There are a lot of choices around downtown Dallas when it comes to gas station tacos. Drive 20 minutes north and you’ll have a difficult time finding anything other than a McDonald’s, Whataburger or Subway serving food at the pump. Fortunately, coming back from a Saturday morning drive to Keller, Texas I waited at a traffic light near a Texaco that advertised tacos and burritos.

After a quick u-turn, I entered a rather busy gas station that had a small line waiting to order Mexican food.
At first, the $1.49 taco price looked like a bit of suburban price gouging compared to the inner city where most street tacos are $1 – $1.25, but after I received my order I could see why they were priced a bit higher than normal. The tacos are fairly large, similar to what you get at El Si Hay in Oak Cliff. Each taco is served with two tortillas. The corn is flavorful and durable. You’ll have no ripped tortillas with ingredients spilling out.  Best part is that they taste great and were a high point of this taqueria.

Jump if you like tacos.

I went with a couple beef fajitas and an al pastor (pork) taco.  Both meat choices were lean and flavorful, but I’ve had better seasoning on both at other locations.

For a taqueria down the street from Southlake Town Square, it is impressive for bringing authentic street tacos to suburbia. Other meat options included chicken, lengua (beef tongue), and carnitas (shredded pork.)  Of the two, I’d choose the al pastor again and try a chicken or lengua next time.

The salsa roja is homemade and has a rich, spicy flavor any taco fan will appreciate. There is a good amount of chopped onions and cilantro in each taco and a sliced raw jalapeno too.

Now all this place needs is a name.

Gas Station: Texaco

Address: 110 W Southlake Blvd (N White Chapel Blvd), Southlake, Texas 76092

Rating (4 out of 5 tacos):

The gas station market is small and narrow, leaving barely enough room for one dine-in table with a few chairs.  There is a full kitchen in back where a line of crockpots are filled with various meat choices each day.

There is no menu or pricing stated, but tacos are $1 each and you simply ask the cook what’s in each crockpot.  The day I was there, the options were chicken, beef fajita, chicharones (fried pork rinds), stewed beef, and beef tongue.  I went with a couple beef fajita, chicharones, and stewed beef tacos.

I asked the cook for corn tortillas, though; she had just made a small batch of flour tortillas. She then proceeds to open a plastic bowl with a corn meal paste and presses several corn tortillas. She heads to the cooking surface to cook the newly made tortillas and adds the meats per my order.  I ask for some onions and cilantro, but am told there is none.  A small stack of red and green salsas in plastic to-go containers are at the counter and I take a few with my Styrofoam container.

Jump.

The tacos are fairly bland, especially since they lack onion and cilantro.  The tortillas are quite tasteless and mealy. They’re simply too thick, which is disappointing after being impressed by the impromptu homemade approach.

The beef fajita meat was good with little fat and a good flavor.  The stewed beef boiled in a tomato pepper sauce is OK but gets in the way of the meat (which tastes better without the stewed vegetables).

The chicharones has a similar sauce as the beef stew It is, of course, fatty by definition, but that’s what you want here. Unfortunately, the sauce mutes the flavor of the chicharones. I found that adding the salsa verde improved the flavor, but what’s really missing is cilantro and raw onion.

There is not much promise here. If I had to order again, I’d choose the flour tortillas, as the corn didn’t help the experience.  With El Rincon del D.F. taqueria around the corner or Tacos 4 You down the street, this unnamed taqueria has some tough competition and sadly needs to be revamped or be okay with meeting the needs of those unaware of nearby quality choices for a gas station taco.

Gas Station: Phillips 66

Address: 11038 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX

Rating (1 our of 5 oil drops):

It was a quiet afternoon with only the cashier and cook in the market.  There are several tables inside and a full menu of the typical taqueria options: tacos, tostadas, burritos, and tortas. Plus, there are several ice cream creations one can order too.

It would be shameful not ordering some cabrito (baby goat) at a place called Chupacabra, so I went with a couple goat tacos, some beef fajita, pastor (pork), and finally a chicken taco.

The homemade corn tortillas here are large and dipped in a decent amount of oil to refresh them before serving.  Perhaps they were out of containers the day I went as the salsa roja was served in a ziplock sandwich baggie along with a baggie of lime wedges.

Jump for the full meal.

Unfortunately, each taco only included a few pieces of chopped onion and barely any cilantro.

The cabrito was the best of the four meats I tried. It’s a bit fatty, but it has a good flavor and isn’t as chewy as some goat meat I’ve had.  The pastor, though, was very disappointing without much flavor and was done in a shredded pork style that lacked a rich flavor of so many pastor tacos found nearby.

My chicken taco was quite fatty too, as were the beef fajita tacos.  Nothing really impressive, except for the cabrito (and it was only impressive item since it is difficult to find a good goat taco).

It’s too bad Chupacabra’s was not as impressive as a recent Fitzhugh gas station taqueria find from a couple weeks ago (see my review for Andy’s Food Mart.)

If you are looking for a decent goat taco, Chupacabra’s is the place for you. Beyond that I’d choose some better options in the area.

Gas Station: Independent

Address:  4825 Ross Avenue  Dallas, TX 75204

Rating (2 out of 5 oil drops):

There is no name for the taqueria inside Andy’s Food Mart at the Phillips station on Fitzhugh Avenue.  There is no menu and hence no prices and there is very, very little English spoken here.

No one was in the kitchen, so I asked the mini mart cashier what’s available and was told beef and chicken fajita. A moment later a nice woman took my order and told me “no chicken.”  Okay, how about four beef tacos then or do you have pastor?  She shook her head yes and I ordered 2 beef and 2 pastor tacos on corn tortillas.

Jump for more.

A couple bags of bread for tortas rested on the counter and she proceeded to reheat her bag of freshly made tortillas and spoon in some meat, topping it all with raw onions and cilantro.  Finally she added a cup of red and a cup of green salsa.  I paid my $4 for four tacos and went outside to order some elotes.

The elotes stand serves one size ‘corn in a cup’ for $3 and each cup is prepared by cutting fresh corn kernels off a ear of corn.  You add your own hot sauce to the top, but be careful, as the house made salsa roja is a rich, super hot blend of habaneros that should be used cautiously.

There is a small sitting area of stools inside Andy’s Food Mart to eat next to the kitchen, but today a coworker and I headed back to the office to enjoy this meal.

The tacos looked amazing and a small group of key limes accompanied the salsas.  Be careful with key limes, as they have only a little juice and a lot of seeds. No doubt you will end up with a good amount of seeds in your taco, but that is the only down side.  The pastor and beef fajita meats are full of flavor, lean and made for some great tacos even without the salsas.

However, don’t forget to use both salsas. The salsa verde has a sweetness to it that ranks it as of my all time favorites.  Combined with fresh onions and cilantro and homemade tortillas, Andy’s Food Mart is a welcome addition to this blog.

Andy’s needs to brand this taqueria.  They have a quiet hit in this nondescript gas station with only an elotes cart hinting there is an amazing taqueria inside.

It’s finding undiscovered gems like this place that keeps me searching for the perfect gas station taco.

Gas Station: Phillips 66

Address: 2403 N Fitzhugh Ave (Capitol Ave), Dallas, TX 75204

Rating:

It was a beautiful day in mid-January when our family enjoyed a walk around the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary’s Dinosaur exhibit. Heading back to the freeway, driving the side roads of McKinney, we passed a couple gas stations.  The side of a Shell station had a large “Tacos 99¢” sign on a window.  There was no other signage or even a name for the food stand inside the service station, but inside was a diverse selection of breakfast, fried burritos, hot dogs and tacos.

Several trays of meats rested behind a glass food service area. Out from the hidden kitchen emerged a young woman asking if I wanted something.  Not exactly the friendliest of hellos and no hint of a smile.  I ordered several tacos: beef, chicken, pastor (pork), and a lamb barbacoa all on corn tortillas with cilantro and onions.

The chicken taco was flavorful with hints of cumin and only a few fatty pieces I brushed aside. It was mostly shredded white meat and a bit surprising, since I was expecting to be unimpressed with so little focus on tacos in a sea of fried choices.

Both the pastor and beef tacos tasted similar, which was disappointing after a tasty chicken taco.  The beef was lean as was the pork, but with so little flavor I’d recommend going with the chicken tacos.

Finally, I started at the lamb barbacoa taco wondering what to expect.  Was it going to be flavorful or bland?  It too was fairly lean, like the other meats.  The first bite reassured me that the experience of this no-name food stop was going to end on a positive note.  The lamb coupled with the onions, cilantro and salsa wrapped in a lightly oiled tortilla left me wishing I had ordered another lamb barbacoa.

One thing to note, I was asked if I wanted green or red salsa. I requested one of each and all of my tacos were topped with red and green salsa instead of being off to the side in separate containers, so be sure to request the salsa on the side if you wish to control the amount.

Overall this nondescript Shell station with large 99 cent taco signs was a delight. It’s nowhere near greatness, but for a street taco in McKinney I’m sure you’ll be hard-pressed to find something better, especially at a gas station.

Gas Station: Shell

Address: 101 Industrial Blvd (corner of S McDonald St), McKinney, TX 75069
Rating (3 out of 5 oil drops):

Christopher Baccus loves cars and gas station tacos. We find that very attractive.

Christopher Baccus is a taco junkie and blogger. Not just any kind of taco, primarily those found in or near gas stations. In his last report he took you here. This week he presents…

Not long ago I was tooling south on Central Expressway and I caught a quick glance of what looked like a taqueria sign next to a Valero Gas Station.  It was tucked back off North Central just past the High Five (where 635 and 75 intersect).Weeks later I returned and tried to find the Valero station but not even Google Maps could find it.  I ended up eating at a nearby favorite Taqueria Dulce.

The next time I made my passage down 75, I spotted another landmark: there’s a Motel 6 near the Valero. Google Maps found the motel (even without its light on) and led me to La Casita.  The taqueria is nestled between a market and tax preparation business.  It does not share interior space with the gas station.  La Casita offers a few tables draped in blue vinyl tablecloths with some tall counter space for solo diners.

Let’s get to the tacos.

The menu is fairly typical and offers a variety of tacos, tortas, burritos, and a few additional options.  Tacos can be ordered  with corn or flour tortillas and filled with tripe, suadero, pastor, beef, chicken, carnitas, barbacoa, or chorizo. I ordered a couple beef and pastor tacos and one suadero all on corn tortillas with cilantro and onion.

The beef fajita tacos were dry and underseasoned. The beef is not really fajita, it’s thinly sliced strips of meat quickly heated and placed in the tortillas.  Te suadero taco was full of flavor, seasoned properly, and could be enjoyed with or without hot sauce. They offer salsa verde and it’s a nice accompaniment to the suadero taco.

The pastor tacos stood out most. Diced into small chunks with just a bit of fat for extra flavor, the marinated pork was rich in color.  The depth of flavor was not as intense as other taquerias, the pork could have used more chiles or garlic.  Regardless, the pastor tacos are a decent choice thanks to the right balance the minimal pork fat provides.

While initially a bit difficult to find, La Casita makes acceptable tacos for the local lunch crowd; however, Taqueria Dulce is a better option that’s less than a mile away.  I will visit again to see how the barbacoa and chorizo tacos are hoping to find there is more to La Casita than this first visit delivered.

Gas Station: Valero

Address:  13205 Maham Road, Dallas, TX 75240

Rating (3 out of 5 oil drops):

Christopher Baccus loves cars and gas station tacos. We find that very attractive.

Christopher Baccus is  a taco junkie and blogger. Not just any kind of taco, primarily those found in or near gas stations. In his last report he took you here. This week he presents…

Advertising a taqueria that operates in gas station comes in many forms. Usually there is some sort of signage to the side of the station’s mini-mart letting visitors know that tacos are sold inside.  Sometimes y are you might find full-scale restaurants attached to the side of a service station market like the one I recently discovered in Marble Falls, TX.  Some stations just post a small sign next to their current gas prices.

Jump for the glory of gas station tacos.

Taqueria El Rincon del D.F. located at the Gasco station on Walnut Hill just west of Harry Hines gets top billing over the gas prices. There are all kinds of promotional advertising letting you know you have arrived at a taqueria.  There is the logo of the Mexican restaurant over the gas station’s service bay, the restaurant’s name and tagline are in big letters across the mini-mart, and there is promotional advertising on the windows.  Inside you’ll find 14 tables with 48 chairs that dominate two-thirds of the mini-mart space.

The website for El Rincon del D.F. (the “D.F.” is an abbreviated designation for Mexico City meaning Distrito Federal – Federal District) is posted on all of the service pumps.

I went for the tacos, but El Rincon’s claim to fame is their list of over 20 tortas. 

Their taco options are limited. They offer corn and flour tortillas with the following meat choices: fajita, pastor, chorizo, and suadero (brisket from the breast of a cow). I ordered 2 beef fajita, 2 pastor, and 1 suadero.

Two containers of salsa verde and several lime wedges filled the takeout container.  The tacos are $1.50 each which is a bit on the high side for a gas station taqueria, but they are about 150% the size of a typical $1 street taco.  Be cautious with the salsa verde. It is intense and could double as a paint stripper and taco condiment!

The pastor tacos were meaty with very little fat and included chunks of pineapple with the onions and cilantro.  The flavor was near perfect and one of the better pastor options in Dallas.  The tortillas held up well and with a few careful dunks into the salsa there was little not to like.

It was difficult to distinguish which taco was the suadero among the three beef tacos I ordered and they all tasted the same.  The meat was lean with a good amount of flavor and just the right proportion of diced raw onion and fresh cilantro.  A good squeeze of lime and a few dips in the salsa completed a nicely balanced trio of tacos. Really a great group of tacos and worth the trip for sure.

However, when I return, I trying El Rincon del D.F.’s tortas.

Gas Station: Gasco

Address: 2630 Walnut Hill Ln Dallas, TX 75229

Rating (5 out of 5 oil drops):

Christopher Baccus loves cars and gas station tacos. We find that very attractive.

Christopher Baccus is  a taco junkie and blogger. Not just any kind of taco, primarily those found in or near gas stations. In his last report he took you here. This week he presents…

One night after a Texas Rangers game I passed a gas station with a bold sign with a red habanero pepper announcing: Habaneros, Taco Revolution.  Several weeks later I returned to find out what the revolt was all about.

The weekday lunch crowd was active with people stopping by just for the tacos which is always a good sign. I found plenty of graphics and promotional signage inside the taqueria. Someone spent some good money at Kinkos giving Habaneros a professional, almost fast-food chain look. Fortunately, the staff didn’t consist of teenagers asking if I wanted fries with my order.

Jumpo.

The place heavily promoted their Baja fish tacos on a banner dangling over the counter and outside on the roadside gas prices sign. I decided to try their fish tacos another day; though, I should’ve given it a try after reading some of the positive reviews on Yelp. Instead I opted for a beef fajita, chicken fajita, barbacoa, and something called “The Revolution” all on corn tortillas with cilantro and onions.

The tortillas are a white corn full of meat with just a small amount of onions and almost no cilantro. The beef and chicken fajita tacos were okay. They lacked flavor. The barbacoa taco wasn’t bad, better than the average gas station barbacoa which is usually too slimy and flavorless. Habanero’s barbacoa was a little wet with perfect texture and just a little bit of fat. Unfortunately, the flavor was also bland like the fajita tacos.

Finally the last taco – “The Revolution” – is a meat lovers dream containing beef tips, pork, smoked sausage, beef franks, chorizo and bacon. “All meats cooked to perfection when mixed” reads the menu. All I could think is remove the beef tips and change out to a pork hot dog and rename this the “Pork Explosion” with emphasis on bacon so all the bacon fanatics have a taco they can rally around.Of course, this taco makes a great option after a few beers at a Rangers game for a late night “snack.”

Oddly it wasn’t bad. I was expecting to be disgusted by “The Revolution” but I have to admit it was damn good and everything was “cooked to perfection.”

Habaneros is an average choice with one exception, possibly two if the Baja fish taco is as good as several Yelpers say.

I’ll definitely be back to try the Baja fish taco and while I’m ashamed to admit it, I’ll also be back to order The Revolution again.

Gas Station: Valero

Address: 2100 E Lamar Blvd Arlington, TX 76006

Rating (3 out of 5 oil drops):

Fuel City is destined to become the second most famous grassy knoll in Dallas.

And it took them this long because? Fuel City, once the most undiscovered street taco in Dallas, is now the most overrated street taco in Dallas. And they have a patio and a PR agency to prove it.

Did you know the recipes for the tacos originated in Durango, Mexico? Read all about it. (Bonus point: Do we still have presses to stop?)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Dallas, TX — Fuel City aka “The Ranch in downtown Dallas” adds The Patio to the Fuel City ranch made famous by the tasty tacos served 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.   The Patio offers covered seating for up to 70 taco fanatics who flock to the Ranch for the traditional Mexican fare served up by Fuel City Tacos whose 3^rd generation recipes originated in Durango, Mexico.

“We are so excited about The Patio,” says John Benda, proprietor of Fuel City.  “We’ve long watched diners eat standing, curbside, in the car or out by the longhorns and are pleased to now have The Patio for folks to have a seat and enjoy our tacos and a cup of corn at any hour.”

Featuring tacos al pastor, picadillo, barbacoa, chicken/beef fajita as well as a selection of breakfast tacos served between 5-10am, all Fuel City Tacos are $1.40 and are served with diced onions, lime, cilantro, jalapeno and hot sauce.

Located on 8 acres in the heart of downtown Dallas on the banks of the Trinity River at the I-30/I-35 intersection, Fuel City is one of the highest volume gas stations in Texas.  Not just a gas station and convenience store with a state-of-the-art car wash, Fuel City features award-winning tacos, elotes (cup of corn), 5 of Texas’ largest Longhorns, a swimming pool, oil derek, windmill, drive-thru beer barn, karaoke and native Texas trees and cactus.

Fuel City is located at 801 South Riverfront Boulevard.  For more information call 214-426-0011

I’m glad I did.

First of all, El Regio Taqueria is no more. There is still a gas station taco restaurant inside, but it’s now called Tacos 4 You. What’s most impressive is whatever was said on Yelp is no longer valid. Tacos 4 You makes good food. However after eating any taco, a breath mint isn’t a bad idea.

The taqueria is tucked behind the gas station’s mini-mart register and a check cashing business.  There are 4 tabletops with red vinyl stools where one can sit down and eat. There is also a dine at counter that shares space with the cash register.  Quite a few customers stayed and others grabbed carryout around 11:30AM when I placed my order.  The staff, a man and woman who spoke some English, worked together getting everyone’s orders ready.

Jump for more.

The menu is fairly typical, with one exception:  handmade tortillas. You can buy regular corn tortillas  for $1, flour for $1.50, or the handmade corn tortillas at $1.50. For me, this choice was a no-brainer. I went with the handmade corn tortillas. They reminded me of the freshness I get at the Coppell Farmer’s Market where the Two Chefs stand sells fresh tortillas.

Tacos 4 You offers several meat options: fajita, beef, chicken, barbacoa, and al pastor.  I placed my order of two fajita, two chicken, and two al pastor tacos. They came with a charred whole jalapeno and two salsas, roja and mole-based. While I appreciated the dark brown, rich color of the salsa mole, the flavor was thin. But the salsa roja was significantly spicy, even for me. I learned quickly to be careful with how much I used.

The meat was dry. If you like your taco meat done more medium-rare, you probably will find the food here slightly overcooked, but nothing is chewy. I found the chicken taco with lots of white meat and a generous helping of onions and cilantro to be my favorite.  The meat was firm, but not tough, and the comforting aroma of fresh corn from the tortillas blended the flavors together nicely.

Their al pastor leaves a bit to be desired. It’s advertised as “spicy pork.” But the marinade is bland and I had to reach for the hot sauce to spice it up.  Fortunately, the meat in all of the tacos was lean and fresh. With a vibrant regular crowd I’m sure they go through ingredients quickly here.

However,  the beef fajita taco is tasty. The meat is tender and lean and chopped just right– not too small or too large. Again, the fresh tortillas, a shot of hot sauce, and a gentle squeeze of  lime juice made this a classic street taco.

Tacos 4 You is definitely not a 1 star location.  It’s homemade tortillas, lean meat choices, and busy crowd make it a worthwhile stop for the taco aficionado.

Gas Station: Shell

Address: 11237 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75229

Rating (4 out of 5 oil drops):

Christopher Baccus loves cars and gas station tacos. We find that very attractive.

Christopher Baccus is  a taco junkie and blogger. Not just any kind of taco, primarily those found in or near gas stations. Last time, he took you there. This week he takes you here.

Under a red awning with white lettering reading “El Tacaso”, a red metal curtain covered what looked like an outside order window. Walking up to the Shell mini mart I wasn’t certain the taco stand still existed, but that thought was soon whisked away as I entered and noticed three small tables and a decent line of regulars ordering gorditas, tostadas, and of course tacos.

The place is quite nice inside with an exposed kitchen directly behind the cashier.  Everything was very neat and a wire rack stood with several fresh ingredients including stacks of tortillas and large bags of onions.  Customers kept pouring in too. Besides Fuel City, this is by far the busiest gas station taqueria I have been to in Dallas.

With a steady stream of semi-trucks, Ram trucks and Ford 150s El Tacaso is in a great location active with a bustling customer base who appreciates a great tasting, quick and easy lunch destination. It was quite apparent how many regulars come here daily. For example, as I was placing my order the cashier also took the orders of two people behind me with barely a word exchanged other than a hello and smile as the men proceeded to pay, undoubtedly with exact change.

You might as well jump.

My order of 2 steak fajita, 2 pastor, 1 chicken and 1 barbaco tacos arrived in about 3 minutes placed into a plastic grocery bag.

Opening the Styrofoam container wasn’t a pretty sight as the barbacoa taco meat had a grayish hue and the onions and cilantro pile was mostly absent of cilantro.  There also sat two small salsa roja containers and one of my steak fajita tacos was awaiting toppings. Why some places prefer to put the onions and cilantro to the side is beyond me. This is fast food meant to be devoured quickly and with little hassle; instead, the customer now has to use their hand to fill each taco without utensils – first world problems…

Clearing some of the fatty chunks of meat from the barbacoa I took my first bite. It might have been the 15 minute ride back to my office, but the tortilla was very dry and a bit tough. It was lightly charred. After the third taco, my appreciation for the tortillas improved. The charred tacos made for a more rounded flavor and I started to get why El Tacaso has a regular clientele.

The grayish hue aside, the barbacoa meat was quite good. Next the chicken was all lean white meat with some grilled onions mixed in. The two pastor tacos also had grilled onions and except for a couple small pieces of gristle they had a good, though mild, flavor that went best with the charred tortillas.

My favorite were the beef fajita tacos. The meat was diced, perfectly cooked and free of fat.  Again they too went nicely with the tortillas and with some generous dunks in the salsa roja I ended my meal on a positive.

El Tacaso offers something a little different than most gas station taquerias. Their approach to tortillas, while nothing revolutionary or new, is different than the 20 plus places I’ve tried at gas stations.  The clean, inviting atmosphere inside and the smile welcoming the place’s regulars shows the pride one can find at a restaurant tucked into the corner of a Shell station mini-market.

Gas Station: Shell

Address: 2439 Walnut Hill Ln. Dallas, TX 75229

Rating (4 out of 5 oil drops):

Christopher Baccus loves cars and gas station tacos. We find that very attractive.

Dishers, Christopher Baccus is  a taco junkie and blogger. Not just any kind of taco, primarily those found in or near gas stations. Last week he took you there. This week he takes you here.

I walked into the Flash Mart convenience store located on Walnut Hill at I-35 and turned to my right. I walked over to a purple wall with a door.  I wasn’t sure what was going on. I  exited the mart and walked across the store front passing a small wine section that must have been what the door inside was all about and then came to a glass door leading into Taqueria el Guache.

There were two high tables with stools, two smaller tables with wooden chairs and an order window crowded into a very small space. It’s definitely minimalist dining, but then again it is a gas station taqueria.

I went with my usual selection of starters, one of each: beef fajita, pastor, and barbacoa. I also added a picadillo taco since I had read a good review of this place on Yelp, which is how I learned about Taqueria el Guache.

The cook was making homemade flour tortillas when I arrived and I should have tried at least one taco with flour, but I prefer my tacos on corn tortillas. The container included a pile of grilled onions with a small handful of raw onions added to the the top of the picadillo taco. There was also just a small amount of cilantro with a few tacos containing a few scant cilantro stems.

My first bite of the pastor taco made me forget about the lack of cilantro as it was very flavorful and the meat was properly cooked. The flavor, while not intense, made for an above average pastor taco. I alternated dips into the salsa roja and salsa verde sauces.  The verde went better with the pastor and I was enjoying it so much I forgot to add a squeeze of fresh lime.

Next up was the beef fajita. There were a couple of fatty pieces that I discarded and there wasn’t much flavor to the meat resulting in a rather bland taco. It was average at best.

Barbacoa is the most difficult to get right in my experience. Taqueria el Guache falls apart on this choice. The meat was very fatty and a bit slimy without much flavor. After only a couple bites, I was ready to move to the finale – the picadillo.

Their picadillo taco was loaded with ground beef, small chunks of potato, small carrot cubes, and some corn kernels. It was okay, perhaps some more cumin or a dash of coriander would help . There are definitely some better options when it comes to picadillo around Dallas, as I’m sure any Fuel City fan will tell you.

Overall Taqueria el Guache wasn’t all that bad, but it wasn’t all that good either. If I was in a rush, I would still buy a few tacos from here, but I’d probably stick to the pastor or try some of their other options next time.

Gas Station: Valero
Address: 2410 Walnut Hill Ln. Dallas, TX 75229
Rating (3 out of 5 oil drops):

Christopher Baccus loves cars and gas station tacos. We find that very attractive.

Dishers, Christopher Baccus is  a taco junkie and blogger. Not just any kind of taco, primarily those found in or near gas stations. A few weeks ago he took you there. This week he takes you here.

Chorizo tacos are underrated. I love it when I find chorizo on a taqueria menu in a gas station and Taqueria Cholula has no shortage of chorizo and other options for the taco fanatic. You’ll find at least 14 types of tacos here: beef fajita, chicken, pastor, and barbacoa. The day of my visit they were out of two.

Taqueria Cholula, located in the Conoco Station at I-35E and Royal Lane, is the first place I’ve found that serves suadero, a thin cut of meat from the breast of a cow. Sorry, I didn’t try it. I really wanted to try the chorizo and I also ordered beef fajita, pastor, and barbacoa tacos on corn tortillas with chopped onions and cilantro. My carryout order also included some salsa roja, more orange than red, and salsa verde.

The two hot sauces are made in-house. I enjoyed them both, but the salsa verde had a bit too much lime in it making it too sour for my taste; though, I found it worked well with the beef fajita tacos. The chorizo didn’t need any salsa. The pastor and barbacoa tacos went very well with the spicy salsa roja that had a wonderfully potent kick to it.

To finish singing the praises of the chorizo, the taco comes with a heaping amount of crumbled Mexican sausage enveloped in two corn tortillas that have been lightly dipped in oil and heated. The sausage is spiced perfectly with red chilies and just the right amount of cumin and garlic making for a taco that needs nothing else to support it.

Taqueria Cholula does little to promote the wonderful tacos they sell inside. Look for two temporary banners reading “Breakfast” and “Tacos.” Once inside, a third of the gas station market is taken up by the taqueria with one of the largest cooking areas I’ve seen. They also have two tables and a couple stools for dine-in service.

I am often disappointed to find that  barbacoa tacos are too fatty or, worse, slimy. The barbacoa here is done to perfection with just a little fat. The flavor is balanced and the meat tastes like good quality shredded beef, not something that’s been sitting in a vat of oil for three days.

Chorizo tacos!

The pastor and fajita beef tacos are above average as well. Nothing outstanding, but the meat is lean and the spices are appropriately blended to make for some solid tacos.Every taco is served with double-ply corn tortillas, a decent helping of chopped onion and a scant amount of cilantro. My takeout container came with one container of salsa roja and one container of salsa verde plus three lime slices.

The better known taqueria at Flash Mart is less than a mile away from Taqueria Cholula and while I wasn’t expecting much out of this place, I have to admit Taqueria Cholula is the best in the area.  The chorizo and barbacoa tacos are standouts and definitely worth several more visits.  Perhaps next time I’ll get daring and try some suadero.

Gas Station: Conoco

Address: 11368 Emerald Street, Dallas, TX 75229

Rating (5 out of 5 oil drops):

Christopher Baccus loves cars and gas station tacos. We find that very attractive.

Dishers, Christopher Baccus is  a taco junkie and blogger. Not just any kind of taco, primarily those found in or near gas stations. Last week he took you there, this week he takes you here.

I live a food paradox. At home I cook using fresh, mostly organic and try to buy local as much as possible. We also p alurchase all of our meat from Burgundy Pasture Beef a ranch in Grandview, Texas that raises grass-fed animals. Our chicken comes from another local source, Windy Meadows Family Farm.

As part of our pursuit to eat local and to know where our food comes from, my wife recently heard about an unique Farmer’s Market. It’s called Eden’s Organic Farm and refers to itself as the “Home of DFW’s first All-Clean, Real Food, Real Farmer’s Market Day!” It’s located about 25 minutes from Dallas in Balch Springs. We hit the road.

As we exited the highway, I noticed not one but two gas stations, a Shell and a Fina, with taquerias at the corner of Pioneer Road and Seagoville Road, Balch Springs. After buying some local carrots, peaches, and other fruits and vegetables for home, we left the Farmer’s Market and decided to try Taqueria Los Delicious  at the Fina station.

They appeared to be closed at 9:30am on a Saturday morning, but I approached and noticed a cook and someone eating at a small table as I walked inside. I was asked what I’d like and asked for lunch tacos. No problem.

I ordered two pastor, two beef fajita, and one barbacoa all on corn tortillas. I waited for my order in the small restaurant and selected a Jarritos Tamarind from the cooler. The chef cut up a whole lime, chopped some cilantro and onions and placed each into separate baggies along with some salsa containers. I paid my $5 for the tacos plus tax and my soda.

Untying the baggies I spread the cilantro and onions into the tacos which were full of meat. Squeezed some lime-juice over them and went for a pastor taco first. I wasn’t too impressed with the presentation of the tacos, but the first bite of the pastor made me appreciate this little place. The meat had a rich flavor and wonderful red hue. Dipping the taco into the homemade salsa verde made for an even better experience.

Next was the beef fajita taco. The meat was a bit rubbery and lacked flavor though the intensive spiciness of the salsa roja improved the beef taco; though, it really was the weakest of the three and I’d pass on it next time.

I removed a few pieces of fat from the barbacoa taco. The meat wasn’t slimy like a lot of barbaco tacos I’ve had in gas stations. This was perfectly slow cooked and the meat had a good full flavor that also went well with the salsa roja.

Interior

It’s unfortunate the tortillas at Taqueria Los Delicious were reminiscent of those found at Tom Thumb.They had absolutely no flavor and that’s too bad because the filling for the pastor and barbacoa tacos here are quite good; they could have gone from a 4 to 5 rating if it wasn’t for the lackluster tortillas.

Would I drive 25 minutes just for the tacos?  No. I would however make a stop here after shopping at the Eden Organic Farm .But next time I’m making a stop to compare Taqueria Los Delicious against its cross-street rival – the Shell station.

Gas Station: Fina

Address: Corner of Pioneer Road and Seagoville Road, Balch Springs, TX 75180

Rating (4 out of 5 oil drops):

Christopher Baccus loves cars and gas station tacos. We find that very attractive.

Dishers, Christopher Baccus is back. He’s a taco junkie and blogger. Not just any kind of taco, primarily those found in or near gas stations. Last week he took you here, this week he takes you there.

I am fortunate enough this week to be driving around in a Chevy Volt, the electric gas engine vehicle from General Motors, designed to make less frequent gas station stops. After a couple days of driving, I’ve only put 3 miles on the car using the gas engine; the rest has been all electric powered leaving me to wonder if someday my blog will become “Electric Charging Station Tacos.”

Fortunately, I knew just the place to take the Volt even if I didn’t need any gasoline.

Turn right…

A giant lightning bolt shoots down through the center of a Conoco station mini-market on the corner of Abrams and Park Lane. The station sits between a Church’s Fried Chicken and Taqueria La Tejanita. This was a return trip to the lightning bolt. I’ve already tried the steak, chorizo, pastor, and cactus tacos several weeks ago ( review is here.) According to one of the commenters on my post, I’d missed the best they have to offer:  the  barbacoa tacos.

I ordered two barbacoas with corn tortillas, chopped cilantro, and onions.  They were served in a plastic basket filled with limes, grilled onions, radish slices, salsa verde, and salsa roja. The salsa verde is one of my favorites: it’s a perfect blend of jalapenos, tomatillos, and other ingredients that give it a full-bodied flavor and even more impressive rich, creamy texture.

Even though I loved the verde, the salsa roja paired better with the barbacoa tacos. Taqueria La Tejanita uses excellent corn tortillas which are some of the most flavorful I’ve eaten in gas station or street tacos. The radish slices add a nice flavor kick and texture to the barbacoa taco.  My only complaint is that there were several fatty pieces of meat.

After an evening snack of barbacoa tacos, I’m still a fan of the steak tacos at Taqueria La Tejanita. There are a lot of choices for everyone to find their personal favorite here including cactus, pastor, barbacoa, steak, chorizo, lengua (tongue), and chicharrón (fried pig skin).

Let’s  hope this mom-and-pop taco shops don’t disappear as we move to alternative fueled vehicles like the Chevy Volt.

Gas Station: Conoco

Address: 6769B Abrams Road,  Dallas, TX 75231

Rating (4 out of 5 oil drops):