Chances are you've driven by Hermano's Taqueria countlessbrtimes and not even known it. The small, family-owned taqueria is housed insidebrthe Texaco on White’s Chapel Boulevard. The place is unassuming, but once youbrget a taste of the food, you’ll understand why it's a hidden gem.
Everything on the menu is freshly prepared frombrscratch—from the tortas and tacos right down to the two zesty salsas. The tinybrkitchen, in clear view when you step inside the gas station, brings forth suchbrmiracles as menudo and lengua. This type of authentic Mexican food is exactlybrwhat Owner Arman Khan wanted to bring to Southlake.
“A few years back, the main places were either [local]brrestaurants or [fast food] chains,” says Khan. “Instead of having to drive tobrDallas to enjoy street tacos or authentic Mexican food, we wanted to bring itbrall closer to the people here.”
So that's exactly what Khan did. He opened the taqueriabrin 2012 and has garnered an impressive following. When we dropped in for lunch,brthe small space was abuzz with hungry folks dropping in for a quick bite.
The seating is modest (there are four small tablesbrsituated behind the rows of convenience-store snacks), but this isn't the typebrof place you'd go for the atmosphere. The food is what draws people here. It'sbrnot fancy; it's just the real deal, served up on a no-fuss Styrofoam plate.
We enjoyed a veritable Mexican-food feast of street tacos,brquesadillas and tortas. The quesadillas were just as they should be: melty inbrthe middle with a perfectly toasted tortilla.
We particularly enjoyed the chicken street tacos, whichbrwere loaded with fajita chicken, onions and cilantro, and accompanied by freshbrlime wedges. Apparently, our taste buds are in line with what the regularsbrenjoy; the taco has been the No. 1 seller for four years straight.
Other menu items worth checking out include the burritobr(it's packed with rice, beans, onions, cilantro, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes andbrmeat) and the tortas. These traditional Mexican sandwiches are made with beans,bronions, cilantro, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, jalepenos, avocado, mayo and abrchoice of meat. They're packed with flavor and will certainly fill you up. Webrcould eat only half our order.
Like many small neighborhood establishments, Hermano'sbrTaqueria is big on personality and a local feel. It's unmistakable when you see Khan greetbrcustomers with a warm, friendly smile. He may have gotten into this business tobrbring authentic Mexican fare to Southlake, but he's in it for the people who come to enjoy the food.
“We take the utmost pride in our craft,” he says. “Ourbrbusiness is not just a business; it feels more like family working together. Webrlike to have fun and we want our customers to have fun.”
He adds: “This business would not be here if it wasn'tbrfor a diverse city like Southlake and the variety of great customers we've hadbra chance to serve.”
HERMANO'S TAQUERIA
1100 W. Southlake Blvd. (Inside the Texaco)
817.421.3149