El Taco Rico

Reviews

• Manda C.

  star star star star star 13 June 2026

  We've been here quite a few times in the last year and a half and this is my absolute favorite taqueria in town! We would come here a lot more often if we lived closer. I look for any excuse though, and with the new Discount Tire built across the street I now have one more reason to be at that intersection.
  
  The owner is a really good guy and you can see how much he cares about his business. When he is there, which is 99.9% of the time, everything is PERFECT! The only time he wasn't there, the food was very good instead of exceptional. You really can't complain.
  
  Like all the best business owners, he does whatever it takes. This has resulted in times where he is there at all hours- seriously, no matter what time of day we came in, there he was! There were several months where he looked really tired all the time. I genuinely hope they continue to grow so he can hire a large enough staff to take the occasional day off. Dude deserves it.
  
  This may strike you as a small, hole in the wall place, but those are my jam! Still, it's kept clean and has 7-8 booths. I do notice most people take it to go or call in ahead and pick up at the counter.
  
  We typically come in mid morning on a weekend, but I've seen a lot of DoorDash orders when we come in the afternoons. I prefer to dine in as they put so much care into the food, I love that I'm getting it fresh off the grill, mmmm!
  
  The prices are fantastic! We always leave completely stuffed for under $20 and get to try a variety of things, including the agua fresca. They have bottled drinks, horchata and usually 2-4 types of agua fresca. The glasses are large so we've never needed a refill.
  
  This is my favorite place in town to get agua fresca as it's always made fresh in house and is outstandingly delicious and refreshing! They have me so hooked that sometimes I'm at a gas station or a grocery store or a dentist office and I start feeling resentful that the business doesn't serve homemade agua fresca, lol!
  
  They rotate flavors so I always ask what they have that day. My picks are the melon and pineapple, but the Jamaica is very good too. Make sure you get some!
  
  My husband rotates- gorditas, quesadillas, tortas, etc. All the portions are great here, but the tortas are HUGE! I've seen people enjoying a good looking caldo de res, but have yet to try it. Personally, I can never stray from the tacos- ever! I do have other spots in town where they have my favorite carnitas, barbacoa or horchata, but these are my favorite tacos overall.
  
  All their plates come with rice and beans and are a lot of food for $7.25. I used to get the taco plate all the time and they would let me get 4 different tacos. I'm not sure when this changed, as I asked on my last visit, but now you can only get 2 meats for the taco plate.
  
  Since it's so much food and we're usually running errands (can't take leftovers) I changed up my typical order quite a while back to getting 2 or 3 tacos and a side of rice. It comes out cheaper than the plate and I actually have a chance at finishing it, lol. The tacos are only $1.50 for almost every type!
  
  My favorite is al pastor, it's so flavorful and it's got crispy edges and not a lot of fat, which is my preferred texture profile. I think these are the best around. The carnitas and barbacoa are also in my regular rotation- very tasty and well seasoned! I also throw bistec and pollo in the mix on a regular basis. The more I come here, the more I appreciate the consistency. I'm always satisfied!
  
  The location is on the corner of McKinney and 288 next to a Donut shop. Due to the median, you can really only enter from one side of the road (288 heading towards I35). However, if you are on the McKinney side I recommend you take the street behind the dollar store and O'Reilly's (Cardinal) as it allows you to come up next to the DQ (Hummingbird Lane) and go in the right direction. There are only a few spots out front, but they are connected to the Sonic and there is a small lot behind there too that's not very obvious.
  
  You can always park illegally and place an order to go- tacos are worth a ticket, always! My cravings can't be stopped by things like the law and common decency, so I understand.
  
  I'm going to dine in though, so if you took the last spot and I'm blocking you in- don't worry, I'll treat you to a taco! :)

• Rachel O.

  star star star star star 8 June 2026

  The food is consistently good and the price is right! I've had breakfast tacos a couple of times but usually come for lunch. It's fast and yummy.

• Issac A.

  star star star star_border star_border 6 June 2026

  Great food, high quality, higher price than similar taco shops. The tacos were great, with some of the best rice in town. Menudo was good but only came with 8 pieces of hominy in the large size. Bathrooms were nice and clean. Great staff, super helpful.
  Previous reviews are overhyped, this is not nearly the best place in town or somewhere you NEED to go to, but it's worth your time if you're big on tacos.

• Bradley P.

  star star star star star 31 May 2026

  Great taste and portions for the price. Lovelys remind me to bring you here for the tortas.

• Kurt V.

  star star star star_border star_border 20 May 2026

  My favorite taco joint in Denton and try to come here when I am in town. The tacos are always fresh and delicious.  The chips and salsa alone make a  trip here worth it.
  
  Great selection of delicious foods served by great people!