Taqueria El Texano
104 US-131I always look forward to Friday’s in the summer. It means Lunchtime Live at Bronson Park.
And almost every Friday in the summer, I get pulled out of town for work.
I really thought I was going to make it to 11:30 this past Friday. I was already eyeing a few trucks that I had seen pull in to the parking spots on South Street next to the park.
I didn’t make it however. About 11:00, I had to hop in the car and drive to a job site down in Three Rivers.
Nothing to worry about though. There’s a taco food truck turned restaurant I’ve been wanting to get to…so I did.
Taqueria El Texano is on US-131 near the intersection with Michigan Avenue. The taco joint is on the west side of the road and accessible from the Southbound lanes. It shares a building and a parking lot with Confluence Cannabis. There’s a little bit of parking in front of the building right off US-131 but there is a much bigger parking lot in the back with access to the restaurant if you’re dining in or the parking is full.
This restaurant grew out of a really popular food truck that used to set up just down the street on Michigan Avenue. That truck, Taqueria El Tejano, was super popular and there was a line every time I stopped in the dirt lot next to the Elks Lodge where they were set up.
The restaurant is set up as a counter service, fast casual restaurant. The menu board hangs above the register and above the opening in to the kitchen.
I put in an order for four steak tacos on corn shells with cilantro and onion plus an order for fries. The cost was right around $15 before the tip and they handed me a buzzer so I would know when my food was ready.
There’s a pretty good size dining room and it was packed on this Friday afternoon. The decor is in the colors of the Mexican flag but it’s a much more hip vibe than a typical Mexican restaurant. I grabbed an open booth while I waited for my food which only took about ten minutes.
I grabbed my bag of food and started heading back towards Kalamazoo.
I ordered the fries because I knew I could eat those in the car. They were really nothing special. It was just a box of crinkle cut fries that could have used a little bit of seasoning. They held me over until I got somewhere I could eat the tacos though and that’s the reason I ordered them.
It was hard waiting to get back to Kalamazoo until I dug in to the tacos. The four steak tacos were lined up neatly in the Styrofoam to-go container with both a green hot sauce and a red one.
The dual corn tortilla shells were loaded with a tender, flavorful meat that would have been delicious to eat on it’s own. Each taco had a very neat layer of finely chopped onions mixed with cilantro. I poured the red sauce on top like I always do. The four tacos left me wanting more. They were so good.
Taqueria El Texano is as tasty as I figured it would be. I always loved the food truck and the restaurant just ups there game. There has been a sign on the old Olga’s at the Crossroads Mall that they were going to open a restaurant there as well. I have no idea what’s happened with that but I hope they come through with it eventually. Otherwise I’ll just have to stop at this shop every time I drive through Three Rivers.
SW Michigan Dining 