Yelp is a great resource for finding hidden gas station taco locations. Awhile back, El Regio Taqueria came up in a search, but it had a single and sad 1-star review. 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 What’s most impressive is whatever was said on Yelp is no longer valid.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. However after eating any taco, a breath mint isn’t a bad idea.
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.
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The menu is fairly typical, with one exception: handmade tortillas. You can buy regular corn tortillas for $1, flour for $1.50, or the handmade corn tortillas at $1.50. For me, this choice was a no-brainer. I went with the handmade corn tortillas. They reminded me of the freshness I get at the Coppell Farmer’s Market where the Two Chefs stand sells fresh tortillas.
Tacos 4 You offers several meat options: fajita, beef, chicken, barbacoa, and al pastor. I placed my order of two fajita, two chicken, and two al pastor tacos. They came with a charred whole jalapeno and two salsas, roja and mole-based. While I appreciated the dark brown, rich color of the salsa mole, the flavor was thin. But the salsa roja was significantly spicy, even for me. I learned quickly to be careful with how much I used.
The meat was dry. If you like your taco meat done more medium-rare, you probably will find the food here slightly overcooked, but nothing is chewy. I found the chicken taco with lots of white meat and a generous helping of onions and cilantro to be my favorite. The meat was firm, but not tough, and the comforting aroma of fresh corn from the tortillas blended the flavors together nicely.
Their al pastor leaves a bit to be desired. It’s advertised as “spicy pork.” But the marinade is bland and I had to reach for the hot sauce to spice it up. Fortunately, the meat in all of the tacos was lean and fresh. With a vibrant regular crowd I’m sure they go through ingredients quickly here.
However, the beef fajita taco is tasty. The meat is tender and lean and chopped just right– not too small or too large. Again, the fresh tortillas, a shot of hot sauce, and a gentle squeeze of lime juice made this a classic street taco.
Tacos 4 You is definitely not a 1 star location. It’s homemade 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):