Hungry? Follow this Taunton woman for Instagram, TikTok reviews of 'hidden gem' restaurants

TAUNTON — Looking to grab a bite in the city, but unsure where to start?

Taunton’s Veronica Lopez has got you covered.

On her restaurant review page on Instagram, @goodgrubma, Lopez tries restaurants from around the Taunton area — and even beyond — and then shares her meal and her experience.

With Goodgrubma, Lopez also offers food suggestions and personalized recommendations, and she takes recommendations for places that she should try out next.

Her page declares that she’s “helping you find hidden gems one restaurant at a time.”

The 23-year-old Taunton resident grew up in Randolph but has lived in the city for the past four years and considers Taunton her home.

A lifelong interest in, as well as her work in, restaurants and the food industry, and time spent with family celebrating special occasions by going out to eat all inspired her to start Goodgrubma.

“I remember growing up my parents would take my brothers and I out to eat for our birthdays, to celebrate our accomplishments, and I loved it,” Lopez said in an email interview with the Taunton Daily Gazette.

“I really enjoyed going to different restaurants and bonding with my family over dinner. I feel like good food and good drinks bring people together.”

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When she got older, Lopez would try new restaurants, but a Google search for “restaurants near me” wasn’t always delivering satisfying results.

It was “difficult to find a good food place, especially since I’m more of a visual person. I like to see pictures of the food, how the place looks, and see what people have to say about the restaurant so I can decide whether or not I want to go there.”

Lopez didn’t know anyone who had a local food page, so she figured she would start her own, creating Goodgrubma in January 2021.

“I remember hitting 100 followers and I was so happy. Then local restaurants like The Riverhouse, La Familia, and Crispi’s followed me and I was ecstatic. I remember telling my friends because I was so happy. The little things mean the most to me,” Lopez said.

Growing up, Lopez was a big fan of the popular Food Network show, “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” with chef Guy Fieri.

She’d watch the show with her dad, “and we would always talk about how cool it would be to make a living out of traveling and trying new foods. It would be cool to be like the girl version of Guy Fieri, but from Taunton.”

Lopez has had jobs that run the gamut in the restaurant industry:

“From busing tables to hosting, to being a waitress, I’ve done it all. I feel like that is why I take everything into account when I go to restaurants because I was once there. It’s not easy working in the food industry: there’s so many things that go along with keeping a business afloat that many people don’t realize.”

These days, Lopez works for Community Counseling of Bristol County. She has a dog and a cat, and her free time is spent with family, friends, and working out with her trainer Jason Andrade at PUSH Fitness in Taunton. And, of course, reviewing local restaurants.

Goodgrubma is mainly focused on small, usually family-owned businesses.

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“The main reason I love having a food page is because I want to shine a light to small businesses and local restaurants. Most of the time they’re family owned …. Some of these places have been owned by multiple generations and with everything going on with COVID, so many of them have had to close their doors because they’re losing business. Our mom and pop shops are so important to our community; they are what keeps everything going.”

Lopez has visited restaurants all over Massachusetts to spotlight them on her page, but much of her focus has been on restaurants around and relatively close to the Taunton area.

Taunton area restaurants she’s visited include: Society Coffee Bar, Poutine Peddlers, Colonial Donut Shop, Los Jefes, La Familia, Riverhouse, Kev’s Ice Cream (East Taunton), Farm 2 Cup Juicery (Raynham), Sweet & Earthy (Raynham), Bobcat’s food truck (East Taunton), and El Mariachi.

She’s also visited the Ice ’N’ Roll ice cream shop in Fall River and Macray's Seafood in Tiverton.

“I have covered a lot of local places and I’m always looking for more to try! The support I’ve received from the people in Taunton is honestly amazing,” Lopez said.

She’s looking forward to trying more soon.

“I’ve spoken with the owner of Star Drive-In; I’ll be stopping there sometime soon. I’m also excited to try Tropical Llama.”

Tropical Llama recently opened in Raynham, serving up Dominican and Bolivian cuisine.

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Lopez is also looking at restaurants in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York to visit in the near future.

Lopez also runs a TikTok food page with the same name: @goodgrubma.

To send her a recommendation for places to try, reach out on Instagram, or by email at goodgrubma@gmail.com. Lopez also provides personalized recommendations, based on the favorite foods of the person asking, what their budget is, and what area they would like to visit.

“When I first created the page, I did it for fun, and as time went on it became something I really enjoyed spending my time on. The support I’ve received from my friends, family, and strangers is what makes everything so much more worth it.”

Taunton Daily Gazette/Herald News copy editor and digital producer Kristina Fontes can be reached at kfontes@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton woman reviews local MA restaurants on Instagram Goodgrubma