Larb, a famous Laotian dish, is a meat salad that typically features duck sauce, lime, bean sprouts and cilantro. Somphou Market’s version is spiced for the Mexican palate and is their most popular to-go order: Photo by Rasy Ran

Photo by Rasy Ran

When we compiled a very short list of our favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Oak Cliff, we didn’t realize how controversial that would be.

Sign up for our newsletter!

* indicates required

Since the story, which profiles the owners of three restaurants, ran in the February Advocate, readers have commented that I must be an outsider who is unfamiliar with Oak Cliff (even though I live here and it’s my fulltime job to write about it every day), and that I didn’t do my research, among other criticism.

We included all the dives we could fit in print, but Oak Cliff is so full of delightful restaurants that we wouldn’t pretend to be including all of them. The ones we did include are scattered across the neighborhood and are very different from one another.

And since we wanted to highlight places that are “off the eaten path” and maybe introduce something new, we did not include obvious neighborhood favorites.

By the wait for a table or a taco during peak times at El Si Hay, El Jordan or Gonzalez, we know you already know about them.

Anyway, since the Internet has unlimited space, here are a few more Oak Cliff dive restaurants we love.

Tienda Santa Rosa — This Salvadorean restaurant recently added a new location at 611 S. Hampton, and it is as much of a winner as the one on West Davis near Cedar Hill Avenue. Excellent pupusas served with outstanding curtido and addictive hot sauce.

Los Torres Taqueria — This is probably no longer an unknown, actually. The Taco Trail launched it into the spotlight several years ago, and it recently made a list of best taquerias from the Dallas Morning News. But still, homemade corn tortillas, braised goat, Sinaloa-style barbacoa. Don’t forge they’re closed on Tuesdays, but if you do, head down Clarendon to Fito’s or Tacoqueta.

The Dog House — This is in West Dallas, and maybe they have hot dogs. I don’t know. But they for sure have one of the best tortas I’ve ever stuffed in my maw.

Restaurant y Panaderia Latina — Another great, affordable Salvadorean place.

Hardeman’s BBQ — Dallas barbecue history and a giant baked potato stuffed with smoked meat.

Tell us: Which hole-in-the-wall restaurants make your list?