Gloria's Restaurant

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Chevytexas

Joined 5 years ago

THIS Gloria's is MY Gloria's. Okay, so you don't live in Oak Cliff; you're not an artist; you're not even Salvadoran. There are Gloria's all over Dallas but somehow I have never had the meal, nor the ambience in any one of them except West Davis. It wasn't always "funky"; I have had to drag folks there until recently. So why here? I could tell you the juicy rumor I "heard" from a former Mayor talking about workers; DMN writers about the Mayor; or my own hookey-playing employees. Annnyway: the food --it's not TexMex even if the chain made some acquiescence to Our Home. I get pork: tenderloin fajitas or spicy asado. Or "I'll just have a salad", a HUGE bowl with spicy grilled shrimp. I even like their steamed tamales. Everything here, though, is about scale: the converted gas station feel generates necessary dining neighbors, smiles over shared aromas and flavors. And the soups! A long quart each of chicken or seafood (I once watched amazed as a South Arkansas friend dished out her crab claw as if it came from Mars, and cracked it). Of course, the assorted menu focuses on a broad and sometimes familiar palette; ignore that, order Gloria's Special, order asado de puerco; hell, order fajitas. None of this will come out looking that familiar, thanks to the kitchen standards --this is food cooked for Salvadorenos ("C.A" it says on a market across the street and they know that means Central America, not Mexico). We've come in dressed as flea-marketeers, as retired bankers, and of course we bring all of our guests here (no wonder they have such an opinion of Oak Cliff); we've never been turned away, nor treated as well elsewhere. I don't even mind when, once we've finished training them, they send our favorite waitstaff away to provide such friendship elsewhere; so as they don't take the bar and the cook, we're still coming to Oak Cliff. Price? We have fed a table of guests for $150 and ourselves altogether too well regularly with a couple of well-made drinks and coffee for around $50 or less.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Local chain popular for mixing Latin and Southwestern influences into cuisine called "Salvatex.". In Short
The menu features dishes from Mexico and El Salvador, combined with a Texas twist. Of special note is the handmade corn tamal dish packed with potatoes, sweet peppers, tomatoes and chicken, all wrapped and steamed in a banana leaf. The generously portioned plate also includes a corn tortilla with semi-spicy pork and cheese.