First Look: Tacos & Avocados Lands in Downtown Carrollton

There’s a spot in old downtown Carrollton, right next to Cane Rosso, that has multiple personalities. Decades ago, when I was in high school, it was a car mechanic shop; before that, a gas station. Over the intervening years, it has morphed into several types of businesses, most recently Monkey King Noodle and then a Cow Tipping Creamery location.
We noticed it has risen yet again from the ashes when we were visiting Everything Madeleine for sweet treats last fall. Enter a new Tex-Mex restaurant called Tacos & Avocados … or rather Mex-Tex, as this place likes to be called. A somewhat generic name playfully abbreviated to “T & A” on the neon sign outside. Let’s assume they’re Stones fans.

Tacos & Avocados is from longtime Dallas restaurateur Bob Gregg, who owns Jakes Burgers. (He also owns Floyd’s 99 Barbershops.)
The restaurant opened in November, putting its mark on the location with bright colors, landscaping and an inviting outdoor patio that we were unable to enjoy due to a recent arctic blast. That’s OK; the interior is cozy as well.

There is alcohol to be had, from a dozen or so tequilas, a handful of mezcal varieties and a bunch of bottled and canned beer, including non-alcoholic Shiner Rodeo. There are several house cocktails such as a spiced horchata and a Jalisco Breeze. The mandatory frozen margarita is served up in a blue salt-rimmed glass, which we enjoyed while munching on chips and salsa.
Starters include avocado hummus, blistered shishito peppers, elotes and different types of queso. We went with the loaded variety that includes chorizo and cilantro. It arrived like Baby Bear, not too big, not too little, not too bland nor too spicy.

Main selections include tacos (pastor, brisket, vegan), bowls (brisket poblano, shrimp cocktail, vegan), burritos, soups and salads. We ordered quesabirria tacos and a fried avocado bowl.
The birria tacos came three to an order, served in corn tortillas topped with jack cheese, grilled in consommé and filled with tender slow-cooked beef birria. They're served with rice and beans and a side of the consommé for dipping. We’d heard that you should ask for them spicy, which we did; the spice level was a bit less than we were expecting. Still, the flavor was there: they were not bland, just not off-the-charts spicy.

The fried avocado bowl came with two breaded and fried avocado halves filled with carnitas, queso and tomatillo salsa, all topped with pico de gallo and pickled carrot atop a bed of shredded lettuce. It was light and packed a hefty protein punch that didn’t leave us overly full.

Dessert options include margarita pie, which appears to be their take on Key lime pie, and house-made popsicles in seasonal flavors. Those will have to wait for the dog days of summer.

Hopefully, Tacos & Avocados will make this site work. It’s a welcome addition to historic downtown Carrollton.