There’s nothing quite like plunging a crispy tortilla chip into a warm bowl of melted cheese. Queso is one of life’s greatest (guilty?) pleasures. And here in Dallas we have so many options. However, if you find yourself bored with your standard Tex-Mex varieties of cheese dip, and have an adventurous soul, then check out these alternatives.
Behold, some of the most extreme quesos in Dallas.
Bucky Moonshine’s Southern Eats
Ivan “Bucky” Pugh felt he had typecasted himself as a Cajun chef, so he sold his restaurant Alligator Café and transitioned its Deep Ellum location into Bucky Moonshine Southern Eats in 2015. He suggests trying the Catfish Pontchartrain or the brazed short ribs, but said one of the best sellers is his queso. It is loaded with multiple cheeses, chicken stock and homegrown veggies, including onions, tomatoes and four types of peppers. What makes this queso stand out is the option to add crawfish to the dish. The crawfish is blackened with spices, Pugh says, and “getting that extra spice zaps the queso and gives it a unique taste.” He explains that the restaurant will add anything you want into your queso bowl. So go wild.
Chicken Moto mixes soul with Seoul for their Korean-style fried chicken. They also offer one heck of a queso. Order a starter of taro chips or curry fries and add kimchi queso to dip them in. Owner Sandra Bussey said they use two types of kimchi in their queso. One is aged between three and six months, which makes the flavor tangier, and the other is fresher and made into a salsa. Once cooked, the flavor becomes more intense. After your starter, try The Chef’s Cut: two fried boneless thighs, which Bussey says is the “best part of the chicken.”
Everything on Velvet Taco’s menu is made with “love, blood, sweat and tears,” says manager, Morgan Davidson. The Dallas-based restaurant chain was established in 2011 with the idea that good tacos “don’t have to be Tex-Mex” and their queso definitely follows that mantra. Davidson explains that one of their most popular sides is the red curry coconut queso. It’s made with coconut milk, American and Pepper Jack cheeses, curry, and is topped with cheese, pickled onion and basil. Try it with the spicy chicken tikka, rotisserie chicken, or slow roasted angus brisket tacos.
Head over to Frisco for a bowl of “serious queso” from Mash’d. True to its name, this cheese dip is made with roasted garlic, chorizo, pickled pepper relish, and Abita beer. “It’s not your typical queso,” says social media director, Sarah Loeb. “It’s our rebellious spin on queso.” Order it with fried chicken or pretzel bites like the ones you get at the ballpark. Wash it all down with one of their handcrafted “moonshine” cocktails.
