Tonight I Dined: El Palote Panaderia

I've been waiting too long to get a chance to taste El Palote Panaderia, an all-vegan restaurant that made the switch to plant-based after a health scare for the owner. A few years ago they slowly began introducing vegan dishes on Thursdays, and then finally went all-vegan. Yay! They have had a booth at the Veggie State Fair in Dallas the last few years, but the line was always snaked around the park...and that was too much of a wait for me, even for delicious food.

I went by their location (note, they're closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays...so plan your trip accordingly) and couldn't handle the large bakery case before me. Pan dulce, churros, and other traditional Mexican sweet treats that I've never seen before...But I needed to focus and order my lunch first! I got the four taco plate served with rice and refried beans. You can choose from 6 soy styles---all authentically prepared with spices and topped with raw onion and cilantro. They also had some hot sauces on the table and lime. 

I can't even describe the taste, because these were the best tacos I have ever had. The double corn tortilla held everything together nicely, and the "meat" was unlike anything I have ever had...I guess I really never had something this authentic because I moved to Texas long after becoming vegan, and the tacos in the northeast don't stack up (sorry, it's true). My non-veg bf said the tacos were super similar to those served at one of the best trucks in Houston, Tacos Tierra Caliente. They look almost identical to their meaty cousins, and he said the hot sauce was a perfect replication, and even better. El Palote is awesome, and it makes me yearn for a location in Houston.

Now for dessert...I decided on a churro, and ordered it to-go. I haven't had a vegan churro ever. Well, except for the mini churros from Trader Joe's freezer section, which were good, but, just not the same as the real thing. My last churro was probably at Six Flags Great Adventure in the 90s. As a child, I knew churros were damn good eats, and have missed them ever since. This churro was cinnamony-sugary, chewy, airy, big and beautiful. Lordy, it was beyond words good. The churro makes me glad that there is NOT a location in Houston, because I would be eating them religiously, and that is not good for one's waistline.


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