Photo Credit: Breonny Lee
BY Taylor Adams Cogan
Every so often, you might see someone eating a taco on the side of Main Street – standing in the confident sun, shoveling in perfectly grilled carne asada with the soft embrace of a fresh corn tortilla. When some of Dallas’ best tacos are handed to you through the window of Revolver Taco Lounge, why wait for a place to sit?
Regino “Gino” Rojas has been running this Deep Ellum go-to since 2017, a spot Texas Monthly has called “one of Texas’s most creative modernist taquerias.” But when he first considered bringing his Fort Worth concept to Dallas, Deep Ellum wasn’t on his radar.
“Destiny brought me here for a reason,” he says. “I didn’t know much about Deep Ellum – I had been to an event and really liked it, but then a developer [Scott Rhorhman] invited me to come to a meeting and invited me to open Revolver here. I really liked the vibe that people were putting into the neighborhood, to make it a real neighborhood. That’s something I was looking for, it sounded perfect.”
And since then, Rojas has has had different approaches in the space — at one point doing a stellar seafood brunch – but the tacos have consistently offered a menu that’s reliably worth coming back for.
Today, there’s a takeout menu on Main Street, where the restaurant’s dining space is dedicated to Purépecha, where guests can (and should) dive into Rojas’ creative dishes in a four- or seven-course tasting menu. In the last few years, he’s expanded with a cantina on Elm Street, where you can get the same tacos, alongside a brunch buffet on Sunday, and a full bar. If you have indecisive friends, you can make a reservation for a gourmet taco tasting.
“I hope to bring more comprehension of what traditional Mexican cuisine is. I hope I educate enough people about my culture, my cuisine, and my people,” he says. “The majority of every immigrant wants to showcase the best part of your culture: If I can somehow help people understand Mexican food a little bit more, then that’s good enough for me.”
That effort is shared with Rojas’ family – his mother, Juanita Rojas, has been vital to the restaurant with her cooking since it opened. His sister and aunt have been part of the team, too. That team effort results in a perfect, fresh taco serving as the vehicle for a bite you won’t forget. This is one of the few places you can get tender octopus in the neighborhood – this one paired with a crunch of fried leak and the creaminess of a jalapeño salsa. Al pastor, pinchi pollo, and lengua are all solid choices, along with the pato (duck) if you want a more decadent option. Don’t sleep on the calabacita taco, which is a delicious way to get your vegetables.
Rojas has seen both Dallas and Deep Ellum change. Shortly after he opened on Main Street, his property ownership would move to Asana Partners, which shared Rhorhman’s desire to invest and intentionally improve the neighborhood. A pandemic would make that late-night taco window vital while he and every other business owner determined a new normal. Rojas would try another stint in Fort Worth, but Deep Ellum remained his foundational home base.
“I think I’ll stay in Deep Ellum until Deep Ellum doesn’t want me anymore,” he says. “It’s an evolving neighborhood. This is the neighborhood that represents Dallas: The people you see here represent the state of mind of a Dallasite. Deep Ellum is Dallas and Dallas is Deep Ellum.
“Deep Ellum is the soul of Dallas. I want to stay here as long as possible.”
