One night after trying to head back to Dallas after a Texas Rangers game I passed a Valero gas station with a flashy red habanero pepper shouting “The Taco Revolution.” Its signage looked chain-like similar to Grapevine’s Green Chili Grill (neither are chains.) I eventually found an entrance to the freeway that wasn’t blocked-off by cops and returned to Habaneros: The Taco Revolution a few weeks later for lunch.
The weekday lunch crowd was active with people stopping by just for the tacos, always a good sign. There are huge graphics and promotional signage surrounding the taqueria inside. Someone spent some good money at Kinkos giving Habaneros a professional, yet fast-food chain look. Fortunately, the staff didn’t consist of teenagers asking if I wanted fries with my order.
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):
Gas Station Tacos 
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