La Tejana Taqueria Takeaway. Tinga Tacos Taste Like A Tuesday. Got the lunch special for $7.99. The side of refried beans was the best part. Tinga tacos were solid, particularly when I added green salsa. Campechano was dry. The corn tacos were the standout on the taco front. Roughly 12.7 oz of food. Free chips were a 4.8 / 10. They were thick but not salty or flavorful. Tasted wontonish. Green salsa was the best salsa.
Another pure hole on the wall off of Lindbergh. Service was standard and very friendly. They were continuously half-full from 12 to 1:30 on a Tuesday.
Parking out front in a dedicated lot.
La Tejana Taqueria Experience Summary
We ended up at La Tejana Taqueria for my Tuesday lunch with buddies. They had both here years ago and said we should give it a shot as part of the Mexican exploration around St. Louis.
I've been told that the closer you get to the airport, the better the Mexican food gets.
For me, it seems like we still need to get closer.
I'd give it a 3.4 / 5 restaurant score that puts it below my Chipotle baseline. Nothing I had stood out except for the refried beans. They were very tasty, with a creamy texture and flavor. The corn tacos, as in the actual carbs, could also stand alone, but the overall package was lacking.
They had free chips for the table with three different salsas. The chips were a 4.8 / 10 for me, with Tostitos being better. The other two guys said I was wrong and would have put them as clearly better than Tostitos. These chips were very thick and had a wontonish flavor to me. I prefer the thinner, saltier chip style at Mi Ranchito or Ladue Taco more.
Nothing on the menu stood out to me as a killer dish.
Service was serviceable. The waitress was friendly and attentive. The food came out maybe a bit longer than expected, but nothing worth docking points over.
Overall, the lack of a hook at La Tejana Taqueria means I probably won't be going back.
The Food At La Tejana Taqueria
I got the lunch special for $7.99, which came to $11 after tax and tip. It came with refried rice, beans, and two tacos. The special was roughly 12.7 oz of food in total.
On the taco front, I got Tinga and Campechano based on personal preference and Yelp recommendations. They also offer free chips and three types of salsa.
Let's take it one item at a time.
Starting with the highlight of the meal, we have the refried beans. They were packed with flavor and were silky smooth. It tasted like eating a smooth bean cream. The portion size on the beans was smaller than I'd like, but as part of the special, they were meant to be a special-sized side.
The next best part of the meal was the green salsa. Green > Fresh > Red. The table tasted all three and unanimously settled on the green salsa. The red salsa from the bottle was very smokey with an over-the-top spicy aftertaste. The fresh salsa in the glass container was meant for my dad. It didn't have any spice. And the goldilocks of the three was the green salsa. I put that on everything.
Of the two tacos, the tinga taco clearly won for me. It was juicer and more flavorful than the campechano. The onions on top were fresh, and the green salsa added some kick, But what really came through on the flavor profile was the corn taco itself. They doubled up on the tacos so that they were thick and almost chewy. I could eat them straight up, but I'm a carb freak like that.
The rice wasn't worth mentioning, and the campechano was dry and lacked any specific flavor. I would not get the campechano again.
Rounding out the meal are the free chips. They came in a rather small bowl, but we had one refill over the course of the hour.
The chips were considerably thicker than usual and very crunchy. They had a wonton color and flavor profile to me. A lightly fried flavor where you can still taste some of the oil. I'd give them a 4.8 / 10 on the chip scale and say they served as a means to get the green sasa into my mouth.
La Tejana Taqueria Atmosphere And Miscellaneous
La Tejana is a barely-any-frills hole in the wall. It's closer to Durango in that it did have a fully stocked bar than El Guanaco. The open expectation was a giant painting of an eagle on the right-hand side seating section.
The service was standard, with nothing really to report. The waitress was attentive and friendly. She brought out new chips when we ran out and a couple of extra bowls for salsa.
They also have a pretty well-stocked bar, but we didn't get any drinks for lunch.
Open seven days of the week for lunch and dinner, the hours are actually very good for St. Louis. However, it does close on the early side.
Parking At La Tejana Taqueria
Parking is easy enough in a big, dedicated lot. La Tejana is part of a strip mall that also contains a small bodega by the same name, so there's plenty of parking. At noon on a Tuesday, it was half or more full.
La Tejana Taqueria Receipt
