Taste

Las Vegas’ Durango Taco Shop keeps opening new restaurants with massive menus

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Load up at Durango Taco Shop
Photo: Wade Vandervort

The family-run Durango Taco Shop might be taking over the Las Vegas Valley. Having arrived on the local food scene in 2017, it recently expanded to four locations with a November opening in the west Valley at Fort Apache and Flamingo. And there are plans for three more in the next 12 months: in the southwest at Sunset and Decatur, in Henderson at Stephanie and the 215, and an eatery at Pecos and Tropicana.

If that sounds like saturation, you haven’t seen the menu. Durango not only does all the tacos, it somehow specializes in every possible Mexican food favorite—for breakfast, lunch or dinner. At the spacious new restaurant, the digital menu boards practically wrap around the entire dining room interior. On my first visit, I didn’t notice the lunch specials until I’d already ordered and sat down underneath that screen, which also detailed hearty breakfast offerings like a Cali bean-and-egg burrito ($5), a machaca plate ($8) and another burrito stuffed with bacon, eggs, beans, cheese and fries ($7). These are the kinds of good problems you’ll be faced with here.

The current bestseller is the trendy queso-birria tacos, available in orders of three ($10) or five ($12.50), with consommé for dipping; three tacos plus rice and beans ($12.50); or with the gooey cheese and rich stewed beef over crispy fries ($13.50). Like plenty of other local taco shops, Durango started out serving traditional goat birria before quickly learning more people prefer beef. This version is perfectly crisp, not overly drenched in that spicy chile liquid, and there’s no skimping on the meat.

All of Durango’s meats are done well, a great trait in your favorite taco shop. Anything with al pastor—tacos ($2.65 soft or $2.75 crunchy), tortas ($8), sopes ($4), nachos ($10.50), loaded fries ($11.50) and more—is a great decision, as the spicy-sweet marinated pork is tender and full of flavor. Carne asada is best highlighted in the Ultimate Cali Burrito ($11.50), a monster with beans, cheese, guac, pico de gallo, sour cream and fries.

Until you discover your favorite dish, experiment with combination plates ($11-$14), served with rice, beans, chips, pico de gallo and tortillas if you choose a grilled meat like carne asada or al pastor or a flavorful stew-type dish like birria or pork chile verde. There’s also mix-and-match enchiladas, fish tacos, taquitos and chile rellenos.

Just when you think you’ve finally made a decision, you’ll notice the burgers. It seems unorthodox—and possibly blasphemous—to chomp a double bacon cheeseburger with fries ($10) at your friendly neighborhood taco shop. I won’t tell if you don’t.

If you feel guilty, you can always do a burger for lunch and take home some tamales ($12 for a half-dozen) for dinner. There’s mildly spicy chicken, pork or beef in rich, red chile Colorado sauce, or cheese and jalapeño. A few of these plus a couple of lengua tacos for the car ride home, and you’ve got yourself a day.

DURANGO TACO SHOP 9360 W. Flamingo Road #1, 702-463-8890, durangotacoslv.com. Daily, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

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Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of managing editor at Las Vegas Weekly ...

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