Co-owner Jennifer Reyes had long dreamed of opening a taco spot. When she and her husband first met, they had frequent date nights at taquerias. It became something they were known for.
“When we first met, we would always go on taco dates, and it's funny, because everybody would be like, ‘Oh, where are they at, oh, they went to go get tacos,’ so that was our thing,” Reyes says.
Their favorite spot was El Taco Loco on East Grand Avenue, but it has since closed. Their second most frequented spot eventually changed its recipes, so naturally, they stopped going. Those changes at that restaurant are the reason they now emphasize consistency.
“We want to be perfect,” Reyes says. “That was one thing that I was like, ‘If I ever have a taqueria, my main thing is going to be quality and consistency.’”
The Oak Cliff location was a bit of a fixer-upper, but looking at it now, no one would have ever guessed SoulTopia, a holistic boutique, used to be there. The place has been transformed.
The owners worked together to transform the space; they removed the old carpet and created an exposed ceiling, adding more depth inside the restaurant. Now, neon signs and marquee-style lights brighten the inside.
Manager Javier Ventura was instrumental in developing the culinary direction of the concept.
“I'm in love with Mexico City food," Ventura says. "That's my favorite place to visit when I go to Mexico. So I immediately thought that it was going to be a Mexico City-style taqueria.”
Javier Ventura had a vision to design a mural on the back wall with photos he took in Mexico City.
Melanie Hernandez
“I knew that I wanted to create a mural with something, I just wasn't sure what, so I thought, ‘Why don't I put all the taquerias in parts of Mexico City on this wall,’ so I stopped at every taco stand,” Ventura says. “That's my finger on the plate; that's me ordering tacos; I would order tacos to take some pictures and give them to the people that were eating there.”
Ventura's 27 years of experience in the service industry have made him an asset to the business. He took the lead in creating the concept, recipes and menu and provided other professional advice.
A highlight of the menu is the costra-style tacos (melted asadero cheese-crusted tortilla). There are also campechanos (mixed steak and chorizo), piratas (steak) and gringas (al pastor).
Meat options are suadero, steak, trompo (marinated pork), chicken, chorizo and vegan pastor. They also have appetizers like guacamole, chips and salsa, elote and cebollitas (grilled onions). Wash it all down with a margarita.
“You know, the venue itself looks amazing, it's beautiful, and it's my baby. I'm proud of what I've done so far and whenever I hear people talking about the place, like, ‘Wow this place looks amazing, it's beautiful,’” Reyes says. We literally have a concept that we can just copy and paste, copy and paste, you know, it makes me feel good.”
Donde Los Tacos, 900 W. Davis St, Open Sunday – Thursday from 10 a.m. – 11 p.m., Friday – Saturday 11 a.m. – 12 a.m.
