Tacos Galore!

Tacos Galore!

By Gini Rainey

Rusty Taco began as a simple family-operated taco stand in the Dallas area and has grown into a leading edge-quick service restaurant concept with locations stretching from Nacogdoches, the DFW area, and Tyler all the way to the Minneapolis-St.Paul Metroplex.

Offering a simple menu of tasty and authentic tacos that are prepared fresh every day, the meal is served quickly in a unique and fun atmosphere that is kid friendly.

When we visited the Tyler location at 1714 S. Beckham the other evening for dinner, what stood out the most to us was the minimalist concept of the restaurant. The night was rather pleasant and the bay door windows were open to allow a nice, fresh breeze into the dining area. Also, there is a covered deck with additional seating to allow for larger groups of people.

Our order was taken by a couple of really friendly guys and as always, I asked what they thought I should try. They pretty much suggested everything on the menu, but knowing that we couldn’t possibly eat that much, we kept it simple.

We got the #1 Picadillo taco, which is a combination of ground meat and potatoes, topped with onions and cilantro on a corn tortilla; the #4 chicken fajita taco, which was grilled chopped chicken topped with cilantro and fresh pico on a corn tortilla; and the #13 Texican taco, spicy Mexican beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and shredded cheese on a flour tortilla.

Our order was ready before we knew it and was every bit as delicious as promised by our servers. I probably could have eaten more, but to be quite honest, I was comfortably full.

Intrigued by the dessert tacos on the menu, we ordered a cherry taco to top off our meal. The deep fried tortilla was stuffed with a few cherries and some heavenly goo, and it was just the right amount of sweet to take the residual fire left in my mouth from the homemade green sauce.

I knew that my daughter and her family (who are die-hard vegans and one who is allergic to gluten) like to eat at one of the Rusty Tacos in the Dallas area, so I asked her about which vegan/gluten free options they order. She said they like the frozen margaritas, the guacamole and salsa – and the opportunity for the kids to run around on the deck.

They like that they use corn tortillas by default, so they are already gluten free. She has had both the rajas tacos and the black bean tacos (without cheese) and thinks that the rajas taco had a bit more flavor. She added that for vegetarians they also have the potato/egg/cheese taco.

All in all, I must say that my opinion of Rusty Taco is good and I am pretty sure that I will be heading back in their direction before too long. Besides, what’s not to like about friendly service, fresh air, great food, and cold beer?

Rusty Taco

1714 S. Beckham Ave, Tyler

(903)596-8226

7922 S. Broadway, Tyler

(903)939-3000

Hours: Open 7am-10pm daily

www.therustytaco.com