A restaurant that's all about the elotes has opened in East Dallas: Called Locura, AKA Locura Small Bites, it's a woman-owned drive-thru spot whose signature is Mexican-style street corn, conveniently located just off I-30 at 3766 Samuell Blvd.

Locura is from Laura Carrizales and Mel Arizpe, who initially opened this elote-centric concept in West Dallas in the former Trompo space on Singleton Boulevard in 2020.

The restaurant did well until construction in the area started in 2021. A looming rent increase inspired them to relocate. In November, they moved into this new spot, a small stand across from Tenison Park.

The building is owned by DeLeon Provisions, a caterer who uses the kitchen during the day, while Locura operates from 4-9 pm.

Their menu is centered on elote cups in a variety of flavors:

• Truffle: Truffle, lemon, and parmesan
• Takis: Lime crema, cotija, and Takis
• Za’atar: Lime crema, cotija, and middle Eastern spice
• Lemonpepper wing: Lemonpepper, wing sauce, and parmesan
• Traditional: Lime crema, cotija cheese, and chili powder

In addition to elotes, they have a few unique menu items including pork belly bites served on purple cabbage with chimichurri sauce, and a pozole Frito pie featuring pork, hominy, Jack cheese, and Fritos.

For those who don't want to mess with a cob, they offer La Bamba, featuring fried corn, cut from the cob in long curly ribs, in a honey-butter chile.

They also rotate in limited-edition items such as their Mexican twist on a banh mi, or their tuetano (bone marrow) elote, a dish they encountered on a trip to Mexico City.

Carrizales is a Dallas native who's a graduate of El Centro's culinary program as well as TWU, where she earned a degree in food management. Arizpe is a Brownsville native who graduated from UNT with a degree in sociology. In addition to Locura, the two are also part of a karaoke duo called Mi Diva Loca.

They also serve a Concha French toast made using concha, the sweet Mexican bread which makes for an especially rich version of French toast, which is available on weekends only.

"We are still trying to figure out what we should offer given the diversity of the neighborhood, with Lakewood and Hispanic East Dallas," says Carrizales, who designed the menu. They're also considering expanding their hours to stay open later at night.

For now, they operate as a drive-thru place with a pick-up window and a small patio, where customers can wait for the food or grab a quick bite if they can't wait to get home.