Chilangos, one of our top 100 restaurants, was packed on Saturday evening. When we inhaled the aroma of tacos, we were reminded why. Chilangos’ tacos are just so damn good.
Chilangos’ kitchen works fast.
Lauren Drewes Daniels
Chilangos started when its two founders, Jon Garay and Joel Mendoza, serendipitously met while both were trying to bring the tacos of their native Mexico City to Dallas. First, they had a food truck, La Botana. That grew into a brick-and-mortar spot along Harry Hines Boulevard and the change of name to Chilangos. Mendoza, who had experience in high-end kitchens in both Mexico City and Dallas, created the recipes and Garay brought the business and foodie background.
Chilangos was one of the first Dallas taco spots to serve birria, which has since spread like wildfire across North Texas. The restaurant also serves a la costra style of taco where the cheese is cooked directly on the grill and folded into a tortilla. They’ve always made tortillas in-house and kept the menu focused on tacos, offering only chips or elotes for sides.
A visit to the new location on Saturday shows they have not been distracted with expansion. It was over 100 degrees outside but the overflow crowd filled the spot’s dozen or so tables. Whole families packed around small tables, with red plates of tacos in front of them.
There were more than a half-dozen cooks in the long kitchen, a bit like In-N-Out Burger with workers wearing red and yellow paper hats and tidy white shirts. The trompo spins at the center of the kitchen with grills on either side. There’s also a small churro station. The space is tight, but it’s fun. Service was fast, especially considering the dinner rush. Tables were cleaned and turned over quickly so the line of people at the front could grab a table.
There’s a variety of taco proteins to choose from, all around $3: carne asada, pastor, pollo, barbacoa, mushrooms and then birria tacos, which are available on the weekends only. Plus a ribeye for a couple of bucks more, but well worth it. There are also quesadillas for about $5 each, which we haven’t tried yet, but will soon. Everything is offered “con todo” with cilantro and onions.
The la costra at Chilangos is magnificent.
Lauren Drewes Daniels
The la costra here is one of the best tacos you’ll ever know. Cheese is slightly crispy on the outside and gooey inside, wrapped around piquant meat (diner’s choice). A lovely hongos (mushroom) taco was tossed in a light sauce and was marvelous. The al pastor topped with any or all of the salsas is tender and scrumptious, and at $8.85 for three it’s a very decent deal.
A salsa bar near the kitchen counter offers several options to spice things up. A green guacamole-style salsa will make your face sweat a bit. The heat is perfect.
There’s also a margarita machine, and a passion fruit “pouch marg” along with a couple of other cocktails, beer and micheladas.
There’s a churro station too.
Lauren Drewes Daniels
We ordered the churros, which came out before our main food arrived. By the time we got to the mini fried pastries coated in chocolate, they were no longer warm, but we polished them off nonetheless.
Chilangos still has its original location on Harry Hines Boulevard, as well as a spot in The Exchange food hall at AT&T Discovery District and Legacy Hall in Plano. We hope the see the expansion continue.
Chilangos Tacos, 4012 Ross Ave. Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
