A First Look at Sugar Skull, Trinity Groves’ New Taqueria

Yet another Trinity Groves restaurant opened this week. The culinary hatchery filled out the final space on the front of the main building, just past Resto Gastro Bistro, with a new taqueria called Sugar Skull Cafe. It’s the first restaurant in Trinity Groves to specialize in breakfast food alongside lunch and dinner options. They open up at 7 a.m. and more than half of the menu is devoted to breakfast tacos and breakfast plates.

Unfortunately, I arrived just after 11 a.m., when all the eggs turn to pumpkins and breakfast at this West Dallas calavera ceases to exist. Not that I was too disappointed: There are lots of other tacos to choose from at Trinity Groves’ latest.

Daytime tacos are broken into two separate categories. There are “street tacos” that boast simple proteins on freshly pressed tortillas. The barbacoa is beef cheek and not meat from the whole head of the cow, and it’s sliced instead of chopped like it is at most taquerias. Same as the onions, which are shaved into paper-thin ribbons rather than diced. Pastor with pineapples, chicken, steak and a few other animal parts get the street taco treatment. There’s also a vegetarian option filled with spinach and avocado.

The second set of tacos is a bit more involved. Pictured above on the right is the El Pescador, a fried snapper taco that’s a bit larger than the street models. It’s served with cabbage and a creamy sauce. These tacos run $3.75-$4.25, while the street tacos clock in at $2.25 a piece. Neither are exactly street taco prices.

But this isn’t exactly a humble taqueria, either. Sugar Skull Cafe is in Trinity Groves after all, lapped in a brand new coat of paint with new fixtures. There’s indoor and outdoor seating to grab after you’ve placed your order at the counter and the latter is shaded by a few old trees.

Certainly, it’s nice to have more taquerias in town embrace freshly made tortillas. And it’s amazing to watch Trinity Groves continue to outpace any other neighborhood in Dallas with regard to restaurant growth. There’s a directory to consult now, after you’ve parked your car, and the sounds of swinging hammers and other construction activities hint that there are more restaurants to come. For now, though, I’ll sit here and enjoy this beef cheek taco with a cold Topo Chico.

Sugar Skull Cafe, 3011 Gulden Lane, No. 102, (469) 729-8605, sugarskullcafe.com