SPRINGFIELD – Bueno Y Sano is no hidden gem, go anywhere in the Pioneer Valley and people will know of the restaurant’s delicious cuisine.

My house is no exception to this – in fact Bueno has become a regular on our rotation of places we order takeout from. Over the years we’ve worked our way down the Springfield menu, trying the various tacos, quesadillas and burritos offered.

My favorite and most frequently ordered item on the menu are chipotle chicken tacos. Chicken tacos are, hands down, my favorite food.

Most places offer a standard soft-shell taco, meaning they take a small tortilla and fold it in half with toppings in the middle. What makes Bueno’s tacos unique is that they don’t look like your standard soft taco – instead they look like baby burritos.

I personally love this because you can hold more toppings without them ending up all over the place. While you can’t go wrong with the traditional taco fold, I’m the type of person who fills their taco with so many toppings it’s basically a mini-burrito anyway. With Bueno’s tacos I don’t get nervous about loading up on toppings, and can eat them knowing they’re not going to burst out.

Cheese, lettuce and mild, medium, hot or wicked hot sauce come on all the tacos. They all also come with a side of pico de gallo. Additional toppings you can add for free include sour cream, chipotle sour cream, low fat yogurt, cilantro, grilled garlic, chopped jalapeno, chopped red onion and vegan queso. You can get extra of the standard toppings.

I like a ton of flavors, so I always get grilled garlic, chipotle sour cream, cilantro, chopped red onion and chopped jalapeno. Consider yourself warned though: the garlic, while wildly delicious, is incredibly smelly. So if you’re planning on impressing someone during quarantine, or going on a date to Bueno after this is all over, maybe skip the garlic.

Tacos can be bought individually or you can spend an additional $2 to make it a taco special. The taco special includes two tacos of your choice, rice, beans and a grilled jalapeno. Grilled jalapenos are described as a grilled pepper “stuffed with cream cheese and chopped grilled mushrooms.” These are also a favorite of mine as they’re the perfect combination of savory and spicy. They’re always flavorful, juicy and the perfect combination of flavors.

I could rave about Bueno’s selection of delicious food all day, but I’ll spare you and tell you that you can order it yourself online or at one of their various locations. Bueno Y Sano has locations at the following places:
•1 Boltwood Walk in Amherst
•134 Main St. in Northampton
•880 Sumner Ave. in Springfield
•935 Riverdale St. in West Springfield
•3 Elm St. in South Deerfield

Orders can be placed online or each location’s menu can be viewed at https://buenoysano.com/locations-menus/.