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Posted

So all of us here have had the offerings that are pre-made and wrapped in foil or the infamous Allsups fried burrito.

However I’m talking about the gas station/ convenience store “restaurant”

So even though my little true Mexican place in Wylie has Birria tacos wanted to find something different. 
 

Trompitoz taqueria came up on search. In a convenience store. Allen TX.

Damn good Birria tacos. Also have Birria burritos, Birria grilled cheese, Birria egg rolls and usual Mexican meats. 
Had 2 bites before taking pic. Not shown was consommé. Very rich. On trips to Allen HEB this will be a stop. 
 

 

IMG_2909.jpeg

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Posted

Shit, I remember that we always stopped at Kincer's Chevron near Kendleton 40 f'n years ago on our pre-dawn trips to go goose hunting, because they had next-level breakfast tacos.  There have always been small-town gems offering different variations of goodness at gas stations.

And of course, there have also been the versions that simply have a giant deep fat fryer and the willingness to fry....anything.  Then you get a glass display case with 40 variations of brown fried goodness.  In high school one time, we went to one such location in Devine, and bought like $30 worth of....stuff.  And had a fried buffet with beer for dinner.  It was glorious.

Posted

Are those tiny or is that tray huge?

If you like that and live in Wyle drive west on Parker to K avenue. 

Taqueria Salsa Verde. The restaurant, not the gas station across the street. 

TortaBirria

Try it

Posted

Also, unpopular take here: I'm kinda "meh" on Birria.  It's good, don't get me wrong.  I'm just not feeling all the hype.  It's a style of food that wasn't ANYWHERE around here, and now it's everywhere.  It's originally from Jalisco, and then Tijuana....which means it eventually ended up migrating into California, and became a trend.  But for most long-time Texas hispanics, it is not and was not a "thing."  I never saw it anywhere -- restaurant or home -- in the parts of mexico I grew up visiting (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon).  It's a bit messy, and honestly, it's often bland to me.  And lord, do the hipsters love it, which is automatically off-putting to me and my more pedestrian and proletarian sensibilities.

Give me a good S. Texas taco joint inside a gas station, and I'm a happy man.

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Posted
40 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Also, unpopular take here: I'm kinda "meh" on Birria.  It's good, don't get me wrong.  I'm just not feeling all the hype.  It's a style of food that wasn't ANYWHERE around here, and now it's everywhere.  It's originally from Jalisco, and then Tijuana....which means it eventually ended up migrating into California, and became a trend.  But for most long-time Texas hispanics, it is not and was not a "thing."  I never saw it anywhere -- restaurant or home -- in the parts of mexico I grew up visiting (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon).  It's a bit messy, and honestly, it's often bland to me.  And lord, do the hipsters love it, which is automatically off-putting to me and my more pedestrian and proletarian sensibilities.

Give me a good S. Texas taco joint inside a gas station, and I'm a happy man.

Definitely not good enough to justify the amount of grease. Also can be much too rich.

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Posted
41 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Also, unpopular take here: I'm kinda "meh" on Birria.  It's good, don't get me wrong.  I'm just not feeling all the hype.  It's a style of food that wasn't ANYWHERE around here, and now it's everywhere.  It's originally from Jalisco, and then Tijuana....which means it eventually ended up migrating into California, and became a trend.  But for most long-time Texas hispanics, it is not and was not a "thing."  I never saw it anywhere -- restaurant or home -- in the parts of mexico I grew up visiting (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon).  It's a bit messy, and honestly, it's often bland to me.  And lord, do the hipsters love it, which is automatically off-putting to me and my more pedestrian and proletarian sensibilities.

Give me a good S. Texas taco joint inside a gas station, and I'm a happy man.

As a RGV kid, 100% agree. 

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Posted
4 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Also, unpopular take here: I'm kinda "meh" on Birria.  It's good, don't get me wrong.  I'm just not feeling all the hype.  It's a style of food that wasn't ANYWHERE around here, and now it's everywhere.  It's originally from Jalisco, and then Tijuana....which means it eventually ended up migrating into California, and became a trend.  But for most long-time Texas hispanics, it is not and was not a "thing."  I never saw it anywhere -- restaurant or home -- in the parts of mexico I grew up visiting (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon).  It's a bit messy, and honestly, it's often bland to me.  And lord, do the hipsters love it, which is automatically off-putting to me and my more pedestrian and proletarian sensibilities.

Give me a good S. Texas taco joint inside a gas station, and I'm a happy man.

Spot on.  “It’s so authentic!”  Cry the hipsters.  Well not really.  It’s like all Mexican food.  Every house is different a bit.  I enjoy birria occassionally but prefer lots of other things over it.  Tic Taco in Arlington is owned by a guy from Mexico City with a fine dining background.  Does lamb quesabirria tacos and they are wonderful.  Most places it’s just Cali stewed beef, tasteless and greasy.  

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Posted
4 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Also, unpopular take here: I'm kinda "meh" on Birria.  It's good, don't get me wrong.  I'm just not feeling all the hype.  It's a style of food that wasn't ANYWHERE around here, and now it's everywhere.  It's originally from Jalisco, and then Tijuana....which means it eventually ended up migrating into California, and became a trend.  But for most long-time Texas hispanics, it is not and was not a "thing."  I never saw it anywhere -- restaurant or home -- in the parts of mexico I grew up visiting (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon).  It's a bit messy, and honestly, it's often bland to me.  And lord, do the hipsters love it, which is automatically off-putting to me and my more pedestrian and proletarian sensibilities.

Give me a good S. Texas taco joint inside a gas station, and I'm a happy man.

Agree. Just not a very complex dish flavor-wise. Definitely prefer just your standard corn tortilla w onions, cilantro and assorted meats and salsas.

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Posted
2 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Agree. Just not a very complex dish flavor-wise. Definitely prefer just your standard corn tortilla w onions, cilantro and assorted meats and salsas.

Co-sign.  Except my family is northern mexican ranching stock....sure, we ate corn tortillas, but flour were our go-to.  Again, regional variations that piss off hipsters who want to believe they've found the one true authentic mexican food.  Corn tortillas are authentic as shit.  Flour tortillas are authentic as shit.  Just like new england clam chowder, fried chicken, and chili are each utterly authentic American dishes....which are very different from each other based on regional specifics.

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Posted
23 hours ago, Shaddie said:

So all of us here have had the offerings that are pre-made and wrapped in foil or the infamous Allsups fried burrito.

However I’m talking about the gas station/ convenience store “restaurant”

So even though my little true Mexican place in Wylie has Birria tacos wanted to find something different. 
 

Trompitoz taqueria came up on search. In a convenience store. Allen TX.

Damn good Birria tacos. Also have Birria burritos, Birria grilled cheese, Birria egg rolls and usual Mexican meats. 
Had 2 bites before taking pic. Not shown was consommé. Very rich. On trips to Allen HEB this will be a stop. 
 

 

IMG_2909.jpeg

Looks surprisingly good for gas station food. If it came with consume, then I'm in

Posted
6 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Also, unpopular take here: I'm kinda "meh" on Birria.  It's good, don't get me wrong.  I'm just not feeling all the hype.  It's a style of food that wasn't ANYWHERE around here, and now it's everywhere.  It's originally from Jalisco, and then Tijuana....which means it eventually ended up migrating into California, and became a trend.  But for most long-time Texas hispanics, it is not and was not a "thing."  I never saw it anywhere -- restaurant or home -- in the parts of mexico I grew up visiting (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon).  It's a bit messy, and honestly, it's often bland to me.  And lord, do the hipsters love it, which is automatically off-putting to me and my more pedestrian and proletarian sensibilities.

Give me a good S. Texas taco joint inside a gas station, and I'm a happy man.

Also from RGV and concur. Have had them a couple times and just moved along. The consommé overwhelms everything.  I prefer a griddled Matamoros style street taco to scratch that itch. 

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Posted
2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Co-sign.  Except my family is northern mexican ranching stock....sure, we ate corn tortillas, but flour were our go-to.  Again, regional variations that piss off hipsters who want to believe they've found the one true authentic mexican food.  Corn tortillas are authentic as shit.  Flour tortillas are authentic as shit.  Just like new england clam chowder, fried chicken, and chili are each utterly authentic American dishes....which are very different from each other based on regional specifics.

I like em both. The flour tortilla is a perfect vehicle for eggs and breakfast filling, or for fajita meat, or barbecue, or for sopping up carne guisada. Corn for pastor or griddled steak, or seafood, and making enchiladas. 

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Posted
7 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Also, unpopular take here: I'm kinda "meh" on Birria.  It's good, don't get me wrong.  I'm just not feeling all the hype.  It's a style of food that wasn't ANYWHERE around here, and now it's everywhere.  It's originally from Jalisco, and then Tijuana....which means it eventually ended up migrating into California, and became a trend.  But for most long-time Texas hispanics, it is not and was not a "thing."  I never saw it anywhere -- restaurant or home -- in the parts of mexico I grew up visiting (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon).  It's a bit messy, and honestly, it's often bland to me.  And lord, do the hipsters love it, which is automatically off-putting to me and my more pedestrian and proletarian sensibilities.

Give me a good S. Texas taco joint inside a gas station, and I'm a happy man.

I posted something similar a while back and was roasted for it, I didn't even say "meh" just said it was overrated. For me its tasty but dipping in the consome just doesn't add much. It's not like a french dip where the bread is porous and absorbs the liquid, with a crisped tortilla it just sort of runs off, you get more from the fat in the meat than you get from the liquid. I will say, my local joint makes a "birria pizza" that is good as hell and perfect for a small get together.

Posted
On 4/21/2025 at 8:50 PM, Wiler77 said:

Gas stations with Laredo Taco Company inside. Good shit.

I need to express a gripe here. The very best gas station breakfast taco around was prepared at a Stripes that sat at the junction of 83 and 77 in Harlingen. The menu was smaller than a LTC. It was just ladies making bacon + egg, chorizo + egg, potato + egg + cheese, or bean + egg. All made fresh but pre-rolled and wrapped. Not rolled in front of you like at LTC and no customizing. The tortilla was a bit bigger and softer, the filling a bit more generous and fresher, the salsa spicier.

Then in the mid-2000s Stripes introduced the LTC concept and the station got standardized.  And most of Texas got better breakfast tacos and the denizens of Harlingen lost in the exchange. 

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