Taqueria Pedritos

This is the best place for Mexican street tacos !!! Now, if you’re looking for a yuppie taco shop than these aren’t the tacos you’re looking for. Unfortunately their location on Capital was closed this week but their location on Jefferson in Oak Cliff is still open for business.

Late one night my boyfriend and I decided to give this place a shot. We live across the street from it and since our regular taco joint was closed we figured why not give it a shot! My boyfriend is not one to complain about food, but the meat just had such a horrible taste it felt like it stayed in our mouths for the next few days. Far from authentic, yes it’s cheap but then again you get what you pay for.

Ate here for lunch 2X in the past couple of weeks! Authentic tacos de lengua, al pastor, carnitas, barbacoa and more very fresh .and home-​made fresh nopalitos… great service and always friendly… you cant beat their lunch special, rice, tacos, beans and drink for under $ 7!

My go-​to taqueria. It helps that I live 100 yards from the front door.
I always get 3 tacos, on corn. 1 trompa (pig snout), 1 lengua, 1 al pastor with rice and beans. Get the green sauce, it is out of control.

On point. The flavor and freshness of these tacos came from the prep I saw was going on. A professional kitchen mixed with professional Mexicans is huge. The guy chopping the meat and preparing tacos is like music from heaven while dining. Recommend the carnitas and cow tongue. Aqua de limon was real, no powder mix. This place has replaced my dads favorite in Dallas which he had been going to for 15 years.

I love this place and I have been coming here since a little girl. i bring my kids here and we love the tort as and tacos. No taco place can top this. They have great specials!

This place has been around since I was a kid. And still has the best tacos in Dallas tx. Yes the place could use a make over but the food is still GREAT. Service is good and the price for food is fair for the amount you get. Let me just say don’t judge a book by its cover!!! Get your «TACO ON»

5 stars for the food and, I’d say, 5 for the atmosphere that you really want to experience at a genuine taqueria (or takee-​yera as my friend says). The night we went it was not very crowded, but some family party was going on that was just wheels off – people and kids were up and everywhere, huge TV was showing some futbol, and this makeshift kind of «band» was bangin the hell out of a big bass drum and kind of playing other things. It was pretty funny and very festive.
You enter by going through the serving line buffet-​style but servers are there to put your food together. They have all kinds of goodness from which to choose and, making both my friend and myself very happy, plenty of the less common taco meets like tripas. We asked for cesos (brains) but they shook their heads at that. Anyway, food was TOP TIER. The usual onion, lime, cilantro, and orange/​green sauces.
Super friendly staff that comes around to your table after you’re seated to ask if they can bring more food out to you. Loved this place!

Well, this place is a real diamond in the rough! Wow, love it!
So to address one concern I had going in based on another review — that the lengua was over rated. Don’t agree with the extreme negative point of view, but have to agree that there is better lengua out there, and I could name a few off the top of my head.
But, lengua tacos were good, pastor tacos were very good as well. What was outrageous, of all things, were the beans and rice!
Overall tacos were a solid 8 out of 10, just about par with Guerros. Next time in, I’ll try the torta, then menudo, then back to tacos with a walk on the wild side, sampling goat and tripa. Look forward to posting updates — I have plans to work through the menu.

Very authentic food. The frijoles charros, the horchata water, the tortillas and the barbacoa and carne asada tacos were really good. The pastor tacos not so much. Excellent price value.

I always drive by this place on my way to Mai’s every week.
Finally, I decided to stop in. The menu is a bit overwhelming and if you don’t read spanish, you are best to just ask for help. Yes, mostly everything is in spanish. Not convenient for non-​spanish speakers but hey you’re at Capital & Fitzhugh, yo.
I ignored the menu and went for the $ 6 lunch: 3 tacos, rice, beans, and a drink.
Very friendly staff which is refreshing in this current era of bitter counterhelp.
I chose pollo and she grabbed a chicken and whack whack whack … chicken dismantled.
It was nice to have a choice of soda or horchata as part of the special.
The place is a bit garish (is that a mounted bull’s head staring at me?) and there’s a little stage. Come to find out on the weekends, they have live music. You go, Pedrito!
I was brought my food and was shocked at how far my $ 6 went. Bean soup, lime/​cilantro/​onion, 3 tacos, rice, refried beans, soda, and 2 tostadas. I picked out some of the skin from the chicken but it was overall yummy. The bean soup was bland but hey who cares when it’s included, right? Rice and beans were served with plenty to spare.
Overall, the food was just right. Quality was good and 3 stars. Service and price bumps this joint to 4 stars.
I will come back.

The Lengua taco. Yes, beef tounge. Texas Monthly called this one of the best tacos in the state? I just lost a little respect for this magazine. I felt like I was making out with a cow. There are a billion places like this in this city. I don’t know why this one is any special. I give it a star cuz the people were really nice (and I don’t really have any other choice do I?)

FOOD STYLE: Mexican (leanings of authenticity)
RESTAURANT TYPE: Basic Cafeteria (function over form …)
LOCATION: Easy Access, Easy Parking
Tacqueria Pedritos is the kind of ‘local’ place that people spend years trying to find, and often never succeed. It is a classic «Hole-​in-​the-​Wall» establishment anonymously tucked away in the city’s center, known to few yet enjoyed by many. Which is to say that the décor and prices are dirt cheap, the atmosphere devoid of pretense, and the food … exceptionally unexpected.
‘Pedritos is one of the more authentic Mexican restaurants you will find in the DFW-​area. How authentic you say? Patrons can chose from a short menu that includes such atypical fare as beef tongue, chopped and grilled pork snout, or even tripe, in addition to the everyday standards of «regular» chicken-​beef-​pork. Individuals literate in Spanish language will also have a decided advantage when ordering, as the greater half of the restaurant’s signage is writ in the native tongue, and a keen eye is often needed to discern the English counterpart … if it exists.
Fortunately, the staff is friendly, jovial, and eager to assist the occasional Spanish-​impaired patrons who happen by. The atmosphere behind the counter is so relaxed and convivial that customers might feel as though they were queing up at the buffet to their family reunion.
Whether you stick with the familiar, or dive into the exotic, complaints about the food will be few and far between. The focus is mainly on soft-​shelled tacos, but plenty of other dishes beckon. The meats (‘Pedritos’ forte) are uniformly tender and nicely seasoned. The sides are limited in number, but satisfying. And the fresh tacos and tortillas will educate diners on the true difference between ‘real’ Mexican-​style breads and the stuff you buy in bulk at «Kroger», which, let’s face it, doesn’t exactly taste like «food». (As in «Am I really supposed to put this in my mouth and swallow? For real?»)
The hands-​down favorite at ‘Pedritos is the Lunch Special — three soft-​shelled tacos (meat of your choice) plus rice, refried beans, and a cup of bean soup, all crammed to fit on a straining platter. All for $ 5.31. A 24-​ounce soft drink is about a buck extra; refills $ 0.74. Most patrons finish their tacos and the majority of the rice & refried beans before they cash out. There will be no room for dessert. If there is, you need a dietician or a gastric bypass.
And in case you’re wondering (because I know you are) … the chopped beef tongue is succulent, butter-​soft, and rich with beefy flavor. The American Bison almost went extinct for the love of its meaty tongue, and Holsteins are a decidedly close second-​place. An equivalent cut from the animal’s lower half might cost you $ 40 a pound at a fancy steak joint and still fail to capture the same degree of epicurian delight. But to each their own.
Chopped pig snout is another winner. Without the label, it could pass as the choicest loin of roast pork — soft in texture and bursting with «porky» flavor. Best of all, the fat crisps nicely at the edges. It’s like a collection of all the choice little bits you might snatch from the roasting tray at home AFTER the dinner is done and you are completely stuffed. You know you’re full, you know you won’t need to eat for another eight hours, and yet … you just can’t help but steal away just a few more pieces before it all gets packed into the fridge.
Trust me — he who orders the pig snout taco shall leave no survivor behind.
PROTOCOL — No one will greet you at the door or escort you to a table. Patrons are expected to hang a left and walk up to the kitchen counter. The menu is on the wall (left side is mostly English, right side is mostly Spanish). Grab a tray and ask away. Receive your bounty and pay at the end of the line — but wait. The waitress will approach and take your tray to a table appropriate for the size of your group. No chips & dip unless you ask at the front, but lime wedges are provided at each table. (Be kind and leave a small gratuity.)
SPECIAL NOTE: Friday & Saturday evenings feature local bands on a modest center stage in the middle of the establishment. Every seat in the house is a good seat.