Sugar Skull Cafe

Sad this placed closed down. This is only if my fav spots for tacos.
It’s not like some other places. This place took the time to provide fresh ingredients and even give fresh made tortilla. Reminds me of how a real tacos taste just like if you where in Mexico.

Sugar Skull not a name you would think of when it comes to tacos… Now definitely did I think of Good olé Mexico an its heritage.
The swanky places comes across as a get way to a beach house which is cool with the huge open garage window doors .
Now to the good yummi stuff **FOOD**
For starters you must try the Queso Fundido its a blend of cheese, chilli an spices its 6.50 but I think it should be sold for less or in a bigger cup.
2ndly try the Carne Asada 3.75 such a burst of yum yumm in your mouth on flour for me… Squeeze the lime throw on the salsa an chew that taco like the food law gave you a ticket lol.
Lastly wash it down with one of there Rita’s the Pickley Pear both Rita’s could use a little bit more booze due to the ice over powering the flavor.
I recommend the doors be closed during the winter cause the food got cold to fast tonight
Definitely a place for couples, ladies NITE
Food Queen Nikki

Sugar Skull Café is a Mexican restaurant in Trinity Groves that specializes in traditional Mexican tacos. You won’t find ground beef Taco Bell tacos here, instead you’ll find some great tacos that you can order a la cart for yet another great option for TG.
My Overall Rating — 4 Stars (Atmosphere, Service, Food, Return)
Atmosphere — While the name is unique, I can’t say I was too impressed by the interior. Now, on a beautiful day the outside patio area at Trinity Groves can be a great experience. Inside you’ll find plenty of booths & tables with an industrial feel. The menu is posted on the wall and there is a register to place your order. Drinks can be found on a self-​service area. ½ Star.
Service — Basic counter service here. You’ll place your order, get a number, and get your food. They’re very fast (at least on our visit), so no issues at all. 1 Star.
Food — I’m no taco expert, but I trust Paul V. and he likes Sugar Skull Café. I went with the chicharron tacos and Baracoa tacos. They were both excellent. If you like fatty, melty pork skins try the chicaroon! The tortillas felt good in the hand and held up well. Not sure if they’re made onsite or not but they were excellent. Also, Trinity Groves is known for being a little pricy, and while the tacos aren’t cheap compared to other taco stands, it’s cheap compared to the other Trinity Groves restaurants. Also, don’t forget your churro. We certainly didn’t, and enjoyed warm, fried goodness we dipped in the Mexican vanilla & chocolate. 1 ½ Stars.
Will I Return? — Yes. I was very surprised how much I enjoyed Sugar Skull Café. Not only were the tacos tasty and authentic, they were a great price for Trinity Groves. Now that I know I can visit OSK for a burger and then swing by for a taco! 1 Star.
My Unilocal Rating Scale (Sum of all parts):
1 Star — Atmosphere — Is it a cool dive? Perhaps an upscale place? No matter the type, atmosphere plays a big part and I’ll give a star if I like it or thinks it has great charm.
1 Star — Service — You can have a great meal with bad service. But that’s also what can make a five star joint drop to four. It’s important to the dining experience that service is great and on point.
2 Stars — Food — I’ll award up to two stars for the food, since this is the main reason we dine out. Sometimes the extra star is given for value, but it’s really all about the food.
1 Star — Will I come back? — If I know for a fact I’ll return, I’ll give this a star. A place has to make an impression for me to return.
Each Category can be given up to 1 star except food (2 stars) because I consider all these categories important to the overall dining experience. I will sum them up to provide my final Unilocal score.

I was really looking forward to this place, but found it to be a complete bust. We went around 1:00pm on a Friday, so the lunch rush had died down and there weren’t too many people (no one was in line when we ordered.
Despite this, we waited 20+ minutes to get the chips & guacamole we ordered. It was decent, but I have no idea how/​why it would take that long. We waited a total of 30+ minutes for four tacos, and they were a complete disappointment. I ordered the barbacoa and the chicharron (crispy pork, which was the opposite of crispy) street tacos, and they both were completely bland with no flavor. It’s a very strange experience eating meet in a taco like that and it not tasting like anything at all. I even tried to add the salsa they provided for additional flavor, but that was a bland disappointment overall.
For all of the amazing taco joints we have in the area, I don’t think I’d waste my time going back to this one to give it a second try. The whole thing it has going for it is the location and the shaded patio.

The tacos are very good here.
I had street style tacos and they are small sized so order 3 or 4 of them.
Street style tacos:
Shrimp 4 of 5
Chicken 3.75 of 5
Crispy Pork 3.75 of 5
Desert:
Choco Flan 3.75 of 5
—
My ratings scale :)
5 of 5 Perfect. There is nothing perfect in the world, so no one gets this
4.5 of 5 close to being perfect
4.25 excellent
4 very good
3.75 good
3.5 ok
3 edible
2.5 terrible
2 let me spit it out
1.5 I will go and puke now
1 how is this even a dish?

The atmosphere is pretty laid back and has a nice view of the skyline from the patio, but the distraction of bland flavors was infuriating. The cappuccino was good, and their coffee. When I eat tacos, I expect there to be spicy sauce present. There was no spicy sauce here. The queso fundido was abominable. It tasted like ¾ crema mixed with some sort of cheese but overall bland. It was like dipping chips into heavy cream. That’s what the queso tasted like. The taco San Lucas had shrimp, avocado and corn and had decent flavor. But the salsa was a bland tomato blend that left you disappointed. The pastor taco had generous amount of nicely cooked meat, but incredibly bland.
My boyfriend had the migas, also very bland.

I’m going to start this review with the good parts… the ice was delicious! It was that good crushed ice like when you go to sonic.
Now onto the food. I’m going to try and be nice. To start the corn tortillas were bland. I guess they are homemade because some were thick and others thin. I like the taste of the corn when u eat tacos, that’s why I order corn and not flour. The barbacoa was not seasoned like the yummy tender slightly greasy treat your used to. A bay leaf was in my taco and I’ve never known it to be flavored that way. The pastor was not seasoned well and it had a lil tang… hmm what’s that? I take another bite and surprise it’s chunks of pineapple… huh? The churros were so hard you could use them as a weapon. The salsa was a thick something that doesn’t cover the meat, you kind of have to spread it on. If you have ever had tacos anywhere else then you will be highly disappointed by this food.
The only reason I gave it two stars is because the guacamole was ok and it was a nice day to be outside enjoying the weather on a nice deck. I love street tacos but I can honestly say I would go to taco bell before I would ever come back here… sad. I will stick to El Paisano

A café with coffee and vegan options, sign me up! After seeing Sugar Skull on Unilocal and browsing over their menu, I was pumped! The Trinity Groves area isn’t too far out of the way for me on my route to work, so I stopped by one morning for a quick bite and cup of coffee.
I got there at about 8am-​ish. There was only one other person inside on a laptop… I think I beat the breakfast rush. It’s located at the end of the long row of restaurants that dominate the TG traffic these days. Normally, during the evening hours, parking might be difficult, but at this morning hour I had my choice of spots.
I ordered 2 vegan breakfast tacos and a cup of coffee. They came out promptly… hot and fresh. The size of the tacos hit me when I first saw my order. They looked like 2 burritos instead of tacos. Keep this in mind when you order… they are pretty big, so you probably will only need 1. The tortillas were nice and fresh. The spinach, squash, and black beans were all good, no complaints. They come with little containers of salsa on the side… the probably should have been bigger based on the size of the «burritos», but I made it work. The vegan was good, but there was something missing for my taste. Maybe some potato, or some daiya… I don’t know, something to add a creamy texture or something. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but it could have used something a little extra. The coffee was very good. I’m not sure what type of roast they use, or what type of bean, but the flavor was really unique. Very aromatic and very strong. I give 2 thumbs up on the coffee.
I’m very excited about SSC! There’s now an option for me to grab a bite for breakfast, but I’m really excited about trying some of their other veggie tacos! I’m pretty pumped about coming back. Will definitely update my experience when I do. Great addition to the Trinity Groves area!

I was extremely disappointed during my first visit here yesterday. I came here with my sister and her boyfriend for a quick bite to eat for dinner before a movie because the trinity groves area was located pretty close. We walked into the restaurant and there was maybe 5 other customers eating there so automatically, we were thinking «Oh it must not be that good» but we ended up giving them a chance anyways. We walked up to to place an order and the guy was not helpful with recommendations, not friendly at all, and just so rude in general. I understand we all have our bad days but you have to be able to put on a pleasant smile if you are the first person, the customers see.
So we ordered the chips and queso to start off with which is followed by our barbacoa, al pastor, shrimp, and a couple other tacos. Now I can see why the restaurant itself was so slow on Tuesday for dinner. The barbacoa taco WAS SO greasy which made me so sick and nauseas after consuming only two of them. There was no flavoring in the al pastor and it was so dry. The size of the shrimp was almost the same size as a peanut. The corn tortilla itself used for the tacos were different, but this different is NOT any good. The queso was the only dish that was okay.
Overall: I would NOT recommend coming to this taco joint based on the poor customer service and the low quality of food. I did not enjoy my experience while dining here and cant see the restaurant staying open for much longer. Please think twice before attempting to try Sugar Skull Café, you’ll thank me later.

The Sugar Skull Margarita here was good! Definitely strong for a frozen margarita lol. My friend wanted to stop by here before going home. I had the corn in the cup and it was so delicious. The brisket taco and chicken quesadilla was great too! I definitely enjoyed the tex mex flavor. The cashiers were so funny and nice. Everything came out fast. Great place to stop for Margarita and some tex food. Must try!

Thank you, Unilocal,for delivering me to Sugar Skull Café. Little sister and I were lazing about in a hotel nearby, when I typed in «Breakfast» in my Unilocal app, and the rest is history. I was sold when seeing the two magic words: breakfast tacos.
The perk of traveling during non-​holiday and in the middle of the week is that these places are blessedly quiet when it’s barely 8:30am and I’ve only drank half my coffee. There were a couple folks enjoying their morning cup while sis and I ordered our food, but that was it. We ended up outside on their spacious patio area, which was lovely on a serene morning.*
I ordered the two vegetarian options (I couldn’t pick just one!) — the El Cabrito and the Garden. Both were delicious, but I think my favorite was the Garden with its simple mix of egg, squash, avocado, onion, and cheese. Sis ordered the Early Riser which has refried beans and bacon, and she was in heaven and ready to eat another. Our tacos paired well with the salsa they gave us, and that salsa was one of the tastiest I’ve had.
I definitely want to come back and give this place another visit when I’m in town.
*Sis is reading over my shoulder and making fun of my whimsically worded «serene morning» but let me tell you: it really was peaceful!

After hearing rave reviews about this place I had to see what all the buzz was about.
We went on a Friday around 6:30 pm. The restaurant was half full and there was no wait.
I ordered 3 street tacos (pollo, barbacoa, and camarón), Elotes, Churro’s and a beer (because it was local). My total bill was $ 19.50. the street tacos were around $ 2.50 each (a little higher than a Fuel City taco of the same caliber).
Enough about the preliminaries let’s get to the good stuff:
–The tacos were okay, but lacked the bold flavor that I am used to when indulging in the taste of an authentic street taco.
–I was surprised that I didn’t get the full kick from the Elotes as well… it lacked the character of the everyday elotes that I ate growing up as a kid.
–My expectations were really set high for the Churros, but were quickly let down because they were overcooked (the caramel and chocolate dipping sauces were good).
Here’s the good part:
* The décor was really trendy and set a relaxed atmosphere. We opted for the patio as we often do, and it was cool.
* They sell beer from a local brewery (Four Corners) just a block down the street. I’m not a big beer drinker, but my husband said it had a really good flavor.
* The staff was very courteous and patient with us first timers.
* My daughter ordered the fresh Guacamole and it was really good.
* The food was fresh and they give a pretty hefty portion.
Overall it wasn’t a bad experience, and there were some other items on the menu that looked good, so I will be giving them another go round.

Stopped over at Sugar Skull Café today for lunch with some co-​workers.
They have decent seating (booths and tables) and a nice patio area.
When you walk in, you go up to the counter, order, take your order, and they’ll bring your food out to you.
I ordered a specialty taco (chicharron) and a street taco (vegatales), a cortado and an order of churros to share with the table.
Our food came out fairly quickly which is definitely a plus when you are on limited of time for lunch. One of the guys at the table ordered the queso fundido. The flavor of the queso was ok IMO. The good things about it was that it didn’t solidify when it started cooling down and the portion size was a good size. To me though, it didnt really have a stand out cheese-​y flavor, it seemed more reminiscent of a bechamel sauce with a little bit of chorizo, etc added in.
When my tacos arrived, they came out nice and fresh with a small cup of salsa and a wedge of lime. The Chicharron was flavorful and had a nice texture but the vegetales street taco stole the show IMO. The taco was stuffed with grilled squash and other veggies and topped with paper thin slices of onions and cilantro. I was pleasantly thrilled that a veggie taco could have so much flavor without pouring on a ton of salsa. he real star of these tacos however were the corn tortillas. They were slightly crisp on the outside with a soft fluffy inside that didnt get soggy with all the goodies they held.
The churros arrived a short time after (the timing was excellent guys!) piping hot with some dang delicious dulce de leche sauce and abuelita chocolate sauce to dip them in. Those were wonderful and paired nicely with the cortado.
Price-​wise id consider these guys an upscale taco similar to Torchys in terms of pricing. If you’re hungry and make it in time for breakfast id recommend ordering a plate instead of individual tacos. My two tacos were satisfying to me, but i don’t have a huge appetite most days and tend to eat light during the work week.
They occasionally run lunch specials and special menu items but you’ll need to keep an eye on it via facebook.
Overall it was a pleasant experience and id definitely go back for a veggie taco fix that is full of flavor. It would be nice if they added tortas and aguas frescas to the menu but I also like the small menu format they have setup in the meantime.

Delicious, delicious, delicious. I had some friends in town and I had been wanting to try Sugar Skull. We decided to stop by on a recent Saturday afternoon. We all agreed the fresh guacamole was the best we’ve ever had. Super fresh tasting with just the right amount of avocado chunks. The next item we agreed upon was the homemade corn tortillas. They are slightly thicker than the store bought corn tortillas and full of LOTS of flavor. You know what else is full of flavor? The taco filling. I went for the Crispy red snapper signature taco and the signature chicharron. The fish was lightly battered and in small bite size pieces. Mind-​was-​blown on the flavor in the one. The pork chicharron was full of flavor as well. Lastly, get a cup of fresh coffee when you leave. Some of the best coffee I’ve had.
The staff was very friendly. Looking forward to visiting my new favorite taco joint again.

My wife and I have been to Sugar Skull Café three times since they opened… twice for dinner and once for breakfast. We highly recommend this new spot in Trinity Groves!
The menu is authentic, fresh, and diverse.
We are working our way through the menu and each exploration has been awesome. In comparison, we really like Velvet Taco, Taco Stop, and Torchy’s… and right now, Sugar Skull has our vote as The Best!!!
Dinner is excellent… and we highly recommend the breakfast tacos and breakfast plates!

After a little over two years now of reviewing a majority of the taco spots here in Dallas I sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that my taco preferences are set in stone via two simple rules: contemporary beats traditional, and Good 2 Go Taco has the best tacos in the city. I didn’t think for a second that these convictions would be shaken upon walking into freshly minted Sugar Skull Café on a Tuesday night, but I couldn’t have been more incorrect. Consider my preconceived notions regarding tacos shattered, and freshly penned taco legislation my new mantra:
1) Contemporary and traditional tacos both have their merits, and one is no better than the other
2) Good 2 Go Taco serves the best contemporary tacos in Dallas
3) Sugar Skull Café serves the best traditional tacos in Dallas
Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere?
When I say traditional Mexican street tacos, it’s essentially inevitable that unless you’re a first timer to any southern state in this country, one of two images pops into your head. One is of a taco stand tacked onto a gas station (Fuel City Tacos, Fuel Town, etc.) where the tacos are as cheap as they are freshly made, and the other image is of a simple taco truck on the side of the road selling quick bites to whomever happens to be passing by. It’s for this exact reason that I was so thrown at the notion of a seemingly upscale destination like Sugar Skull in an up and coming district like Trinity Groves serving traditional street tacos, but make no mistake, they’re here. Service was fast and friendly and the unique and varied seating arrangement is a great addition to an already strong district. Star Granted.
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
It’s here that Sugar Skull Café lives up to its neighborhood a bit, but it’s understandable considering Trinity Groves is essentially an incubator with sales quotas that need to be met in order to maintain what I imagine is expensive real estate (fail to meet these quotas and you go the way of Didi’s Tamale House, RIP).
Old school street tacos are maybe $ 1.25 or so each, and the nearby competition has seemingly agreed to keep it under $ 2.00 —
Fuel City: $ 1.40 each
Fuel Town: $ 1.48
Come Taco: $ 1.50
Luna’s Tortilla Factory: $ 1.50
Sugar Skull Café shatters the price mold a bit by pricing their street tacos at $ 2.25 each, which may be hefty, but make no mistake — these are meaty tacos. While you may not be able to tell by my picture below, my barbacoa and steak tacos were absolutely packed with meat. Had I gotten three, which I should have, I’d be sitting at $ 6.75 for a filling meal, and that’s something I can live with. Star Granted.
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
I don’t know how Sugar Skull does it, but these were nothing short of phenomenal. The freshly made tortillas were top notch, but that’s commonplace here in Dallas, and it was the meats that made these street tacos so good. Large quantities of perfectly cooked and seasoned barbacoa and chopped steak made for tacos that were packed full of flavor, and the subtle yet present chopped green onion was a nice touch. Sure, I still prefer contemporary tacos like the Tikka Masala at Velvet or the Mashed Potato taco at Good 2 Go to traditional onion and cilantro classics, but the street tacos here at Sugar Skull Café were the best authentic tacos I’ve had. Dual Stars Granted.
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
Yes. I typically only like to have one favorite, 5-​Star spot in a given city, but I think it’s fair for me to make an exception here. Good 2 Go Taco serves the best contemporary tacos in Dallas, and Sugar Skull Café serves the best traditional albeit in a very non-​traditional setting. Old meets new — well done. Star Granted.

These are some GREAT tacos! Seriously, I was blown away. We got there a little early in the lunch hour so we didn’t have to wait in line at the counter, but a line quickly formed behind us (this place is popular, even on a Tuesday, and rightfully so!) The gentleman that took my order explained the taco sizes by saying that if you’re «pretty hungry» you should order two signature tacos or three street tacos. I opted for two signature tacos and a cup of elotes, and that was definitely plenty of food.
The tacos are served on these cute little trays and come with wedges of lime. The El Loco tacos, the vegetarian signature taco option, were just fantastic. The thick corn tortillas were warm and homemade, and piled high with mushrooms, cactus, corn, spinach, and avocado. The veggies had been sauteed in something delicious that really gave them a savory kick. They also have a vegetarian street taco option and a vegan breakfast taco, and I look forward to trying both.

I’ve been desperately searching for a taqueria near Uptown Dallas that resembles the street tacos styles like the ones you get at the gas stations (etc. fuel city, friendly’s)
but located in a less sketchy area. After reading some good reviews about Sugar Skull, my boyfriend and I decides to give it a try since he loves tex-​mex food and I love tacos!
We came during lunch time on a nice sunny day. The restaurant wasn’t very busy but I assume it’s because they haven’t been opened very long. The menu was simple and prices were reasonable for the area. I got the Barbacoa, Pastor, and the shrimp one (I forgot the name). They were all great especially the pastor, which had grilled pineapple in it. My boyfriend got the same as me plus the Chicharron. He said the Chicharron wasn’t crispy like how you would expect it to be but still tasted fine. Overall the service was quick and friendly and the patio was a nice addition. Fyi, don’t sit under the tree… the birds will leave you presents!

Great place! Thanks to the Trinity Groves newsletter, I found out about this place and ended up going to the grand opening without realizing it (obviously didn’t read the email thoroughly)! It has a cool, laid back vibe in the growing Trinity Groves district with a nice interior and an outdoor patio… gotta have that patio here in Dallas, ya know?!
I’m a simple man and sometimes… I mean most of the time… I just want to eat some tasty and basic food. I looked at the menu prior to going and I already knew what I wanted to get and that was the Early Riser and Chorizo breakfast tacos which, by the way, breakfast is served from Mon.-Fri. till 11 AM and Sat.-Sun. till 1 PM. Once I got to the café to try the tacos, it was greatness! They are decent size too. It’s larger than a Whataburger taquito and tastes way better. I also got a taste of the guacamole and chips. Very good as well! Guacamole has got a little kick to it.
Already have been here twice and will be back again!

I’m utterly confused. I thought migas were scrambled eggs with shredded tortilla strips and beans. Maybe a bit of salsa and extra tortillas too? Have I been eating migas abominations or have they been Tex-​Mex catastrophes? Either way, I am far from disappointed with the migas offered at Sugar Skull Café.
I foolishly believed that Sugar Skull Café was a dessert and coffee kind of place. It’s a valid assumption right? I couldn’t even find sugar skulls on the menu (I guess they’re technically not in season). Instead, this Mexico City inspired café serves street tacos, quesadillas, churros, coffee and breakfast.
Breakfast consists of various breakfast like tacos or a metal tray hosting either chilaquiles, migas or «El Jefe», which frankly is the only dish closest to anything American Style. Pat Baby of course ordered that and was quite pleased with the double fried eggs, mound of breakfast potatoes and cheese, duh. There was supposed to be chorizo mixed in there too, but the cook probably saw him and knew his diet was filled with Wendy’s and McDonald’s, two places that are very un-​chorizo-​ish. Who knows? We couldn’t find much, if any, but El Jefe still provided us with a hefty breakfast.
Back to the migas, which looked like some kind of deconstructed migas to me. It came with two folded up tortillas and two fried eggs that sat separately from the rest of the ingredients. I ordered it with chicken and those appeared in small juicy seasoned strips shoved in a corner. Then, there was this pile of thick yellow discs and avocados. I tried one of these yellow UFO things and yyeeaahhh bbbuudddyyy, they were amazing, like soft sweet corn cakes (in my limited vocabulary). According to the menu, they were fresh masa, the corn dough used for tamales and such. Best migas I’ve had! Well, out of like four that I have ever tried anyway. There is no hot sauce here or ketchup either, but they will give you a small cup of their salsa.
Their coffee beans are from a local Texas source and they have a nice patio that is shaded by trees if the weather permits. Whether this is authentic food from Mexico City or not, it was all tasty to me and unique to the Trinity Groves restaurant hub in both food and affordable price.