Tex-Mex News

New restaurant in Arlington is doing Tex-Mex plus BBQ comfort food

Salsa Joe's does Tex-Mex and a little bit of everything.

Photo courtesy of Salsa Joe's

Celebrating its grand opening is a new restaurant in Arlington that covers all the key food groups. Called Salsa Joe's Tex-Mex Smokehouse, it serves a unique combination of Tex-Mex, smoked meats, and burgers.

If you think it can't get any better than that, they also do some home cooking dishes, plus cocktails and frozen margaritas.

The restaurant is at 1700 W. Park Row Dr., #116, at Fielder, in a space that was previously Connie's Cafe but was once home to Chop House Burgers, featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

They've given the space a bright and cheery update with a margarita bar and a hand-painted Southwestern-themed mural that covers an entire wall in the dining room.

Salsa Joe's comes from founder Thomas Strussion and his partner, Jonathan Schiller. Strussion got his feet wet in the restaurant game with Tommy Boy Sausage Co. BBQ & Catering — just as it sounds, a catering company that specializes in barbecue and house-made sausage — which was originally founded by Jeff Carr and noted for its tender brisket, generous sandwiches, and diversified menu.

Buoyed by success, Strussion advanced to a food truck before graduating to a brick-and-mortar space.

Salsa Joe's wide-ranging menu feels like comfort food, no matter what the cuisine. There are soups, salads, sandwiches, and subs. Sandwiches include turkey melt, pulled pork, chicken, sausage, chopped brisket, and a vegetarian with tomato and mozzarella.

Subs include a trio of meatball sandwiches in different varieties, all served on torta bread. The Cheesy Joe has three meatballs topped with queso. Loco Italiano is a classic meatball sub with marinara sauce and melted cheese. The Texas BBQ sub has meatballs with BBQ sauce and melted cheddar.

Burgers are served on sourdough jalapeño or potato bun with choice of fries, black beans, or charro beans, and come in four options including the Salsa Joe's burger with onions, Hatch chiles, and pepperjack cheese.

There are old-school appetizers like mozzarella sticks and jalapeño poppers. There are also classic diner items like an open-faced roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy, and the same sandwich in a turkey version called the "Hot Brown."

There are nachos, enchiladas, tacos, fajitas, and burritos; plus desserts including cheesecakes.

"We make just about everything in-house," Schiller says.

tex-mex

Churros News

Whimsical restaurant north of Dallas combines tacos and churros

Churro on Top

Milkshake and churro at Churro on Top

A quirky new 2-in-1 restaurant has debuted in the far north town of Fairview: Called Tick Tock Taco x Churro On Top, it's a dual-branded restaurant that just opened at 201 Town Pl. in Fairview Town Center where it's serving two great food groups in one.

On one side of the menu, you have tacos. The other features warm churros and over-the-top milkshakes.

The concept is part of a small local chain which started out as Churro on Top, a dcadent churro-and-milkshake bar that opened its first location in Arlington in 2023, and a second shop in Richardson that opened in 2024.

Churro on Top offers churros decorated in more than 50 varieties such as:

chocolate glaze with almonds
white chocolate glaze with cotton-candy sprinkles
Biscoff cookie butter and crushed Biscoff cookies
vanilla frosting glaze with lemon cake crumbs
matcha cream
white chocolate glaze with chopped pistachios and pistachio drizzle

They also offer more than 40 milkshakes, made with real ice cream, which are adorned with intricately decorated churros and other sweet toppings. For example, The Birthday Cake, featuring Birthday Cake Ice Cream topped with two Birthday Cake Churros, whipped cream, colored sprinkles, and a birthday cupcake. Or the Cotton Candy, featuring cotton candy ice cream, Yummy Gummy Churros, whipped cream, gummy bears, and chocolate drizzle.

Two churros are $7.38, and milkshake prices range from $10 to $17. (You can also get a regular ice cream cone or milkshake without churros, and they offer Dole Whip, well.)

The concept was founded by husband-and-wife Mo and Anum Khan, who both love churros and wanted to give it their own fresh twist. They designed it as a place that would be Instagrammable, featuring a whimsical decor with cute cartoons and a charming pink and white color scheme.

Tacos at Tick Tock TacosTick Tock Tacos

Tacos
For their third location in Fairview, they ramped it up even further by adding Tick Tock Tacos, a co-restaurant serving a full menu of tacos in two dozen varieties, made with organic ingredients and 100 percent Zabihah halal meat, along with guacamole, salsas, sides, quesadillas, and chips.

Taco options include:

beef bulgogi with steak and spicy kimchi
brisket with pickled jalapenos
beef birria
chicken fajita
jerk chicken with slaw and mango
buffalo chicken
tandoori chicken with cilantro rice

There are also fish tacos and veggie tacos such as the Taco Verde, with mushroom, onion, bell pepper, corn, and chimichurri. Plus quesadillas and sides such as black beans, elotes, corn, and rice. Tacos range from $3 to $4.

The idea is to come in and get tacos, then finish with dessert.

And if the tacos, and the churros, and the over-the-top milkshakes are not enough, the Fairview location also has a collection of "claw machines," a favorite of the couple's daughter. Claw machines are the arcade-style games where players use a mechanical claw to grab prizes like plush toys, candies, or capsules. (The opening party in early March was deemed to be "epic.")

It's a wild, colorful, family-friendly, and spacious two-story restaurant, and it isn't ending here: They have two more locations slated to open in 2026: in Fort Worth and Erie, Pennsylvania.

tacos desserts openings