Taco Joint

Great place! Food is great! Atmosphere is nice and easy going. The lady at the counter was patient as we looked at the menu. Food was ready within 5 – 10 minutes! Jalapeño ranch and salsa rojo was to die for! Would recommend.

I’m pretty much always thinking about when the next breakfast taco will walk into my life so I was excited to try a new place on a recent morning working remote in Dallas. Taco Joint delivers your no-​frills breakfast tacos with plenty of options to start your morning off on the right bite… err foot (sorry, that was terrible). Choose from standard combos such as sausage, chorizo, bacon, brisket, spicy pork or potatoes with eggs and cheese or build your own with a host of additional ingredients! The frills come in on the rest of their breakfast menu from migas, enchiladas, chilaquiles, burritos and something called The Cannonball. I grabbed two brisket and two spicy pork egg and cheese for the fiancé and I to share at home. The spicy shredded pork was slow cooked with (not quite enough) seasoning and jalapeños and you could smell the smoke on the semi-​fatty (but delish!) brisket. It’s no tacodeli (my favorite so far of the standard variety) but I bumped them up a star because of the variety of salsas they offer to accompany your meal. I think they have a salsa for everyone: traditional, tomatillo, jalapeño ranch and 3 extra spicy, 5 alarm, xxx and delta force. I didn’t think anything was too hot to handle if you’re a spice lover but they all had very nice and different flavors.

I hate to give Taco Joint a negative review and I have been waiting to even write this review hoping things would change, but unfortunately that never happened. This place is totally lacking the integrity of their food they once had. I have been a loyal follower of Taco Joint since they had one restaurant on Peak St. Taco Joint got big and busy and totally lost quality control and presentation of their food.
The Mockingbird location is so busy that they just throw their food together without a second thought to quality. In my past four trips (two for breakfast and two for lunch), nothing has been congruent or quality driven. First, the size of the breakfast tacos are completely different. I get one with bean egg and bacon and the beans are non existent (maybe a teaspoon of beans, literally a smear on the tortilla), hardly any bacon and entirely egg. For that breakfast taco, it’s $ 3 for eggs. Then my bean taco is SIGNIFICANTLY smaller as in that’s the first thing I notice. I opened my tortilla and thought how much did I pay for this? I paid almost $ 2 dollars for a tortilla and 2 tablespoons of beans. Next trip same thing bean taco hardly any beans and taco is significantly smaller than the other. This time I just ordered a bacon and egg taco, but with the same result a sprinkle of bacon and all egg. My two dinner experiences weren’t any better– my 2 fish tacos were all lettuce, I had to search for the sliver of fish. They use to give a generous portion of fish on their $ 3+ fish tacos. The next dinner trip– it was a lester (a smear of beans on the tortilla around the crunchy shell– in the past it was a thin layer that covered the entire tortilla wrapped in a crunchy shell as the menu states) that taco now runs you $ 3+ as well. The bean taco a complete miss once again.
Bottom line, I have given up on Taco Joint. They raised their prices just to give you less food for your money. They serve food that literally looks like it was thrown together. My takeout box has looked like a war zone more than once. And honestly, the food is not that great anymore. Kids run rampant through the restaurant and outside. I have been run into by a child and dropped my togo order and NO ONE came to help me– not the parents of the kids or any Taco Joint employee. A Taco Joint worker looked at me when it happened, but was too busy (?) to help me. I picked up the food and had to ask for another order and the worker’s response was far from pleasant. One time, while picking up a to go order an employee in the back cut himself with a knife. The worker outside the kitchen began cussing and was VERY mad that someone made a mistake and hurt himself. When a gentleman walked into the dining area from the kitchen I asked if his coworker was ok, and if I could help or he needed help or if I should call 911.
I would suggest spending your money somewhere else! There are far BETTER PLACES FOR TASTE, QUALITY, SERVICE, AND OVERALL treatment of customers and employees.

We went here tonight for the first time since they’ve taken over the old Taco Del Sol place, and it was quite good.
I had the Friday night fried fish taco special, and the fish was hot, moist, and crispy. The refried beans were delish, too, and had an interesting brick red color to them, whipped smooth.
Jamie had an ala carte grilled fish taco and chicken chalupa, which she rated with 4 and 3 stars, respectively. The fish seemed to be the same as that used in the fried tacos.
Happy hour margaritas were just strong enough, not too sweet, and a solid HH deal at $ 3 each. Unsweet tea tasted freshly brewed, crisp and refreshing.
One fumble: I was charged extra for the double beans I ordered, instead of the standard beans and rice sides, grr.

Always friendly and consistent. I get the breakfast tacos for dinner most of the time! Great service, clean and friendly people. I’ll be back soon!

Couldn’t leave Dallas without some good Mexican food. Sister recommended this little place in a strip mall. Did not disappoint. Order at the counter, knowing you will have to dodge young children in the process. I have never seen so many kids outside of the McDonalds ball pit when my kids were little and I wasn’t grossed out yet by the potential bacterial count. Anyway, Taco Joint was pretty clean with lots of options for all including breakfast all day and lots of combo taco, enchilada and burrito options. Liked the grilled fish taco more than pulled pork but both were fresh and yummy. Beans and rice pretty standard and ice machine low. Still there’s a patio and we got in and out in less than an hour — plenty of time to get to airport. Good stuff. Satisfied my urge and palate.

My favorite breakfast taco, tacos, and/​or burrito in Dallas. Great little bar, too!

Great taco options, especially for breakfast tacos. Can get egg whites, wheat tortillas and your pick of their several salsa options. So good! A post-​workout go to! You can either be good or be bad here, which is always a great option, cause sometimes you just need a greasy taco!

The tacos were disheveled, all of the cheese on one side or not even on the taco and the meat on the other. How hard is it to make a taco? The napkins on the table were small and worthless, I think I used 50 to clean the grease off of my hands. Unfortunately, there was a cockroach on the counter where they were serving food.
The taste of the food was very good once I rearranged the toppings.

The Taco Joint is my favorite breakfast taco place in Dallas. We got introduced to it through the seminary student community at Dallas Theological Seminary back in 2010. I have yet to eat a dish there that I haven’t enjoyed. My current favorite is the chicken cannonball dunked in the complimentary jalapeño ranch dressing. The Mockingbird location never has a line longer than 10 mins or so and I regularly call in my order. The chicken enchiladas with queso sauce dumped on top is also excellent. I love the album art all over the walls too. Service is always excellent.
–John

Makes an awesome breakfast burrito! The 5 alarm salsa is a must as well! I love this place!

Some of the best burritos that I had my entire time in Dallas. The tacos are out of this world and he burrito can feed u for days.

I love tacos and TJ does it well. They have great food, great service, and lots of space to dine. When it’s nice out, enjoy your food on the patio. Just know that Sunday at lunch time is crazy and it will take a bit to find a place to sit and get food.

After visiting another TJ location, I have noticed how the portion sizes at Lakewood have gotten really thin. Like, anorexic thin. The taco prices also recently increased to $ 3.09.The food still tastes good, but I won’t be returning to this location.

Staff is always friendly and food is good. They serve breakfast tacos all day which I’ll sometimes have for lunch.
The chips are a little too thin but the Disaster is worth trying (sharing). It’s queso with ground beef and guacamole. Salads, brisket tacos, and nachos are all really good. Also recommend the jalapeño ranch and tomatillo sauces. I go here at least once a week.

Breakfast rating:
Sub par and expensive for the tacos. Decent patio but inside is kinda dark and smells bad.
Wouldn’t recommend this place for breakfast. I hope lunch and dinner are better.

So I tried the State Fair – good gravy I’m in heaven. Could you make breakfast a little more delicious and filling? It has everything, including eggs, potatoes, bacon and beans, in a big pan with tortillas on the side. I can make a breakfast taco out of it OR I can swirl it all together and sop it up with tortillas like a less gentile version of myself. I’m totally gentile until there’s bacon.

So the queso pretty much gave them this extra star, bc I was leaning more towards 3 – 3 ½… Must get the queso and chips! I got a beef brisket taco as well and the brisket was cooked really well. You had to dress it yourself so per the Unilocal reviews I tried the jalapeño ranch and some red salsa… I know we are in Texas so maybe some of the taste preferences are different (I live in SoCal) but I felt like the red salsa was too *sweet* surprisingly and the ranch was too mayonnaisey tasting.
But all in all the place had a fun, relaxed vibe, the food came out ridiculously fast, and if you douse everything in the queso, it is definitely worth coming for.

Taco Joint is a taco joint (ha ha see what I did there) that serves up numerous Tex-​Mex items like fresh tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc. It’s laid back & casual, and a good option if you want a more relaxed restaurant for tacos.
My Overall Rating — 3 ½ Stars (Atmosphere, Service, Food, Return)
Atmosphere — It’s busy during weekends, and you’ll find a nice, friendly atmosphere. The menu is drawn in chalk on the board, and you line up to place your order. Plenty of seating, from traditional tables & booths and it’s definitely family friendly. 1 Star.
Service — The lines can be long but they move fast. There are plenty of menus that you can grab, or simply look up at the board. Our food came out fast and there were always staff around to help clear things. No issues here. 1 Star.
Food — It’s called Taco Joint for a reason, so naturally you should get the tacos. Plenty of choices from the menu, but I opted to a spicy chicken & pulled pork. Queso is good and always great to start the meal, but if I’m honest, my tacos were just ok. Both my tacos were a bit dry, but it may have been my selection. But as I was eating, I couldn’t help think in the back of my mind of Torchy’s menu. And I think I just like their menu better. So in a way Taco Joint was good, it just wasn’t great. 1 Star.
Will I Return? — Probably. Good quality at a good price so it’s hard to stay away. I like Torchy’s crazy «there are not really tacos» menu better, as well as Tacolicious «these are real, son» tacos. That being said, you can never have enough Tex-​Mex so I’m sure I’ll eventually find myself back at this Taco Joint. ½ Star.
My Unilocal Rating Scale (Sum of all parts):
1 Star — Atmosphere — Is it a cool dive? Perhaps an upscale place? No matter the type, atmosphere plays a big part and I’ll give a star if I like it or thinks it has great charm.
1 Star — Service — You can have a great meal with bad service. But that’s also what can make a five star joint drop to four. It’s important to the dining experience that service is great and on point.
2 Stars — Food — I’ll award up to two stars for the food, since this is the main reason we dine out. Sometimes the extra star is given for value, but it’s really all about the food.
1 Star — Will I come back? — If I know for a fact I’ll return, I’ll give this a star. A place has to make an impression for me to return.
Each Category can be given up to 1 star except food (2 stars) because I consider all these categories important to the overall dining experience. I will sum them up to provide my final Unilocal score.

Great breakfast tacos, but be ready for a vivacious atmosphere, even in the morning.
Black bean and cheese, good.
Beef fajita and egg, great.
Chorizo and egg, can’t be beaten.
Overall a solid choice that won’t disappoint.