Revolver Taco Lounge

Not all great taquerías are hovels found in neglected districts. Some shine white and clean in developing enclaves. Case in point: Revolver Taco Lounge, a contemporary Mexican restaurant awash in white with orange accents along West Seventh Street in Fort Worth.

Opened for more than a year, Revolver offers Mexican standards humble in presentation. Here, the Rojas family offers pipian, a green mole with pumpkin seeds, blankets duck breast. A lobster taco is laced with chipotle butter sauce. In the mood for huitlacoche? Revolver’s got it.

The eatery’s tacos come wrapped in house-made tortillas produced from nixtamal (i.e., the hard way) in a kitchen staffed by—stereotypically enough—smock-wearing elderly women, among them owner Gino Rojas’ mother and aunt.

That’s what a friend and I saw when we walked into Revolver Taco Lounge right after it opened. We took a seat at the bar where the restaurant’s eponymous firearms were inlaid, aiming straight for the taco roster. We were ready to be wowed.

Wowed we were by the two tacos time allowed. (Revolver was the initial stop of five planned for the day’s taco tour of Dallas’ sister city.) The first was a food I have been eager to sample: huitlacoche, the fungus that bursts from corn on the stalk. Also known as corn smut—some prefer calling it corn truffles—the huitlacoche was mild with a bouquet of damp forest floor softened by the pillowy corn tortilla in which it sat with queso fresco.

The carnitas were firmly held in place by a pico de gallo that gave the packed threads of pork a spicy nudge. All that was missing were more crackling nibs to offset the tender meat. Otherwise, it was a knockout rendition of the classic dish from the Mexican state of Michoacan, the Rojas’ homeland.

A restrained salsa accompanied our platter. It was a fine addition but unnecessary. The tacos were that exceptional.

The same can be said for their price tag. Revolver’s tacos come with a side of sticker shock (a plate of four lobster tacos is $30, sweetbreads and pastor options go for $13). Awesome tacos aren’t always $1.50.