Sandwiched between a Domino’s and a 7-Eleven off a busy stretch of Greenwood Lane in the Lake Highlands, Resident Taqueria is fast-casual as it was meant to be: sensational food served lightning fast. Grab a seat on the patio or perch at the bar to watch the cook on the flat top, and start with the stretchy cheese fundido served in personal-sized cast-iron pans. The menu changes monthly, and the tacos range from classic to quirky, like the Duck, Duck, Quail: duck confit and duck foie gras, draped with a sunny-side-up duck egg.

The cauliflower, short rib, and pork belly tacos on fresh, airy flour tortillas are enough reason to become a regular at this Lake Highlands taqueria, but the weekly specials are sufficiently tempting so that you’ll want to return every Taco Tuesday. It’s with those offerings that chef-owner Andrew Savoie and his staff flex their imaginations with traditional tacos. The green chorizo, a specialty of Toluca, Mexico, is seldom seen in these parts.

Owner-chef Andrew Savoie has a prestigious résumé that includes a stint at Jean-Georges in New York City, but after marrying a Dallasite, he relocated to North Texas. Eventually, he opened Resident Taqueria in his Lake Highlands neighborhood (hence the name) with a focus on chef-driven tacos rife with vegetables (see “Chef-Driven” in the Tacopedia). The most popular by far is the roasted cauliflower with ribbons of kale, a sprinkle of pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and a creamy lime-epazote salsa on a fresh flour tortilla.

This Lake Highlands gem opens early, so you can swing through in the morning for breakfast tacos loaded with eggs, chorizo, potatoes and fresh salsas. Lunch and dinner bring pecan-smoked chicken, slow-cooked brisket, shrimp tempura and some of the best vegetarian tacos in town, including caramelized cauliflower and mushroom-poblano. Keep your eyes peeled for specials, too, as the kitchen regularly cooks up limited-time tacos, with past iterations including soft shell crab and chicken satay.

Having influences ranging from New York, to Nola, to Napa, it only makes sense that the menu at Resident Taqueria is a bit different. Co-owned by Amy Clark, sister of rock star, St. Vincent, the restaurant includes options ranging from pecan smoked chicken with pickled sofrito, crushed peanuts, and salsa macha, to chorizo with onion, potato, and smoked tomata crema. All tacos are priced at 4$ a piece, save for their braised beef short ribs tacos, which cost an extra buck.

Tucked away in Lake Highlands, Resident Taqueria proves that suburban strip malls can hide culinary treasures!. My neighbor dragged me here one Saturday morning, promising it would change my taco standards forever – spoiler alert: she wasn’t exaggerating. Chef Andrew Savoie brings fine-dining techniques to casual tacos, creating unexpected combinations that somehow feel both innovative and comforting.

Cauliflower, kale and other dutiful-sounding greens prove to be better taco fillings than one might suspect, and the braised beef short rib taco with chipotle crema is a delight. Resident’s creative specials — think birria, Philly cheesesteak, duck breast or crab cakes inside a taco — have grown in number, and have become fan favorites. This taco spot also has good local craft beer on draft.

Off a busy stretch of Greenwood Lane in the Lake Highlands, Resident Taqueria is fast-casual as it was meant to be: sensational food served lightning fast. Grab a seat on the patio or perch at the bar to watch the cook on the flat top, and start with the stretchy cheese fundido served in personal-sized cast-iron pans. The menu changes monthly, and the tacos range from classic to quirky.

Pretty much any taco on the menu at Resident Taqueria in Lake Highlands is perfect - fresh and flavorful and just the right size - but it’s always a delight to see what’s on special. Recently I ordered the carne asada taco and the special duck breast taco, with a side of apple and celery slaw. The duck was tender and rich, and the carne asada was a big bite of comfort.

Founded in 2015 by Andrew Marc Savoie, this Lake Highlands spot offers some of the most unique tacos in Dallas. The chef-driven menu includes the pecan smoked chicken (with pickled sofrito, crushed peanuts, and salsa macha), braised beef short ribs, and Resident braised pork shoulder. Veggie options are a slow-cooked mushroom or caramelized cauliflower taco.

The puffy taco is not on the menu at Resident Taqueria, but it should be. The shimmering, seemingly weightless fried corn masa parcel brimming with the filling of your choosing—go for the beef picadillo studded with olives, whole cherry tomatoes, and garlic slivers—is not just one of the best tacos in Dallas. It’s one of the best puffy tacos in Texas.

Resident Taqueria takes a more modern approach to a taqueria with a menu that reflects a more vegetable-friendly crowd. Expect to find a fantastic cauliflower taco with kale, pepita, and aioli, and an out-of-this-world slow-cooked mushroom taco with queso, poblano, and almond salsa. They also have meat-heavy tacos that are great too!

Other taquerias mentioned in the list are the upscale Don Artemio in Fort Worth, a vegetarian option at Resident Taqueria in the Lake Highlands neighborhood of Dallas and Taco Thursday at Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Que in Grapevine when the food truck serves smoked barbacoa on a corn tortilla.

This taco spot has been a resident of Lake Highlands for over ten years. Hence, this makes them worthy of the name Resident Taqueria. They are best known for being a great community and family-friendly place to grab some of the best tacos in the city.

At these spots, you’ll be served tortillas instead of chips. That’s because fundido, in which molted cheese is served out of a piping hot skillet, is a little more refined that your run-of-the-mill queso. But it’s no less decadent, we promise!