-Irish gal that I am, the heat from this was only a whisper, just enough to add personality. I washed my meal down with a Diet Pepsi, which was served charmingly in a mason jar.

The whole restaurant is charming, really—the colorful walls and funky artwork, including recycled-materials sculpture, the upbeat music and friendly atmosphere all combine to make it an awesome place for hanging out, maybe after a show at Triad Stage or a mani-pedi at Chakras. And don't forget Sunday brunch! Downtown Greensboro is really waking up on weekends, these days and a great way to kick off a day of shopping and gallery-hopping downtown is to stop in at Crafted! for Sunday brunch. The menu differs from their regular offerings and can be viewed here http://craftedtheartofthetaco.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Crafted-Brunch.pdf. What better excuse to try a bacon bloody mary? Crafted! is a great place for everyone, regardless of dietary restrictions, as the menu was created to be hypo-allergenic (no nuts in anything), vegetarian- and vegan-friendly, and even offers gluten-free options. Kristina says that 85% of the menu can be made vegan, and it still offers plenty of savory meat substitutes and proteins, like seitan, tofu and falafel.

I was excited to hear that, in February, Rhonda and Kristina plan to expand Crafted! to another location, across from Deep Roots Market in the old Steele and Vaughn building. In addition to the restaurant, there will be a brewery, and there will be more open space and much more seating (about one and a half times as much, including outdoor seating) at the new location. They will also have an area that can be reserved for private parties as well as regular restaurant patrons. Speaking of private parties I'll bet you didn't know that Crafted! offers catering, as well, so if you want their fantastic food at your wedding, graduation party or business meeting, they can bring it to you, and even set it up and serve it. They offer a range of selections, from a simple-yet-tasty taco bar to a more “designer” menu, fully-customized to your needs.

Above all, the gospel at Crafted! is quality, freshness, and great taste. The kitchen staff arrives early in the morning to begin prep work for the 11am opening. All the food is freshly prepared from fresh ingredients, the choicest-quality meats are braised overnight for tenderness and infusion of flavor, and all of this passion for quality shines through in the food, from the appetizing presentation and delicious fragrance to the burst of flavor in every delicious bite. All of this comes at a very reasonable price, so stop in to Greensboro's finest taco joint and have some of the yummiest food around. Tell them Ali sent ya!

You can also find What's Good in Greensbroro? on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Whats-Good-in-Greensboro-848569635208317/ . See you there!