The Loon's Crunchy Tacos Prevent Hangovers One Barfly at a Time

By Scott Reitz Mon., Jan. 7 2013 at 3:58 PM

These aren't your mom's crispy tacos.

The Loon is a drinker's bar. Walk in at noon and there will already be a handful of barflies perched on stools and muscling their way through their first stiff drinks -- some may even be on their second. A guy to my right during a recent visit pulled a scratch-off lottery ticket from his pocket as he ordered a double vodka cranberry in a pint glass. Vices seldom work alone.

It was more than a year ago that I first encountered the bar. Uptown's quintessential dive has a reputation for a heavy handed pour, but I knew nothing about their boozy drinks back then. I was just hoping to find some decent bar food, but a few cocktails later later I couldn't see straight. I think I was even a little late for work the next day.

If you want to walk out of The Loon with your senses, you'll have to eat something while you imbibe, but the sandwiches and pizza have always left me wanting. When I finally stumbled upon the tacos fritos over the Christmas holiday I knew I found the right bar snack.

They don't look like much, but they're delicious. The outer shell is a little oily but very light and crisp. A cook in the back uses three toothpicks to pinch the tortilla tightly shut and keep as much oil out of the taco filling as possible. Inside, you'll find spicy ground beef or lightly spiced pulled chicken. Place an order with a combination of the meats and pick out your favorite -- they're both quite good.

Had I found these tacos during my first visit to this bar, I might have walked out the door with a little more grace. And I probably would have come back sooner, too.

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The Loon

3531 McKinney Ave., Dallas, TX

Category: Music

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primi_timpano topcommenter

Actually look like tacos dorados. DallasFood.org had a series on these a while back.

ChrisYu topcommenter

the Loon has survived a smoking ordinance and every dbag bar of the moment in that area.

crustyjugglers

The Italian fare at the Loon is surprisingly tasty. I was impressed with the lasagna and the penne vodka.

Mervis

Jack-In-The-Box tacos.

JaniceA

@Mervis They do bear a striking resemblance

kergo1spaceship

1 Like

@Mervis

Mervie,

That is exactly what I was thinking! You roll up to JItB at 2 AM, all hammered and hungry, and eat like 10 of those-and they are so good going down, like a drunken Hemingway Nirvana..........then you wake up at 2 PM, and man o' man alive, it's like you've been stuck by lightning. Too much grease; too much mess; too many "ehmmm", stomach complications. Last time I ate a whole bunch of JItB taco's, I sh+t all over a Saguaro Cactus in the Sonoran Desert; and I started weeping, "I'm going to jail, I'm going to jail". They ARE a protected species.