A new taqueria has opened in West Dallas, bringing tacos to a hallowed taco spot west of Trinity Groves.

Called Frida's Tacos, it's at 1601 Singleton Blvd., which has been home to many a taqueria over the years including Los Tios, Los Julianes, and most recently Taquero, which is relocating. (It was also once a take-out Southern/Cajun place called Good Times Cafe.)

Named for the most famous Frida of all, Frida's is from Maria Barragan, who owns a catering and foodtruck operation called Maria's Catering. She wasn't actively looking to open a stand-alone restaurant but when the space became available, she stepped in to carry on the taqueria tradition.

Barragan has been in the restaurant industry for more 30 years, moving to Dallas from Los Angeles in 2001, then founding Maria's Catering nearly a decade ago.

Maria's does corporate events and private parties, but their big coming-out was their participation in the Dia De Muertos festival which took place at City Hall in October 2019, an experience that raised their visibility and increased business.

Their menu includes mostly authentic Mexican food with a few gourmet and Tex-Mex items. "We do try to include something for everyone," Barragan says.

Tacos are $2 and run from authentic fillers such as carnitas, pastor, tongue, and tripe, to a small selection of “gourmet” tacos for $3.50 featuring fish and shrimp. A section dedicated to breakfast tacos includes chorizo & egg, potato & egg, and shredded beef & egg.

There are entree plates for $9: enchiladas, flautas, a mole poblano chicken breast, and a "meatball bowl" with white rice.

Barragan likes the occasional twist such as avocado toast, topped with a sunny-side egg, and a dedicated vegetarian section with mushroom & spinach quesadilla, and a zucchini bowl with black beans and jasmine rice.

Dessert includes crepes and a unique churro bowl, with churro dough fashioned into a bowl and filled with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

"Even with all that, the thing that people seem to rave about are our salsas," Barragan says. "We always have a variety and they're very flavorful."

They're applying for a liquor license to serve beer, wine, margaritas and a few cocktails. But there's no sense of urgency, with the coronavirus keeping things buttoned down.

"We're doing curbside and when it's safe, we’ll open for dine-in," she says.