Taco Dirty to Me

In Fort Worth, isn’t every day taco day? Maybe it’s good that the rest of the nation caught up — October 4 marks National Taco Day, and, frankly, people, this is what we’ve trained for. In 2010, Texas chain Taco Cabana lobbied for a national commemoration to celebrate their product. Objectively, although I think the quality of the food has slipped over the years, the TC bean-and-cheese taco on a flour tortilla fresh from the comal is still a quiet-morning pleasure.

As always, we begin with a moment of silence for those taco joints no longer serving up the good stuff. It’s sad that Granny’s on the North Side is closed –– they served up the best housemade flour tortillas, and the labor-intensive process was worth the wait. Ditto Calisience on Race Street –– I miss the birria. And while I ate there only maybe once a year, I miss Caro’s Mexican Restaurant’s puffy tacos.

A word about brisket places that also serve tacos –– that is its own column, and I don’t have the space. Maybe next year. Below are some old and new favorite places where you can celebrate tacos with abandon on October 4.

Belenty’s Love Mexican Vegan Restaurant (3516 Bluebonnet Cir, Fort Worth, 817-862-9008) is possibly the most unusual of the bunch. Vegan tacos force a chef to be a little creative with the fillings –– try the nopalitos, meaty portobello, the faux-barbacoa, or just the anything-but-plain-ol’ grilled veggie.

Birrieria Chalio (308 E Seminary Dr, Fort Worth, 682-224-1244) offers some of the most unusual proteins in town, including Mexican sausage, beef birria, lamb, asada, and gobernador — grilled shrimp with cabbage and pico.

Cafecito (1229 8th Av, Ste 127, Fort Worth 682-376-9749) is the home of the pink corn taco, and they’re adorable. The breakfast tacos are sublime and start at $3 apiece. For a liquid perk-me-up, don’t forget the Cafecito de Olla, cold or hot and made with traditional Mexican brown sugar and cinnamon.

Fact: The fare at Esperanza’s Restaurant and Bakery (two locations) is better than that of its big sister, Joe T. Garcia’s, and I will fight you on that. The Esperanza’s (2122 N Main St, Fort Worth, 817-626-5770) a block or two away from Joe T.’s is often the smart choice if you don’t want to wait in Joe T.’s enormous lines, and you can customize your order with a single taco (your choice of proteins — try the lengua) or just dive into the three-taco plate.

Los Guapos (2708 W 7th St, Fort Worth) is the newcomer of the bunch, although Chef/Owner Angel Fuentes may be a familiar name as the former head honcho at Mariachi’s. At Los Guapos, you can get four street tacos with your choice of protein (chicken tinga, house-made chorizo, or veggie options like grilled nopales or mushrooms) plus elotes for $14. Baja fish and octopus al pastor tacos up the ante here.

Maestro’s (3011 Bledsoe St, Fort Worth, 682-250-6241) is in contention to replace the late, great Calisience for authentic birria tacos. Three tacos plus all the accompaniments run $14.

Paco’s Mexican Cuisine (two locations) is owned by Francisco Islas, who jumped onto Magnolia Avenue (1508 Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-759-9110) before the street became a culinary mecca. Whether there or at the Paco’s in Sundance Square (156 W 4th St, Fort Worth, 817-306-2402), tacos by the plate or a la carte include the novelty chapulin (grasshoppers are a good source of protein, or so it’s said) and discada (mixed beef, bacon, and other pork products) along with barbacoa and carnitas.

Tacos La Banqueta Puro DF (multiple locations) is still the best for the interesting waste-not, want-not fillings. Cabeza (cow head) is a surprisingly luscious treat, but if that or the tripas (intestines) give you the willies, there’s always the pastor –– pork kissed with pineapple.

At Tacos Ernesto (3778 McCart Av, Fort Worth), your taco joy starts at under $2 for a single corn tortilla filled with your choice of meat, including barbacoa or pork in either a red or green sauce. You’ll need some functional high school-grade Spanish here, and if you’re perhaps wrongly judged to be a Guero/Guerra, you might need to request the spicy sauce.

Taco Heads’ story is basically that of the little taco truck that could. At both the OG location (1812 Montgomery St, Fort Worth, 817-615-9899) and the new Stockyards branch (2349 N Main St, Fort Worth, 817-420-6299), you are presented with one of the best selections of breakfast tacos in town, including chipotle brisket, pan-fried papas (potatoes), and veggie, all with egg and all on your choice of corn or flour tortillas.

Taqueria San Andres (961 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 682-250-3542) has a tiny patio and possibly one of the best taco specials ever: Most are a buck apiece Mondays and Tuesdays. The corn tortillas are gloriously, daintily toasted, and whether you go for the dollar special or the three-taco plate with rice and beans ($10.95), the green sauce in the squeezy bottle is super-spicy, while the red in the other squeezy is delightfully flavorful.

Taqueria Temo (121 NW 25th St, Fort Worth, 682-224-3081) started off as a food truck in 2007, and it’s pretty much been all about the trompo (pork cooked on a vertical spit) since then. Four tacos of your choice plus charro beans will run you about $12.

There’s actually a bit of controversy about National Taco Day. As it turns out, a small group of people just declared the first Tuesday in October (which would have been yesterday) as National Taco Day. It makes sense, but here in the Fort, every day can be Taco Day.