Lauren Drewes Daniels
Audio By Carbonatix
With the World (Cup) in Dallas, we thought it’d be a great time to point everyone to some of the best our city has to offer when it comes to tacos. It’s one of the cuisines we’re most proud of and, honestly, we have a lot to offer in terms of creativity, skill, and true Mexican flavors. And with this list you can go elevated (Revolover Taco Lounge in Deep Ellum) or simple (El Si Hay in Oak Cliff). Or you can even go luchador (Maskaras, Oak Cliff).
This is a round-up of the best tacos we’ve enjoyed in Dallas recently. Did we miss one? Let us know, and we’ll gladly report back to update this list if we see fit.
As to not start an actual fight, here are our favorites, in alphabetical order. Yes, we’re as soft as warm tortillas over here.
Chilangos Tacos
Multiple Locations
Every taco lover in Dallas knows about this bright red taco stop in East Dallas. This is a Dallas-born taco chain that got started in 2019, and has since spread to a humble six locations across Dallas, plus one in Nashville and one in Las Vegas. Chilangos specializes in Mexico City-style tacos using eight different meat cuts, including a signature ribeye to make both tacos and quesadillas. Monday through Friday they do breakfast tacos from 7 to 11 a.m., and the weekends feature birria.
El Pueblo
525 E Jefferson Blvd., Oak Cliff
This stretch of road in Oak Cliff is a gold mine for Mexican cuisine, and on a recent trip to the area, we stopped into the vibrant gem, El Pueblo. This is an old-school style Mexican restaurant that still has the hand-painted booths and decor from decades ago. The salsas are some of our favorites that we’ve had because they ride the line of being too hot, but the flavors are so complex and craveable that you have no choice but to continue putting it onto your tacos and suffering through. A word of advice: soften the blow with a horchata.
Jazzy’s Tacos Pop-Up
Weekly location changes We think about Jazzy’s Tacos. We drool. This pop-up taco spot is on the move weekly, and you never know where they’ll be next. Well, you will with the pinned post on their Instagram, but we’ve spotted them in Oak Cliff, Addison, Fort Worth and Carrollton, which means they’re likely coming to a storefront near you. The menu is small because they’re a pop-up, but they’re maximizing every inch of grill space with quesa and street-style tacos, ramen, pizzadillas, tortas and regular quesadillas. Everything they make is overflowing with meat and cheese, and it won’t matter where the next pop-up is, you’ll be there.
La Excelencia Comida Mexicana
4605 Maple Ave., Medical District
When we see this little pink and orange color-blocked building a few turns off the tollway, Honey, we’re home. The smells when you walk in will make you levitate. They serve made-to-order dishes, which are served with fresh salsa made daily and a variety of sauces to experiment with. Caution: these are hot. Try your español when ordering, so as long as you know the basics, you’ll be fine.
La Salsa Verde Taquería
2950 W. Northwest Highway, Near Love Field
Check the comments of any online video claiming to have the best tacos in Dallas, and someone is going up to bat for this taqueria. La Salsa Verde Taqueria is a Dallas micro-chain (how’s that for a niche) known for its tacos de cabeza, or tacos stuffed with meat from a cow’s head (and a good amount of cheek). It has locations across the metro, but one of the best is near the airport off Webb Chapel. Cabeza is an obvious order here, and we enjoyed the birria so much we almost asked for a straw for the consomme.
Tacos ahogados from Las Maskaras Mexican Grille.
Lauren Drewes Daniels
Maskaras Mexican Grille
2423 W. Kiest Blvd., Oak Cliff
Texas Monthly recognized Maskaras Mexican Grille as having some of the 50 Best Tacos in Texas, so absolutely, they’re serving some of the best tacos in Dallas. Maskaras is all about a love for tacos and Mexican wrestling, and it’s brought to life with the luchador memorabilia and masks decorating the interior walls. Staples like the tacos ahogados (drowned tacos) from owner Rodolfo Jiménez’s home state of Jalisco keep the line long and steady, but the different styles of tacos, burritos and tortas are all solid as well.
Rayo’s Taqueria
11411 E. NW Highway, White Rock Late
Rayo’s Taqueria serves a menu of heavy hitters just East of White Rock Lake. The breakfast burritos are a gluttonous and filling way to be introduced to the menu, but you’d be remiss to not order a plate of tacos at some point. The LED is only on for a fraction of the time, and there is a SpongeBob painting on the glass outside. It’s perfect.
Revolver Taco Lounge
2646 Elm St., Deep Ellum
Revolver Taco Lounge is another Texas Monthly pick that made the number four pick of the 50 Best Tacos in Texas. Owner Regino Rojas has pushed the boundaries of the taco scene in Dallas for over 10 years, filling corn and flour tortillas with duck breast, ruby red trout and the most iconic, the pulpo al pastor. This taco, filled with a whole, large Mediterranean octopus tentacle grilled al pastor-style, is served with grilled pinapple, scallions, cilantro, jalapeño salsa verde rolled up in an extra-large corn tortilla. It’s what put them in the top five on Texas Monthly’s yearly round-up.
Rosi Taqueria
225 W. Illinois Ave., Southern Dallas
No social media. No website. Just tacos and vibes under the Chevron gas station lights. This food truck makes fresh tortillas by hand to order, and they’re exactly what we’d expect a maiz cloud to feel like. Packed into them are fajitas, a few different cuts of beef, and other fillings, including nopales (cactus). They’re open Monday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m., and closed on Wednesday and Sunday. Depending on the day, be prepared to wait in a line and get there at a decent hour in case they sell out.
Señor Oink
12990 Bee St., Farmers Branch
Last summer, Maurico Gallegos, who is also of Xaman Cafe and Ayahuasca in Oak Cliff, opened this brand new spot for carnitas. Just carnitas. Gallegos imported two cazos, traditional copper cooking pots from Mexico, to cook five different cuts of pork, and they all make up a menu of mostly tacos, a handful os specials and by-the-pound-ordering for groups and families. Last year, Senior Oink won the Observer’s Best of Dallas award for carnitas, and we loved that they could be dressed in five different ways and be paired with house made drink mixes.
Tacos La Banqueta Puro DF
1305 N. Carroll Ave., Oak Cliff
East Dallas is a haven for low-key taquerias, and Tacos La Banqueta Puro DF is one of ’em. They do tacos, quesadillas, alambre, tortas, plus a whole section dedicated to gringas. They have a few different locations, but the one off Carroll Avenue (and the one in Arlington, but that’s not Dallas) are the two best. The tacos with corn tortillas are priced at a generous $2.70, which is a steal. Add $0.30 if you want them on flour. Remember, while the red salsa is usually hotter than the green, they swap them here.
Taquería El Si Hay
601 W Davis St., Oak Cliff
I mean, duh? Right. This resident taqueria has been an Oak Cliff staple for over 25 years. People will stand in the rain before this tiny, bite-sized restaurant just for one of their styrofoam containers full of grease and flavor. It’s simple. Tacos and drinks, and an elote cart off to the side. Everything they serve is $3 and under, and cash only, so hit an ATM before you go. Get there early so you don’t get there right as the last cup of elote is sold before your eyes.
Taqueria Los Pinos was one of our many favorite local taquerias.
Aaren Prody
Taquería Los Pinos #2
837 E. Irving Blvd., Irving
This vibrant little taqueria may be a bit discreet, but it’s no match for our sleuthing skills. We know a gem when we see it. If it can be created with meat, cheese and a tortilla or the corn or flour variety, they have it here. The Chata plates are a great value at $13.99, which includes two tacos, two gorditas, rice and beans. It’s all made-to-order, so it comes out piping hot. They also serve breakfast, which looks just as stellar as their lunch and dinner items. On Tuesdays, they host a killer taco deal where you can grab 10 tacos for $18 or 20 tacos for $30.
