Velvet Taco — Restaurant in Rockwall

VELVET TACO HAS ARRIVED IN ROCKWALL! Opening on Monday, February 20th 2023 is Velvet Taco, the Dallas based deluxe taco chain. The company purchased the former Long John Silvers location next to Waffle House, and if you look closely on the outside you’ll notice “waves” in the neon signage as well as painted wall murals outside the building that give homage to the lakeside culture of Rockwall County and perhaps even a nod to the structures previous tenant.

Inside is small, with a fire capacity of 69, and finding a parking spot was difficult. A menu of 17 house designed tacos was presented across 5 categories: Chick, Veg, Pork, Beef and Fish. Prices range from $4.75 to $6.25 per taco.

To be especially clear: this is a boujee taco spot. Some locals call this “Gringo Tacos” but it should be known that these are designer tacos, and not the kind of basic street tacos famous in a city like Tijuana. Preferences.

Velvet Taco also had multiple variations of Queso served with black corn chips, margaritas and even red velvet cake. A team member explained that the velvet cake is so good that it was decided it would be the single and only dessert item on the menu. An interesting framed painting of the French Monarch Marie Antoinette eating this dessert in ecstasy welcomes all visitors who enter. Fascinating.

The Rockwall staff was already pretty dialed in, obviously well trained and fired up like new restaurants often are. No doubt corporate trainers were amongst the crew on my visit, it’s the kind of service you see when a place first opens and hope remains in the future.

I ordered a #1 (Buffalo Chick) and a #11 (Flank Steak). The buffalo taco had blue cheese crumbles that are sort of a preference, and for me I was a little overwhelmed by the pungency of the cheese. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t think I’d pick that one again. The #11 was as close to a “Steak Taco” as you can order, and I loved it. All the ingredients were well balanced and there was so much steak on the taco it fell off the sides.

I also sampled the Queso Blanco, which had just enough heat to notice but nothing worth changing or avoiding for those who hate spice. There was still plenty of Queso left after taking down the chips, so you can use that as bonus topping for your tacos.

Rockwall has long been a place with abundant Mexican and Tex Mex options, but “Boujee Tacos” is kind of a lane of its own. Velvet Taco is not the first here either, coming after Fuzzys Tacos and Torchys Tacos, but many have eagerly awaited Velvet Taco claiming it’s the best...

I was super excited about getting to try out this little, but popular, eatery in Rockwall, Texas day before yesterday with my good friend Michael. He's a Texas native and was showing me the sights. He insisted on us dining at the Velvet Taco for lunch that day, bragging ceaselessly about how good it was. So naturally, my expectations were pretty high. Don't get me wrong, the food was good. Very good. I wasn't super hungry at that time, so that could be impacting my enthusiasm and enjoyment of the meal, but although it was very tasty indeed, it still wasn't quite what I was expecting in terms of quality based on all of the tales of it's awesomeness I had been hearing from several people. Primarily, I was a bit disappointed with the menu offerings themselves. There weren't nearly as many menu items as what I would have expected or enjoyed, and the ones that were being offered were not exactly what I would have envisioned when hearing a name like The Velvet Taco. Yes, the menu items listed were mostly in taco form but it seemed like they had just taken other regular meals and basically just put them in a taco shell or flour tortilla. Literally. Plus there were no traditional taco offerings available at all. I would have liked to have had a good old fashioned regular beef too with cheese, lettuce, perhaps some tomatoes and sour cream. Simple but delicious if done correctly. Thats my one real bit of advice or my suggestion to The Velvet Taco really, just, expand that menu and maybe throw in some of the more traditional and expected taco meal offerings in the future. I know I'd sure enjoy it. But, as I said, the food that we did order was delicious. Only other notes I have regarding my experience at this restaurant is that the staff were very quick and efficient and helpful but they could have done a bit more to seem warm or sociable or friendly and welcoming. Idk, they did nothing wrong at all, the aura and atmosphere just seemed a tad off. Maybe it was the atmosphere of the whole restaurant rather than just the employees because it was rather quiet and empty, and during lunch hours. Eerily empty and quiet. Could have just been me though, legit. I was off my game that day in other ways so, entirely possible it...

Food is generally good, though the cold toppings on the brisket nachos always throws me off. I've tried quite a few of their tacos and they all have their charms. My usual picks include the salmon and the chimichurri flank steak. Though honorable mentions for the fish taco for its unusual but interesting flavor profile, as well as the kobe beef burger taco.

As far as an overall experience, it's mixed for me. It almost feels like they decided social media sharability is more important than guest experience. And who knows, maybe they're right!

But as a for instance, the menu is a special wall right as you walk in. Makes for a great photo, but kind of impractical when it's crowded and people are trying to come and go. Sure, there's paper menus up by the register - just make sure you've got your reading glasses if you go that route.

Ordered? Congrats! Now go pick a table. The dining area looks all cool and rustic, with its mismatched chairs, until you realize you have to plan out exactly what kind of sitting experience you're looking for. Backless chair? Square bottom? Rounded? Bar height? Need two chairs with backs? You might be out of luck.

When they give you your food, they put your whole party's tacos on these big sexy metal taco trays that basically demand to be photographed and shared. Great! Until you get to the table and realize there's no plates, and the tacos can be kind of messy, so be prepared to demolish the provided paper towel roll. As an aside, previously the only silverware option they offered was this ridiculous little spork thing that would look more at home perched daintily in a cup of gelato. Happily, per my last visit, they now provide adult sized forks...

And finally, they announce boldly on the wall that you are expected to clean your own tables. Which is fine, we always do anyways, where possible. But see above re: no plates + messy tacos. They definitely don't make it easy on you to do the right thing!

All of that said, we do keep going back... And always leave with some great shots...