I once reviewed an eatery called El Buen Gusto Latin & Italian Restaurant, which was located in a former Subway near Berglund Chevrolet on Williamson Road. Oddly, it had some of the best cheesesteak sandwiches around, but it has since closed.

A Mexican taqueria, or taco shop, with the catchy name Paco's Tacos now occupies the building, so I decided to check it out.

The vibe

My previous description of the building as "basic," "spare" and "clean" still rings true. The green tables, wood trim and orange walls do not make for a fancy interior, but the simple decor lends itself to the kind of no-frills Mexican fare expected from a taqueria serving traditional tacos stuffed with a variety of meats. During both a weekday lunch and dinner the restaurant was relatively busy.

The food

The menu at Paco's Tacos is built around tacos, burritos, quesadillas and tortas, or Mexican sandwiches. These can be ordered with the customer's choice of filling, which includes al pastor (pork), steak, chicken, chorizo (Mexican sausage), pork carnitas, barbacoa (shredded beef), shrimp, fish and vegetarian.

At lunch, I tried an assortment of tacos: one stuffed with chicken, one with tilapia and one with pork (three for $6.10) and each topped with onions and cilantro. The tacos arrived "double wrapped" in corn tortillas, which I greatly prefer to flour. While Paco's did not skimp on the meat, I personally wish they had been more sparing with the cilantro.

The chicken and fish were minced, which I believe contributed to their rather mild flavor. I prefer eating fish tacos that contain the whole filet, or at least larger chunks, because the flavors are more intense.

My favorite dish, hands down, was the tacos al pastor ($6.55). This traditional Mexican dish is prepared in a similar manner to Greek gyros. First, thin slices of pork are molded onto a spit, then they are topped with pineapple. This allows the pineapple juice to drip down the sides and flavor the meat.

The pork on Paco's tacos, garnished with bits of pineapple and onion, was delicious. Unlike the tacos mentioned earlier, these required the strength of two tortillas to keep from falling apart.

Paco's black beans ($4.95), served in a Styrofoam bowl with a side of tortilla chips, provided a hearty and tasty blend of black beans, chorizo, smoky bacon and cheese dip. Resembling a hearty soup or chowder, it could easily qualify as a lunchtime meal on its own.

My wife's nachos supreme ($7.35) came with a huge mound of chips layered with spicy chicken, ground beef, lettuce, sour cream and refried beans. Melted cheese had been poured on top. The spices used on the chicken gave it a slightly more pungent taste than usual, but it was still appealing.

The children shared a cheese quesadilla (which we tell them is cheese pizza) from the kids' menu.

The four types of salsa available on the salsa bar - mild, chipotle, white and green salsa verde - provided the most underwhelming part of my Paco's experience. The "mild" salsa should have been labeled "bland," it tasted like canned tomato puree. The chipotle provided a little heat and was far better than the mild. And although I do not usually like the white sauce at many of the local Mexican restaurants, I enjoyed Paco's version - made with a pureed blend of mayonnaise, milk, garlic, cilantro, onion and jalapenos - very much.

The service

Paco's is a self-serve affair where patrons order at a counter before being seated. However, at an evening visit with my 3- and 4-year-olds, the proprietor graciously took our order tableside. Drinks and refills are obtained at a beverage station. On each occasion, the food came quickly and folks periodically checked to see if we needed anything.

The bottom line

Paco's Tacos' simple food, surroundings and service are in keeping with the best tradition of the taqueria and are meant to offer a quick, authentic Mexican meal with basic ingredients at reasonable prices.

Perhaps this is unsurprising, as it turns out the owner, Arturo Gomez, married into a local dining dynasty - his brother-in-law is Matt Bullington, owner and operator of another joint known for reliable, unadorned food and surroundings: the Texas Tavern.