My 6 Favorite Street Taco Joints in Dallas

Tacos are a way of life in Dallas. If anyone ever uttered the phrase, “I don’t like tacos,” I’m sure they’d get tied up and forced fed tacos until they liked them. That’s how serious we are about our tacos. I grew up in East Dallas and went to school in Oak Cliff where street taco shacks were a plenty! Aside from the trendier taco restaurants in Dallas, I partnered with Visit Dallas to find you the hidden gems in Dallas. Today, I’m sharing my 6 favorite street tacos joints in Dallas.

Street tacos are basic and simple. Cooked shredded meat on a small corn tortilla with a garnish of cilantro and onion and a squeeze of lime. Salsa verde or hot sauce drizzled on top. The best ones are from the most inconspicuous of spots served in styrofoam containers with barely enough napkins to wipe off the grease. Throw it back with some horchata or juice. Perfection. After eating way too many tacos over the span of a week (I may actually need to take a taco hiatus at this point), here are some of my favorite street taco joints in Dallas:

Tacos El Si Hay

Address: 601 W Davis St, Dallas, TX 75208 | Hours: Mon-Thu 10a-10p, Fri-Sat 10a-12pm | CASH Only
I don’t know how many times I’ve driven past this shack in the Bishop Arts District. It’s such a gem. I love the flavor of the Al Pastor and the barbacoa (beef cheek) was so tender. It’s a small shack and served it just the way I like it. My friend and I popped a squat in the parking lot and inhaled the tacos.

Taqueria el Paisano – Lombardy

Address: 2911 Lombardy Ln, Dallas, TX 75220 | Hours: M-Th 9a-1am, Fr-Su 9am-4am | CASH Only
I absolutely LOVE this place. It’s a sit down restaurant and my first experience here was a few months ago with my friend Karen. There’s something charming about how bustling it can be late at night, the harsh lighting, and simplicity of the restaurant. The Al Pastor tacos are pretty tasty and the complimentary chips and salsa are spicy! Definitely order the horchata. Probably some of the best I’ve ever had.

Taqueria la Banqueta

Address: 1305 N Carroll Ave, Dallas, TX 75204 | Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-11pm. Closed Sunday | Accepts cash and card
This place is down the street from my home and used to be a Chinese restaurant back in the 80s and 90s. I used to eat there as a kid, so it’s kinda strange to walk in and remember where I once used to slurp noodles, I’m now chowing down on tacos. My little brother is a huge fan of their Al Pastor, but I hear the quesadillas is where it’s at! They use Oaxaca cheese and it’s just divine.

Fuel City Tacos

Address: 801 S Riverfront Blvd, Dallas, TX 75207 | Hours: 24/7 | CASH only
Ok haters… don’t come for me if I do not send for you. I’ve never understood why there’s so much shade thrown at Fuel City Tacos. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but Fuel City is an old faithful and comes through every time. Their picadillo tacos are some of my favorite tacos and I have fond memories rolling up after a night out with friends, chowing down on some tacos and elotes.

Trompo

Address: 839 Singleton Blvd #150, Dallas, TX 75212 | Hours: M-Sa 11a-1opm, Sun 11a-7pm | Accepts cash and card
Trompo is a pretty popular joint with a basic menu. There are a total of 6 items. Three tacos and three quesadilla flavors. This makes it easy to try everything and the guys were nice enough to let us order one of each and cut them in half for sharing. Strangely, I preferred their vegetarian taco which is made of paneer (cheese) and poblano peppers. It was so good I ordered a second round.

Tacos Mariachi

Address: 602 Singleton Blvd, Dallas, TX 75212 | Hours: Tu-Sa 11a-9m, Su 930a-4pm. Closed Mondays | Accepts cash and card.
Tacos Mariachi may not be one of the humbler taco shacks, but I had to throw it in the mix. It has the nicest aesthetic of all the restaurants on this list, but if you’re hitting a wall of beef and pork tacos (which I was by the time I made it here), seafood tacos are the best way to change that up. With more of a Baja los Cabos/Tijuana influence, I was delighted by their Pulpo (octopus) taco and was surprised by how tender the cook was on the meat. It’s usually an annoyingly chewy and rubbery texture. They did it just right. I also enjoyed some of their shrimp tacos. Definitely worth checking out.

Clearly, there are wayyyy more taco joints than I could conquer in a week so definitely leave me your recommendations! I’m sure there will be continuation of this little taco trail. I hope this post of my favorite street tacos in Dallas and it inspires you to seek out a few of these spots. I love supporting local businesses and this is the best way to do it. Don’t forget to head over to Visit Dallas where you can find other ways to rediscover this amazing city and make #DallasBigMoments.

Comments

  1. YUMM!! SO many great choices. I am a huge fan of Velvet taco. So freakin’ good.

  2. This made me hungry! Have you tried Salsa Limon? They were just a food truck in Fort Worth while I was at TCU, and now they have a couple restaurants!

  3. The only place on your list I’ve been to is Taqueria la Banqueta and I really liked it. Looks like I’ve got lots of taco places to try!!

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