El Taco

I ordered the 3 tacos. They were the best tacos I’ve ever eaten. I was a bit skeptical of the place at first but I’m glad I went. The service was great as well.

Went to visit the Art Institute today and we wanted something lite and good to eat and we found El Taco. This place is great, they have the be Guacamole Tacos I’ve ever eaten. This place is a must, and the service is great!!! The salsa is also to die for!

The tacos were amazing! Hands down the best hole in the wall place I’ve been to in awhile. The guac is homemade and fresh.

Found this little gem fifteen years ago when it was unknown. I use to take the train to my downtown office. El Taco was just in front of the station. I was lucky because back then it was the best hole-​in-​the-​wall Mexican spot I knew of in Dallas. A favorite destination to take dates, all of which loved it, even the Mexican ladies. Though the train station is no longer there, this dive has survived. It used to be 5 stars easy!
The reason I’m giving it 4 stars is because after a hiatus of a few years, I recently went again treating my wife and her Canadian brother and girlfriend. Visiting Texas, they were like «how abooot trying Mexican food, eh.» Canadians are cute, aren’t they. Anyway, thought I had the perfect place for my northern neighbors. Never seen white folks here, I was probably their only white customer for years, just festive Hispanic families frequented El Taco… Did I say it had been a few years since I’ve been?
Well, things have changed. After bragging to my guests Ive never seen white people here, walk in, and a whole lotta whities. Damn it Unilocal,you let my secret out. And not for the better…
It seems the restaurant is catering more to the white crowd that are moving into the area. Hell, what’s with the Hawaiian tacos?! Food is still tasty, never got sick from it as I read in some of the other posts, but this is an example of when NOT to change with the times. I miss my Mexican dive with a more simple, authentic menu. Guess that’s what happens when us white people move into your neighborhood. Sorry about that.

Best tacos I’ve had, maybe ever.
Hosting and serving to our family was exceptional
Rice was not my favorite and this is not a fancy place
Hope you will give it a try
Barry

Found this place on Scoutmob & when we arrived we were a little hesitant but after reading Unilocal reviews we decided not to judge a book by its cover! We sat down and started to dive into the menu! After being told that they didn’t serve queso as an app we went with guacamole and it did not disappoint! After the server allowed us to try everything from cactus to chicken and lots of great explanations of everything on the menu we went with one lamb, fajita beef/​cactus, rajas & shrimp tacos and we are happy campers :). The service was great & we would definitely return. **bonus: they have free wifi

This place is going backwards… it used to be great when it was owned by somebody else, the wait time is more than any regular taco place i’ve been in Dallas, just my perception

Wednesdays at 7:00 PM is Salsa night? I found this out wanderIng in for a quick taco. Bri Basco, their catering manager got everybody up to speed with a quick lesson and they were up and dancing. I got a lesson and got back to it too for a couple of songs.
Tacos came out hot and authentically seasoned, service was great, guacamole was good.
Did not love the tiny napkins and the interior is supposedly being re done soon and needs some love. A lot of love. Like intercession and rehab, tough lovin kind of love.
New owners, and good folks, I’ll be back.

So I was craving tacos at 2 am and this is the closest place open. Sadly this place is over priced! $ 2.75 for a coke?!! What is this, the Dallas Cowboys arena? Also, the other two tables got chips and dip, I did not, is it because I look broke? This place is over priced and the food is blah at best. I do NOT recommend it. Best to save your money for something else! Avoid!

A friend and I went here hoping for hole in the wall authentic Mexican food, but our attempts were, unfortunately, unsatisfied.
At 7pm we were the only guests in the restaurant and here is why…
The chips were extremely stale.
Because the only server was too busy talking on the phone the entire time to wait on the one and only table in the dinning room, the service was poor.
There was a fruit fly in the cilantro.
The rice was stale, old, and had an inconsistent texture.
To sum El Taco up:
El Taco makes me SICK!!!
And that’s why I’m painfully sitting on the toilet with gut wrenching stomach cramps.

While there were portions of it that was great, I’m writing this waiting to see if I get food poisoning so it’s hard for me to rate it much higher.
Chips were stale, but I could tell they would be awesome if they were fresh. Salso was a warm (temperature) salsa that was pretty good. I got a chicken fajita taco and shrimp taco. The meal came with two types of sauce (both good), cilantro, onions and lime wedges on the side. The chicken taco was good. The tortillas were great. When I tried my shrimp taco, I took a bite and noticed it was weird texture, but I swallowed the bite (stupidly). I then noticed the shrimp wasn’t pink, but grayish. I pulled on out and felt it and it was cold. I cut it open and it was completely raw.
I was the ONLY customer in their restaurant at noon and they had a staff of about 5 people in the building. You forget to cook the shrimp??? It’s a shame because there were portions of the meal that were great. I won’t be back.

I was seriously looking forward to eating at El Taco, and was the most disappointed I think I’ve ever been with a Dallas restaurant.
As expected, we were the only ones in the place when we showed up for dinner on a Saturday. Not a good sign. We went to our table and were instantly swarmed with flies that continued to surround us throughout the entire meal.
As for the food, we ordered cheese enchiladas. They were a solid 2. Maybe a 2.5. Out of 10. They entire plate was DROWNING in tomatillo verde sauce. So much that it was beyond overwhelming. The salsa that was served with our chips was almost boiling it was so hot thermally. The spice wasn’t there, but why the hell was it so hot?
There were only 2 people working there, but despite us being the only table there, this was among the worst service that I have ever received. After we trudged through this shit show of a meal and was beat in the face by dozens of flies, it was impossible to get our waitress to give us our tab. I finally just walked up to her and saw the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.
She straight up made up a number for our total. I’m talking acting like she was pounding in numbers into a calculator and then looking up and said «$ 20?» This was the second time in my life that I haven’t left a tip. I left feeling like I was robbed of a meal.
I’m only leaving 2 stars instead of 1 because I didn’t get food poisoning. Never again.

The food is good. The prices are great! It’s getting five stars because although the food is good, the prices are amazing. It’s a hole in the wall that’s open late night where you can get your late night fix. It’s so inexpensive that you could be a regular without breaking the bank
The barbacoa is actual lamb, giving the meat a more delicate flavor and wonderful tenderness, without the usual greasiness that beef barbacoa can get. It’s highly authentic. The salsas are good. The guacamole salsa lacks a bit of punch, but it’s the non-​spicy alternative to the orange colored salsa made with chile de arbol. I prefer the chile de arbol.
I can’t see where to post a tip, but if you’re getting 3 of the $ 1.75 tacos, get the plate with rice and beans for $ 0.75 more.

The reason I’m giving El Taco 3 stars is because of the service.
First of all the food. Really good! I got the chicken enchiladas with green sauce. One reviewer described them as magical. I don’t know if I can go that far but they were yummy. And the portion for the price was reallyy generous. However, one of my favorite sides to a Mexican dish is the rice! It tasted really hard and plasticky here.
My brother got a taco trio beef, Barbacoa, and something I can’t remember. He said they were the best he has EVER had.
The service: it was just really really slow. There seems to be one person cooking and one server. It’s madness.
Bottom line: I’m going to keep trying el taco but I will do carry out. The wait just isn’t worth it.

El Taco is a fun little taco joint on the corner-​ish of Greenville and Park. Went here for a UYE the other night and got treated like royalty. Think that’s in part to Faith bringing some booze for us (thank you). Met Aturo and he’s a friendly knowledgeable man, and was running around all night getting us food and drinks. I stuffed myself on the guacamole and chips because I was hungry, and it was so good. I ordered the $ 5.99 3 taco platter. Got carnitas, pastor and barbacoa. It came with rice and beans. I wasn’t really a fan of the beans. Think it was just the way they were cooked, so personal preference. The tacos were great for the price. The pastor, I ate the entire thing. There’s some pineapple in the sauce that compliments the pork. Had a bit of the carnitas, and it was good too. That’s about all I could eat. You get a little carry all thingy that has cilantro, onions and limes so you can add as little or as much of that stuff as you want to your tacos. This place is way out of my Deep Ellum bubble, but would not say no to going again.

Had an event there last night. Good food, good service, and good people seem to be the running theme at El Taco.
Be prepared for a dive atmosphere and a small dining area, but the food is so fresh and flavorful you don’t even notice, plus you get to bond with the neighboring tables!!! Always a plus.
My favorite dish is the Nopales Tacos. It’s an aquired taste, so I’ve been told, so stick with what you know when ordering, like the fajita tacos (also my favorite)!
I will definitely return with friends in tow.

You must try the chicken enchiladas with green sauce! They are magical!

We were going to a local fast food taco joint and spotted this restaurant on the other side of the road. The place didn’t look too appealing but when we got there we were greeted Atauro who was cooking and serving. Food was better than 5 star and prices were around $ 10. They had cheap kids menu. Did I already say the food was amazing? I don’t go to restaurant’s for the décor so this was OK with me. You pass it by because of the décor you sure are missing an amazing meal. Trust me!

Driving by looking for Mexican and decided to try this place out… All I can say is AMAZING!!! One of those hole in the wall restaurants that people always talk about. The food was genuine Mexican food and the portion size was large. The waiter Arturo was the best waiter we have ever had; he’s timely, pleasant, polite, funny and works his ass off… Definitely deserves a good tip!!! Will definitely be returning to this place often and telling friend about it as well!

This place was much much more than I expected. I was baffled when I walked in and there wasn’t a menu posted on the wall with a variety of tacos to chose from, that was the first clue that this wasn’t the average taco joint. The interior itself is exactly what I expected though, with miss-​matched Mexican themed décor and a DIY touch regarding the structure itself.
To my surprise they had us sit down at a table instead of order at a counter and wait for our tacos to be presented in a to-​go container like most establishments. They handed us menus, it was pretty much just like a sit down restaurant except it is for sure a taco joint and is a very small space. Most of the food is under $ 10. I ordered the 3 taco place with fajita beef. My co-​workers ordered shrimp tacos and the chicken enchiladas.
When they brought the food out it smelled fantastic, no sizzling fajita plate required. What impressed me the most was how they presented the tacos. They come bare with just the meat and they put cilantro, onions, and limes on the side so that I control what gets put on my tacos (simple but genius). I tried the meat alone first and I have to say it was the best seasoned fajita meat I have ever tasted. My friend who ordered the chicken enchiladas left nothing on his plate. Everyone agreed that this was a diamond in the rough and will return.
Side Note: I don’t expect it to happen again, and I think it’s because they are just starting out under new name «El Taco» but one of the owners kept giving us free food. First he gave us free queso which was very good and then when he saw that my co-​worker only ordered one shrimp taco so he gave us 3 El Pastor tacos on the house. We ranted and raved to the owner about these tacos. They were awesome, very well seasoned with chunks of pineapple in the mix. I had never had anything quite like it.
The only reason it doesn’t have 5 stars is because of the interior furnishings but the food is definitely worthy of a 5 star rating, so is the service.