Tired of the typical Tex-Mex? This taco place does things differently for only $6 a pop

Move aside, Tex-Mex. Mexi-Terranean is the new top dog.

It’s not that I won’t ever have margaritas with brisket queso ever again; it’s just that sometimes the classic steak fajitas get a little old.

My colleague, Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy, brought Tacos Y Rocky to my attention, and it was exactly what I was looking for.

Jissis Villogas and Bo Armendarez, the owners of Tacos Y Rocky, previously worked out of a food truck until they moved their business into various ghost kitchens across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I visited their kitchen in North Richland Hills for a Thursday night dinner.

The food was fresh, with their signature sourdough pita tortillas. The best part is the price—no menu items exceed $10. Each taco costs between $6 and $6.50, and all sides are $5.

It was not hard to stay within the $20 budget.

What you can get at Tacos Y Rocky for under $20

Tacos Arabes are sourced from Arab immigrants (especially those of Lebanese descent) who migrated to Puebla, Mexico. They are primarily made with pork (the Mexican influence) and grilled on a rotating stick with a fire, which is a Middle Eastern method.

Tacos Y Rocky offers three taco selections: pork, chicken and beef. The Pueblan is their $6 pork taco. The flavor is vibrant, and there is no need for toppings. It is drizzled with Salsa Arabe, a traditional Pueblan chipotle pepper salsa with the perfect amount of spice.

The Sheikh’n is their $6 chicken taco. The meat is smoked, letting in a little bit of that Texas barbecue flavor. It’s topped with a cardamom-soaked queso fresco and habanero pickled onions. The salty cheese fuses beautifully with the sweet and spicy onions. But what takes this taco up another notch is the Iraqi Amba Salsa. It’s essentially a mango chutney salsa that adds a fresh and bright flavor.

The Tejano is the third taco they offer, a $6.50 smoked beef cheek dish. The meat is tender and juicy, topped with the same queso fresco and pickled onions as the chicken taco. This taco didn’t last longer than a minute before I devoured it.

For three tacos, it was a total of $18.50. All of them were made on their fresh sourdough pita tortillas, or what Armendarez called them, “La TortPita.”

“When I first came up with the idea to sell tacos, Bo told me we had to do something to make us stand out,” Villogas said. “That’s when we came up with the idea of selling pork tacos on the La TortPita.”

This small detail adds great value to Taco Y Rocky’s menu. Armendarez always has the idea of elevated dining in the back of his mind. Though they are a take-out business, all ingredients are high-quality and fresh.

They also offer a great selection of Lebanese and Mexican-inspired side dishes. At $5 a pop, you can get four sides and still stay within the $20 budget.

• Papas Libanesa: crispy, garlic skillet potatoes. A classic Lebanese dish that they also include in their breakfast tacos.

• Turmeric Calabacitas: Villogas’ mom’s recipe that is just squash and onions. The simplicity of the dish hits the target on the bullseye.

• Esquites: Who doesn’t like corn? Especially when you don’t have to gnaw it off the cob. This is grilled Mexican corn off the cob.

• Arroz con Amba: Garlic basmati rice with the Salsa Amba. There was a delicious garlicky flavor with the sweet mango chutney salsa.

When is Tacos Y Rocky open & where are other locations?

Tacos Y Rocky sells breakfast tacos in coffee shops around Fort Worth. They also operate out of ghost kitchens every day in Keller and North Richland Hills.

For breakfast and lunch, you can order from the Keller Location at 121 Olive St. in Keller. Their hours are weekdays (Monday through Friday), 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For lunch and dinner, they operate out of the North Richland Hills kitchen at 8245 Precinct Line Rd., #130 in North Richland Hills. Their hours are Wednesday through Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Their partnership coffee shop locations are:

• Rio Dulce Coffee: 109 Houston St

• Flat Track Coffee: 6475 Camp Bowie Blvd

• Match Point Coffee: 3618 W 7th St B

• Kimzey’s Coffee: 429 US-377, Argyle

They also offer catering services and Doordash orders for delivery or pickup.

Got any tips for where I should go next? Send me an email at egonzales@star-telegram.com.

This story was originally published October 28, 2024 at 5:00 AM.

Ella Gonzales

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Ella Gonzales is a service journalism reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She is part of a team of local journalists who answer reader questions and write about life in North Texas. Ella mainly writes about local restaurants and where to find good deals around town.