Review: Tacos 4 You

Yelp is a great resource for finding hidden gas station taco locations. Awhile back, El Regio Taqueria came up in search, but it had one review and a sad 1 star review at that. So poor the reviewer commented, “Someone give me mint! I can’t get the taste out of my mouth!” I can’t say I was too excited to try it.

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 What’s most impressive is whatever was said on Yelp is no longer valid.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; though, a mint is still in order (isn’t it always?)

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.

The menu is fairly typical fare, with one exception —  “hand made tortillas.” You can buy “regular tortilla” (corn) tacos for $1 or opt for flour at $1.50 or hand made corn tortillas at $1.50. I went with the hand made corn tortillas and was glad I did. They reminded me of the freshness I get at the Coppell Farmer’s Market where there is a stand ran by Two Chefs that sells fresh tortillas.

Tacos 4 You offers several meat options: fajita, beef, chicken, barbacoa, and al pastor.  I placed my order of 2 fajita, 2 chicken and 2 al pastor tacos. It came with a charred jalapeno and two salsas – roja and mole-based. While I appreciated the dark brown, rich color of the salsa-mole it’s flavor was lacking.  Basically there was little flavor or heat offered. The salsa roja is a different story as it had a significant spiciness causing me to be careful with how much I put on.

The meat is on the drier side. If you like your taco meat done more medium-rare, you probably will find the food here slightly overcooked, but nothing tastes chewy; instead, I found the chicken taco delicious with lots of white meat and a generous helping of onions and cilantro.  The meat was firm but not tough and with the fresh tortillas it all came together nicely.

Their al pastor leaves a bit to be desired. It is advertised as “spicy pork.” The marinade is bland and provides little flavor, causing one to reach for the hot sauce to really spice things up.  Fortunately, the meat in all of the tacos is lean and fresh. With a vibrant regular crowd I’m sure they go through ingredients quickly here.

Finally the beef fajita style taco is tasty. The meat is tender and lean. It’s chopped just right, not too small or too large, and again with the fresh tortillas and some hot sauce and lime juice makes for a classic street taco.

Tacos 4 You is definitely not a One Star location.  It’s home made 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):