Photo by Kathy Tran
Keeping it simple
There really are only two things on the menu at Trompo: Tacos and quesadillas.
The tacos come on corn tortillas custom made by Tortillería La Norteña in Oak Cliff. Any eloquent Tex-Mex aficionado likely would describe the quesadilla as a “taco” too: It’s a small but mightily delicious flour tortilla with cheese and beef or pork or both.
Chef Luis Olvera, who was born and raised in Oak Cliff, acquired the recipe for trompo, seasoned pork that’s cooked on an upright spit, from a family friend in Monterrey. He perfected it by throwing parties in his back yard, eventually elevating to catering gigs.
The no-frills restaurant in the 800 block of Singleton doesn’t have a sign on the building. It doesn’t have a parking lot. It’s next to an out-of-business tire shop, which luckily does provide plenty of parking. Inside, there is a small soda cooler and stylish menu boards; otherwise the walls are bare. A stainless steel bar seats about eight, plus three small tables.
Trompo is about tacos.
Olvera and partners, Juan Carlos Olvera (they’re cousins) and Jimmy Contreras, plan to open a second location, Trompo 42, on Zang at Eighth as soon as this month.
Photo by Kathy Tran
The new spot will have beer, wine and, this being Bishop Arts, brunch, plus all the magic of their current menu. There were no plans to close the Singleton location when we spoke in July.
“A couple of options. They’re really yummy options that I would eat, and I do eat every day,” Olvera says. “I make three things, and we have a helluva time doing it.”
Trompo
Ambiance: You are here for tacos, not décor
Price range: $1.85-$3.85 per item
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday
839 Singleton Blvd.
