El Corazon De Tejas Plans a Debut With Fanfare

Love is in the air for Tex-Mex aficionados.

After closing for nearly a month, Tejano Mexican Restaurant — the flamboyant landmark near Beckley Avenue and Davis Street — is rebranding itself as El Corazón de Tejas. Chefs there started testing out new dishes after a “soft launch” on Valentine’s Day. The restaurant will offer its full new menu starting Thursday, manager Mariana Cuellar-Baldridge said.

The restaurant hasn’t changed hands, but almost everything else is new — from the ambience to the dishes to a sign that went up this week. One new dish that’s getting a lot of approval, Cuellar-Baldridge told Oak Cliff People, is the “pork chops on the parilla.” Guests are also remarking about the new hot sauces, she said, and there’s more vegetarian options on the menu.

The Cuellar family acquired the former grocery store almost 50 years ago and turned it into one of their first El Chico locations. Decades later, it became Tejano Restaurant. Throughout the years, the restaurant’s gained a reputation for making some of the best margaritas in Dallas, but — as their old Facebook page will attest — a few guests weren’t impressed with the food anymore.

Cuellar-Baldridge said the family business is addressing that criticism head-on. “We want to be known for our food again,” she said.