Resident Taqueria

Resident Taqueria sits in a Lake Highlands strip mall next to a State Farm office, patio shared with families jostling for table space, and none of that matters once the food lands. This is cooking with ambition tucked inside a taco shop's clothes, built from ingredients and combinations that usually show up at restaurants charging far more for the privilege.

The classics hold their own — carne asada done straight and right — but the pecan-smoked chicken taco is the kind of dish that makes a case all by itself, smoke-driven in a way more associated with barbecue pits than taco counters. The real move is watching the specials board by the register. The rotating list changes constantly, and it's where the kitchen takes its real swings, turning out bites that don't have an equivalent anywhere else in the city, Mexico City included.

Consistency is the other half of the argument: the room runs loud and parking is tight, but the kitchen doesn't waver, and the staff keeps pace with a packed patio. A Michelin Bib Gourmand confirms what the line already knows. Go hungry, check the board, order something you haven't tried.