REVIEW + PHOTOS: North Little Rock restaurant Taqueria Jalisco'z plates real deal

A quesadilla made with steak, marinated pork, spiced pork sausage and smoked beef at Taqueria Jalisco’z in North Little Rock is served with a salad topped with sliced avocado.
A quesadilla made with steak, marinated pork, spiced pork sausage and smoked beef at Taqueria Jalisco’z in North Little Rock is served with a salad topped with sliced avocado.

These days, the Camp Robinson Road area of North Little Rock is full of Mexican restaurants, several of which also sell groceries, meat and baked goods. The newest is Taqueria Jalisco'z, housed in a building that has been home to other Mexican places over the last decade.

While the exterior has remained mostly unchanged, a rather big change has taken place inside. The area to the right is now a grocery store. To the left is the checkout stand, a display case of baked goods and a cooler full of canned and bottled beverages.

The rest of the room is for dining, with booths and a selection of wooden tables and chairs. It's not overly decorated, but bright orange walls make it feel quite festive. There is a deck for drinking and dining on the front of the building.

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Photos by Rosemary Boggs

Our party headed out on a Tuesday for early dinner and found the restaurant almost empty. There was only one server, but she seated us quickly and handed out menus that offer a more "authentic" variety of dishes, many of which feature beef tongue and tripe.

Although the menu, which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, is not big, there are enough dishes that it was hard to decide. We knew cheese dip was a must.

The dip, a creamy white concoction with a little hint of heat, was delicious. Standard yellow tortilla chips came out in small baskets, so hearty chip-dippers will need a refill or two.

My mother ordered a quesadilla ($4.99 medium, $5.99 large), which came to the table first. It truly was a thing of beauty.

Made in a large flour tortilla, it was filled with steak, marinated pork, spiced pork sausage and smoked beef. We all had a taste and the meat was very tender with a smokey grilled taste. The large quesadilla is big enough for two.

The rest of the dishes were brought out sporadically starting with guacamole ($3 for small, $6 for large). It was plated in a very decorative way with the well-seasoned avocado spread on a plate and tortilla chips artfully arranged, sticking up like little soldiers, which made it easy to grab, dip and eat.

My nephew chose the beef tongue burrito ($8.99). I was honestly a bit taken aback that he ordered it, but I knew I had to try the entree, which comes with rice, beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream. I was pleasantly surprised at how flavorful it was. The underseasoned rice and beans, topped with cheese, were standard.

Mother also ordered a shrimp tostado ($4). The grilled shrimp and green pepper mixture sat on a rather small rustic-looking crisp tortilla. It was bland and the shrimp was room temperature.

My son and I shared a couple of dishes, which finally made it to the table. First was a torta, which is basically a sandwich. We chose the Cuban ($7.99) made with tender pork, cheese and pickles on crusty bread, accompanied by sliced avocado. As with the quesadilla, it was enough for two.

We also ordered mixed fajitas ($13.99), made with steak, chicken and shrimp, with onions and green peppers. They came with rice, beans and salad, and we chose flour tortillas. The sizzling iron skillet held a heap of fragrant, juicy meat. The four medium shrimp seemed a bit overcooked, and for the price, we felt there should have been more than four.

There is a shrimp cocktail ($10.99) on the menu, and you can order octopus ($12.99) as well. This portion of the menu also lists oysters, deviled seafood, a Crazy Seafood Salad and Vuelve A La Vida. After some investigation I wish I'd ordered that. From recipes I found online it seems to be a melange of shrimp, octopus, oysters, tomatoes, tomato juice and a variety of seasonings including lime juice, peppers and garlic.

There are family platters that range from $13.99 to $25 and feature a grilled mixture or seafood combination. And there are weekend specials ($9.99-$14.99) that include soups like crab, fish, menudo (tripe) with hominy, and the Seven Seas made with seven types of seafood.

We carried home marked-down baked goods that cost $1 for five slightly sweet, flaky rolls.

Along with our meal we did have what might be called a floor show. While we were finishing eating we were panhandled, which was a bit off-putting. No one on staff seemed to even notice. After hearing his story while he was eating a fast-food sandwich, I went ahead and gave the man a handful of change.

Weekend on 05/25/2017

Taqueria Jalisco’z

Address: 4716 Camp Robinson Road, North Little Rock

Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

Cuisine: Mexican

Credit cards: AE, D, MC V

Alcohol: Full bar

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Carryout: Yes

(501) 753-4276

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