First visit: 1992 (Durant, OK)
We snuck into DFW to move the RJG's official Mom to Colorado Springs this past October. This was our only restaurant visit, as we were on a tight schedule. Could this be the last RJG visit in DFW (other than the airport of course)? It could very well be... wow, seems strange. Hard to believe the majority of the below review is now 10.5 years old.
We snuck into DFW to move the RJG's official Mom to Colorado Springs this past October. This was our only restaurant visit, as we were on a tight schedule. Could this be the last RJG visit in DFW (other than the airport of course)? It could very well be... wow, seems strange. Hard to believe the majority of the below review is now 10.5 years old.
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The RJG likes him some tacos. We mentioned in other posts that while Italian and Thai probably constitute our favorite restaurant experiences, taco places represent our favorite fast food excursion. And we'll boldly admit that it isn't even the authentic Mexican taco / taqueria stand that has been in vogue these last 25 years (though we like those too!). No, we like the good old fashioned American styled, crunchy taco. Taco Bell may be its iconic image, but it's hardly the best representative. Most taco chains are of the regional variety. And we've been to many of them! The RJG has liked tacos since he was a little kid. There are few pleasures in life better than walking off with a sack of tacos, knowing the great taste sensation that comes with the meeting of spiced mush meat, lettuce, cheese, crispy shell and taco sauce (for some reason, we don't like tomatoes in my tacos). If the bag doesn't have a hole at the bottom with orange grease, then you may have gone to the wrong place... Taco Casa isn't the best taco chain we've been to, but we'd put them in the top group. They load up the tacos, so a bag of 5 really fills you up. Lots of cheese and lettuce, and of course meat. The wife likes them too, but depending on her mood sometimes says they have too much meat (how is that even possible?). For regular RJG readers, that's a recommendation right there! The meat is a bit saltier than most chains, but is extremely tasty. Another crucial element of a good taco stand, is the quality of their sauce (in the bottle or packaged). And they have a simple, not too hot, but very good red taco sauce. We would prefer some hotter options, but it's not going to keep us away. Besides, we can always take them home and add our own habanero sauce if so desired (and we never do that anyway).
When we moved to NE Tarrant in 2003, we were thrilled to find out there was one in Watauga. We went there exclusively for years. You'll find the Watauga location on Mid-Cities, just west of Rufe Snow. For years, and maybe even today, if you arrived at prime lunch and dinner times, there was a drive-through line around the building. When folks tell us nobody eats this kind of fast food anymore, we just laugh. Yea, sure. Because of this popularity, a couple of more Taco Casa's opened up in Northeast Tarrant in short order: Colleyville (now closed) and then Keller. The latter is the closest for us, and we went regularly there for over 10 years. The Keller location is on Keller Parkway just west of Pate-Orr on the north side of the road.
Taco Casa is a classic regional chain. They are based in Gainesville in far north Texas at the border of Oklahoma. They continue to be in rapid expansion mode, and now are somewhat ubiquitous - especially in Tarrant County. We suppose it's strange then, that the RJG first discovered Taco Casa in Durant, one of the few Oklahoma locations. In the early 1990s once a month, the RJG's official old man got the bright idea of journeying up to Durant, which is located just over the border from Texas, to buy cigarettes from the Indian reservations. Gas was cheaper then and he apparently saved a bundle (God knows he smoked like a chimney). We'd tag along on occasion, especially on lazy Saturday mornings (there was no Mrs. RJG in those bygone days). Also a compliment about their signage: Taco Casa has the perfect retro cornball look, with the big sombrero and handlebar bigote. Awesome.
The RJG likes him some tacos. We mentioned in other posts that while Italian and Thai probably constitute our favorite restaurant experiences, taco places represent our favorite fast food excursion. And we'll boldly admit that it isn't even the authentic Mexican taco / taqueria stand that has been in vogue these last 25 years (though we like those too!). No, we like the good old fashioned American styled, crunchy taco. Taco Bell may be its iconic image, but it's hardly the best representative. Most taco chains are of the regional variety. And we've been to many of them! The RJG has liked tacos since he was a little kid. There are few pleasures in life better than walking off with a sack of tacos, knowing the great taste sensation that comes with the meeting of spiced mush meat, lettuce, cheese, crispy shell and taco sauce (for some reason, we don't like tomatoes in my tacos). If the bag doesn't have a hole at the bottom with orange grease, then you may have gone to the wrong place... Taco Casa isn't the best taco chain we've been to, but we'd put them in the top group. They load up the tacos, so a bag of 5 really fills you up. Lots of cheese and lettuce, and of course meat. The wife likes them too, but depending on her mood sometimes says they have too much meat (how is that even possible?). For regular RJG readers, that's a recommendation right there! The meat is a bit saltier than most chains, but is extremely tasty. Another crucial element of a good taco stand, is the quality of their sauce (in the bottle or packaged). And they have a simple, not too hot, but very good red taco sauce. We would prefer some hotter options, but it's not going to keep us away. Besides, we can always take them home and add our own habanero sauce if so desired (and we never do that anyway).
When we moved to NE Tarrant in 2003, we were thrilled to find out there was one in Watauga. We went there exclusively for years. You'll find the Watauga location on Mid-Cities, just west of Rufe Snow. For years, and maybe even today, if you arrived at prime lunch and dinner times, there was a drive-through line around the building. When folks tell us nobody eats this kind of fast food anymore, we just laugh. Yea, sure. Because of this popularity, a couple of more Taco Casa's opened up in Northeast Tarrant in short order: Colleyville (now closed) and then Keller. The latter is the closest for us, and we went regularly there for over 10 years. The Keller location is on Keller Parkway just west of Pate-Orr on the north side of the road.
Taco Casa is a classic regional chain. They are based in Gainesville in far north Texas at the border of Oklahoma. They continue to be in rapid expansion mode, and now are somewhat ubiquitous - especially in Tarrant County. We suppose it's strange then, that the RJG first discovered Taco Casa in Durant, one of the few Oklahoma locations. In the early 1990s once a month, the RJG's official old man got the bright idea of journeying up to Durant, which is located just over the border from Texas, to buy cigarettes from the Indian reservations. Gas was cheaper then and he apparently saved a bundle (God knows he smoked like a chimney). We'd tag along on occasion, especially on lazy Saturday mornings (there was no Mrs. RJG in those bygone days). Also a compliment about their signage: Taco Casa has the perfect retro cornball look, with the big sombrero and handlebar bigote. Awesome.
1992; 1993; 2003; 2004; 6/2/05; 11/9/06; 5/1/08 (new entry); 6/7/09; 3/8/10; 10/23/11; 7/10/12; 8/21/15; 11/30/17; 10/5/18
Durant, Oklahoma; Watauga, Texas; Colleyville, Texas; Keller, Texas
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