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Taqueria el Lugar on the Square

July 17th, 2012

I love introducing new comers to surprisingly good eateries. Years ago, while I was living and teaching in St. Paul Minnesota, I returned home with some of my co-workers (including my administrator) for a Teacher’s conference. As any proud Tylerite in the know would, I took my fellow teachers to some of my favorite haunts, particularly Taqueria el Lugar. My boss was so impressed he delayed our return trip to St. Paul just long enough to get in one more visit to the “Best Mexican restaurant he’d ever experienced.”

For years I’ve enjoyed taking guests to Taqueria el Lugar, usually the Gentry location, and watched their reactions as we pulled up at the modest local and found some of the best genuine, Mexican food they’d ever had. Over the years the family owned business has expanded to numerous locals around the city.

Well, I took an out of town friend, to one of my all time favorite Tyler restaurants today. This visit was to the newest installment right down on the square. The location is ideal, and actually seems like it should have been open for years. I trust that the professionals who work on the square will keep the local legend open for many years.

Today’s visit wasn’t like the one I had years ago however. It’s not that the food wasn’t good. It’s still great, although I must agree with one of my friends who noted they went a little light on the cheese. But that may have been the particular day. The main difference is that the price has really gone up. I’m assuming that has something to do with the need to pay for the new locations. Of course, part of reason my experience was lessened may have been the height of my own expectations.

For a long time el Lugar has been a big part of my summer rituals. I capped off a lot days at the lake with cheap and delicious “number sevens.” Well Tyler has changed and so have my summers. I still plan on the occasional trip to el Lugar, but it will probably not be the staple of my diet that it used to be.

Junior’s Taqueria in Tyler Texas

October 20th, 2010

http://www.tylertxdirectory.com Juniors Taqueria has a plate that comes with six small beef tacos on corn tortillas

Junior's Taqueria in Tyler TX

Jr’s taqueria is located under not 1 but 2 billboard signs next to Home Plus in Tyler off the loop.

The tacos have beef, onions, cilantro, cheese, and avocado. They are delicious little tacos.

I eat there about once a month when I am over on that part of town. It is right across the highway from Sweet Sue’s.
Jr's Taqueria in Tyler TX
They also have the old school coke in a bottle and the restaurant is tiny but a nice place to chill for lunch.

The lunches are cheap but very very good. You gotta try this place man!

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Los Gueros Taqueria in Tyler My New Favorite

June 14th, 2010

image1366044308.jpgI have been eating lunch lately at Los Gueros Taqueria in Tyler.

I must say it is much better than the greesy stuff El Lugar has started selling at their new locations.

Los Gueros is over by the original Bruno’s Pizza location.

This place is packed at lunch time.

Not much of a secret anymore!

Don Juan’s Taqueria in Tyler Texas

January 30th, 2010

El Original

1313 E. Erwin Tyler TX
(903) 526-2999

On the Square

113 E Erwin Tyler TX
(903) 526-0702

One of my favorite restaurants to go to almost every week in Tyler is Don Juan’s. What you get at Don Juan’s that keeps me coming back is consistency and decent service. 

Don Jaun's

Don Jaun's

 The food is always of high quality and I usually get a pretty good waiter or waitress attentive to my food needs. They will almost always bring out some godo quality crunchy chips to your table. These chips aren’t the thin greasy chips you get at most places that people seem to like a lot. Don Juan’s chips are small triangular crunchy goodness. Combined with Don Juan’s extra spicy green and red hot sauce and you get a nice little appetizer prior to your taco’s or quesadilla arriving.

Don Juan's in Tyler Texas

Don Juan's

My favorite item right now at Don Juan’s taqueria are their chicken taco’s on corn tortilla’s. I will usually ask that they include cilantro, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and avacodo. I will usually get the taco’s without avacodo and I will sometimes ask for the waiter to go back and bring me some avacodo but usually I will just eat it however it comes out. Isn’t that what you do at McDonald’s? My order is never right there but I just eat however it comes out because why waist time complaining every visit?

My favorite drink at Don Juan’s is their Cantoulope juice. I would have never thought this flavor of juice would be good but in my mind it doesn’t taste exactly like cantaloupe but more like a refreshing fruit drink without distinct melon flavor. If you doubt my recommendation go ahead and order this drink and see what I mean. This drink is some good stuff! I have recommended the drink to a few of my friends and my wife. All of these people were reluctant at first but went ahead and ordered it. Now all of those friends order nothing else but yes you guessed it, Cantaloupe juice. You can beat this stuff. It is better than Tropicana pure premium orange juice no pulp and for me that is saying a lot.

When at Don Juan’s don’t spend too much time loitering at the entrance. You seat yourself people! See the sign that says “seat yourself”? Ok you have seen it so go ahead and find a table and wait for your server. This is how the machine works at Don Juan’s and we in Tyler like it like this. Why wait for a meaningless hostess to help you find a table when anyone with a brain can locate a clean empty table on their own? We can only hope that other Tyler restaurants learn from this ingenious idea.

Don Juan’s is located at the downtown square on Erwin and they have another location further down on West Erwin in the Mexican area of town near the brookshires dairy processing plant. 

Brookshires Dairy Processing

Brookshires Dairy Processing

 There are some obscure Mexican retail shops nearby with manicans wearing skimpy outfits and a house operating as a second hand used junk store. There is also Sam Hill Ace Hardware and lumber close by the West Erwin Don Juan’s location.

Taco Bell on Highway 31 and Loop 323 in Tyler, TX

January 19th, 2010

Of all fast food chains available in the United States, I prefer Taco Bell, and if you found this by searching for Taco Bell, then I assume you also love the chain. In Tyler, there aren’t a lot of non-burger fast food restaurants. They exist, but for a city our size, there seem to be relatively few.

This Taco Bell branch is located at the corner of Highway 31 and Loop 323. It shares a parking lot with Blockbuster Video which together make a great combination for a lazy evening. Also in the same shopping center are a Burger King, a Little Caesar’s Pizza, a Family Dollar, and interesting enough a Mexican grocery market which has a real taqueria (taco restaurant). I’ve tasted real Mexican tacos. They are amazing. In fact, Tyler offers several locations that will sell you tacos as close to authentic as possible this far North. Yet, I so often find myself pulling into this Taco Bell.

What makes it special? Well, the location has nothing to offer in the visual realm. The parking lot is as depressing as a parking lot can be. It’s as huge as you would need for a mall or a Wal-Mart and so it is rarely even close to fully occupied. This allows for making the potholes visible. Taco Bell itself feels very scrunched against the corner of the two busy roads. The drive through tends to make me claustrophobic like driving on an interstate that is under construction. It is not very wide. It curves and does not allow for exiting it once you’ve committed. I sometimes wonder what I’d do if I was in line and had an emergency. I guess I’d have to attempt hopping the six inch curb.

The things that are special about this Taco Bell in Tyler are the food, of course, and the employees. I have become a bit of an expert on Taco Bell dining around the United States. This is purely from eating at so many of them and hanging out with people at them. Only once have I been disappointed by this Taco Bell’s food, and it was because I made the number one fast food ordering mistake. I tried to go healthy. I ordered some sort of chicken and rice burrito that was close to disgusting. I didn’t spit it out, but I didn’t smile either. That was such an obvious mistake on my part that I could never hold it against the restaurant.

This Taco Bell has been very consistent with their food production. The burritos and tacos always come out as expected. They look close enough to the enhanced commercial examples and consistently taste exactly as I want them too. The “grilled stuffed burrito” is an item that is so often messed up by Taco Bells. When I’ve ordered them at other locations they’ve been dry and overcooked. One common mistake with it is overstuffing it with the rice which needs to be there but not noticed. This location does it right every time. I was even able to convert my wife from a chicken sandwich only customer to being a burrito fan with this branch’s consistently wonderful “grilled stuffed burritos”.

The other cool thing is their employees. I know that fast food doesn’t pay well, and that the employee turnover rate is pretty high. It should be hard to keep good workers. And though I can’t say for certain that they have been the same employees, I can say that the service has stayed the same. They must have a manager who understands customer service. When I pull up to the window, the worker may appear rough or unfriendly, but they inevitably smile at me and offer some small talk. One employee in particular actually had me laughing at loud. It really made the difference in where I will choose to take my eating business.

One last thought to encourage you to check them out…their soda is perfectly mixed. They are always strong with the initial burn that a good soda should offer, and the syrup mix has never been off when I ordered. They also have really good small ice and the really thin straws that make for a nice drinking experience. Give this slightly unattractive location a shot. You might become a regular like me.

500 S Southwest SL-323
Tyler, TX 75702‎
(903) 597-9244‎