It’s been a long time coming, but Velvet Taco, known for the weirdest and wildest tacos in the metroplex, has finally opened a second location in Plano, complete with a drive-thru and advance order pick up window.
Velvet Taco doesn’t specialize in street tacos, or simple, homestyle layers of meat and cheese in a tortilla. It’s not even Tex-Mex. Instead, Velvet Taco prides themselves on the “liberated” taco because a Velvet Taco is a taco that wants to be more. Sometimes that means it wants to be chicken tikka masala or a burger. Sometimes it wants to be chicken and waffles. At Velvet Taco, anything is possible.
Velvet Taco opened its first location in Dallas in 2011, at the thriving intersection of Knox-Henderson and I-75. Immediately, it was something to behold. An odd collaboration between the co-founder of Pei Wei, Mark Brezinski, and FrontBurner, the restaurant group behind Legacy Food Hall and Whiskey Cake, Velvet Taco was a culmination of Dallas’ yet-to-end taco craze.
While there’s no question that authentic Mexican street tacos cannot be defeated, Velvet Taco remains a foodie’s dream. It isn’t trying to be authentic—they serve pea tendrils and Thai basil for goodness sake—but that’s okay. Velvet Taco does what all good fusion food does: it offers a new definition of what a taco can be. It provides an international city with a global palette at a hometown price.
Also, they make everything from tortillas to meats, corn pico, avocado crema, and curry mayo from scratch, props for that.
The new Plano location has a mural of hot air balloons, an homage to Plano’s beloved annual balloon festival, and serves tacos every day until 10 or 11 p.m.
If you’re a newcomer to the Velvet Taco creed, here are five menu items so iconic, you won’t want to miss them.
#3 Spicy tikka chicken
Crisp tenders come doused in fire-red tikka sauce on a bed of buttered cilantro basmati rice with drizzles of raita crema and a touch of Thai basil in a flour tortilla. It’ll leave your lips burning.
#14 Shrimp and Grits
This fan favorite tops blackened shrimp and pepper jack cheese grits with housemade Creole remoulade, and charred tomato salsa, a beautiful melding of flavors into something creamy, crispy, and dreamy.
#12 Slow-roasted Angus brisket
Velvet Taco starts with barbacoa-style slow-roasted Angus brisket. Then comes a healthy portion of avocado relish, red chile mayo, and queso blanco, all inside a flour tortilla encrusted with comté cheese.
#4 Nashville Hot Tofu
If you’ve had Nashville Hot chicken, you already know the bright white heat of Nashville hot sauce. For a vegetarian option, try blistering crispy tofu topped with napa slaw, ranch crema and house brined pickles.
Crisp Tots & Local Egg
It’s not a taco, but an irresistible side. These loaded tater tots take the concept of a “side” to the next level with warm herb goat cheese and smoked cheddar, their signature avocado crema, chile butter, peppered bacon, and finally, a perfect fried egg.
Velvet Taco, Plano
Hours:
Sun – Thurs | 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Fri – Sat | 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Where: 5013 W. Park Blvd., Plano
More: velvettaco.com
