tacos oj (fort stockton tx)

Any West Texas town worth its dust has a Mexican restaurant worth veering off the highway for. The trick is finding out which one of many it is. In Fort Stockton, based on a tip from locals, it’s Tacos OJ.

The OJ in Tacos OJ doesn’t stand for orange juice (there was nary a glass of orange about)–it refers to Ojinaga, a small town across the Rio Grande from Presidio, Texas. Tacos OJ’s namesake plate is, indeed, Tacos OJ, but they serve up an entire array of Mexican food, including hamburgers for those averse to all things Mexican.

I’ve ordered the Chicken Tacos OJ (three grilled chicken tacos topped with cabbage, tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, cheese, cilantro, and guacamole sided with rice and beans; $9.5) several times in a row because they are so, so good: fresh and bright livened with nibbles from a roasted jalapeno. On a recent trip, I finally tried something different: Enchiladas Montadas (three flat corn tortillas smothered with red sauce, shredded chicken, topped with an over-easy egg, and sided with rice and beans; $10.5). Flat enchiladas topped with an egg scream “New Mexico” to me, so i had to try them. The enchiladas came blissfully swimming for their life in a deeply-flavored red sauce (just the way I like it) with plenty to mix with the rice and beans. Not quite NM, but I left with a smile on my face. You can also get this plate with green or sour cream sauce as well as ground hamburger.

My recommendation is to start with the beef or chicken Tacos OJ before exploring the rest of the menu (it’s always a good idea to start with the dish a restaurant is named after). Who knows: you may stay where you are at after that!

web&where: interwebs; 1303 north main street, fort stockton, texas; (432) 336-3066
what’s the deal? Mexican food a la Ojinaga; table service
overall: *** (food***; drink*; atmosphere*; service**; instagrammability**)
cost: $$

our scale:
–          meh [think twice]
*         OK [it’ll get the job done]
**       good [solid neighborhood joint]
***     damn good [we’ll definitely be back]
****   yippity-yikes that was amazeballs [fantastic; one of the best]
***** holy sh!t [transcendental; best of the best]