Central Track Contributor
No. Really. It Is Authentic.
Tacos La Banqueta Ambiance:
4500 Bryan St.
East Dallas
Food: 4 out of 4 panhandlers
Service: 3 out of 4 panhandlers
If they gave out awards for highest percentage of yelp reviews with the word “authentic” in them, Tacos La Banqueta would be a George Clooney movie.
Once upon a time, this spot was called El Guero, but, as far as I can tell, the name change has had no effect on the tacos at all.
Recently, super food blog Serious Eats nominated the location's Suadero taco (under the old name) as one of the 64 best tacos in the country. That dish eventually made the tournament's Sweet Sixteen, making it, supposedly, one of the 16 best tacos in the country.
So, yeah, after reading that, we had to go check this place out. And, y'know, the tacos are totally legit after all.
Especially the Suadero, which is juicy, crispy and fatty. It's that perfect blend of texture and flavor that causes “foodies” to make dumb faces while eating and write extensive yelp reviews when they get home.
The even better news: There are a ton of other taco options available here, which gives you plenty of excuses to go back. And those return trips are mightily deserved: These tacos are every bit as good as the much-vaunted Fuel City tacos.
It should be noted, however, that Tacos La Banqueta isn't exactly located in the world's greatest neighborhood, and that's indeed something to keep that in mind when deciding what time to visit. Some of you might not be terribly comfortable there at night. If you're averse to panhandlers and drunks, it might not be your cup of tea in the dark. But I live a block away from the place and have never had any problems, so there's that.
As for the building itself, well, it's tiny and can't accommodate more than five or six people inside, with maybe three outside at the counter. Oh, and it happens to be next to a liquor store too, which could maybe be seen as convenient.
Rough atmosphere aside, at less than $1.50 a taco, you really do need to check this place out.
If nothing else, the lines are certainly shorter here than they are at Fuel City.
