Cheap Eats: DJ’s Taco Bar


Since I usually travel solo, I typically have to force myself to go outside of my comfort zone when seeking sustenance.  As such, I like things I know and will be comfortable at while dining alone. One night on my recent Vegas trip I decided that I was in the mood for some Mexican food.

I did a quick Yelp search and found the usual suspects near my hotel: Diablo’s Cantina at Monte Carlo, Javier’s at Aria, Gonzalez Y Gonzalez at New York, New York.  Then my eye landed on DJ’s Taco Bar.  I was intrigued because it appeared to be real Mexican food, didn’t involve table service and, most importantly, was cheap for the Strip.  Perfect for a solo meal.

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DJ’s is located at the Hawaiian Marketplace, across from City Center and next to Harmon Corner (there is also a location downtown at Neonopolis, and it’s a little cheaper).  The setup is simple. You walk up to the counter (the interior is really hot inside – like no A/C and just a fan hot), order your entree and then customize it to your liking.  Pay and then take your plate outside to eat at the tables provided – it’ll be cooler than inside I promise.

Entrees all include rice and either spicy beans with chunks of meat or refried beans.  Why anyone would choose refried beans over the delicious spicy beans is beyond me (and they aren’t super spicy).  Entrees to choose from include: a taco plate (three tacos), a burrito plate, a tortas plate (a Mexican sandwich), nachos, quesadillas and even menudo if you are daring or nursing a hangover.

Menudo, for the uninitiated, is a spicy tripe stew, and that’s all I need to say about that!  Meats to choose from include carnitas, pork, chicken, carne asada, barbacoa, fish and lengua, which is beef tongue.

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I know, I know, you just thought to yourself, “gross, beef tongue”, but it’s not bad.  The texture of lengua is similar to cooked beef.  And it’s not chewy, as you’d think, but sort of soft.  Having never tried tongue before I wasn’t sure what to expect, flavor-wise.  The simple answer is that there wasn’t one, other than the sauce/stew that the lengua was cooked in. Then you top your entree with a variety of options including fresh cilantro, a choice of salsas, pico de gallo, cheese and lettuce. Over the course of my trip I ate at DJ’s four times: it was just that good.

I always chose the taco plate, alternating between the chicken and the carne asada but always had at least one taco with lenguas; the tacos are served in double corn tortillas. I found that after my first and second trips that the tacos needed a little more oomph, so I had some spicy salsa added to my tacos.  I thought that the addition enhanced the tacos so much more.

I’ve tried tacos at a few other Strip and non-Strip restaurants (Canonita at the Venetian and Original Lindo Michoacan on East Desert Inn Road) and for the price and quality, there’s no comparison.  Granted, I like chips and salsa with my Mexican food, which DJ’s doesn’t provide, but I can overlook that slight for the price. The taco plate at the Strip location is $9.45.  The Neonopolis version will set you back $7.95.  I ate at both, and there was no difference in quality.

[photo credit: Bob Z]

2 thoughts on “Cheap Eats: DJ’s Taco Bar

  1. Thank you sooo much for this. Going every year I have my go to spots like Twin Creeks, Steak and Shake and Omlette House but no Mexican has moved me to add it to my itineraries every year. This is so helpful.

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