Visit Gilberto’s Taco Shop for More Than its Baseball Fight Mural

Gilberto’s Taco Shop on Park Row in Arlington has gained a lot of recognition for a mural on an outside wall depicting former Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor punching Jose Bautista of Toronto Blue Jays during a game in 2016. The artwork was created by local artist Juan Velázquez.

This restaurant is the second outpost for Gilberto’s. The original, which opened in 2019, is on Abram Street, one mile south of AT&T Stadium. 

Owner Jose Ruiz has been renovating the restaurant space that is catty-corner from Arlington High School (go Colts) for more than six months. It was previously a coastal Mexican restaurant and more recently a burger spot. Ruiz commissioned the mural as a way to energize Rangers fans, and it was actually a brilliant touch of marketing.

After it was completed, the city of Arlington notified Ruiz that he needed to remove the mural because he didn’t get a permit. Eyes rolled and there were a lot of “pfffts,” but it didn’t take long for the city to decide the mural could stay.

Ruiz has completely gutted and refreshed the interior of the restaurant.  A bright collage inside along the back wall depicts Mexican pop and sports icons. Touches of bright yellow and red gives the place some energy.

Don’t let the Odor-Bautista mural here be a distraction, though; well, maybe for a minute, because it is pretty cool. But don’t let that be the only reason you stop by. While Arlington has a lot of good Mexican food, Gilberto’s may top the list.

A standout quality of Gilberto’s is the service. Staff is quick to greet everyone who walks in. Guests order at the counter, and the food is brought out to the table with a touch of urgency. We sat down to take in the full menu but it didn’t take long to decide; we’d done a bit of research beforehand.

Gilberto’s serves breakfast all day: tacos, birria, tortas, tostadas, combination plates and burritos. All the usual proteins make an appearance, as well as tripas, lengua and cabeza. On Saturday and Sunday, there’s menudo ($10).

What’s really nice is that only a few things on the menu cost more than $10, and the portions are generous. A half order of super fries ($10.50) will easily feed four. Chunks of beef are spread over a large basket of fries with cheddar cheese and sour cream. A server brought us three bottles of hot sauce; two greens, one red – all piquant, one fire.

I went with the No. 19 combination: five rolled tacos supreme served with rice and beans for $9.99. It’s hard to describe rice and beans when it’s been a part of your life since before you can remember, but these were really good; simple, nothing crazy. Some shredded cheese on the top of the beans – always a nice touch.

The rolled tacos are stacked into a pyramid with shredded lettuce, cheese, pico and salsa atop. It feels like a rolled taco party. It is, actually. Again, the portions are generous; two tacos were enough, but I ate three and took two home.

The birria tacos have a surprising bit of heat, a nice change from others that are downright bland. An order of three is served with limes, cilantro, onions and thin slices of radish along with the consommé. Sometimes these can seem dried out after lingering too long on a grill, but these were made fresh and were some of the better birria tacos we’ve tried. We got a half order of rice and beans to go with the tacos.

Service is energetic, the space is bright – quite nice for a “taco stand” – and the plates of food are very good. So, head over for a selfie in front of the mural but don’t skip the meal.

There’s a drive-through around back if that’s your thing. Gilberto’s opens at 8 a.m. for breakfast seven days a week and stays open until 11 p.m.

Gilberto’s Taco Shop, 611 W. Park Row Drive. Daily, 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.