THE CHURRO SPOT

Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★⭑

Churros, tacos, and other Mexican favorites

Perfect For: Casual Dining; Lunch; Takeout

Standout Dishes: Birria Tacos; Oreo Churro; Asada Torta; Fish Taco; Cachete Taco

To be clear, the churros are worth of being the titular item at The Churro Spot. But if you came to the restaurant solely to gorge yourself on deep fried dough and sugar, you’d be missing out on a lot of great Mexican dishes.

The Churro Spot got its name because, initially, that’s all it served. Mexican native and owner Omar Garrido was inspired by the way he saw people flock to churro stands during a trip to Mexico. A churro-centric concept didn’t exist in Omaha, so he opened a food truck in 2016 to change that.

But as the truck gained popularity, so did Omar’s desire to start adding more items to the menu. Soon tacos, burritos, and tortas were flying out the window too, enough so that The Churro Truck evolved into a brick and mortar in 2022, changing its name to The Churro Spot.

The space is small and intimate but extremely inviting. Omar and his wife Hannah wanted it to feel like you’re dining in your grandmother’s house, and the brightly colored walls, family photos behind the counter, and impeccably clean tables and floors do just that.

The menu consists of tortas, tacos, sopes, quesadillas, burritos, and nachos, all of which can be filled or topped with a variety of meats.

But any restaurant with a menu item in its name will be judged first and foremost by the quality of that dish; thankfully, this is where The Churro Spot thrives.

The Churro Spot’s Churro is crisp on the outside and tender in the middle, more easily giving way the further you bite into it. The deep fry provides texture without allowing the oil to saturate the delicate inside, and the churro is rolled in just the right amount of cinnamon and sugar to be sweet, but not overly so.

The restaurant offers several varieties of churros in addition to the traditional version. They can be filled with fruity Bavarian creams or drizzled with cajeta, a Mexican caramel. But the best version might be the Oreo Churro, which employs chocolate dough and a sweet cream filling to perfectly mash churros and America’s favorite sandwich cookie together.

But The Churro Spot doesn’t stop at sweets; in fact, it’s savory menu allows you to take Mexican food in just about any direction you like. With several different proteins and many traditional vehicles to eat them in, each experience at this joint can be completely different.

If all the choice has you sweating your decision, keep it simple and go with the Birria Tacos. It all starts with the rich, tender meat that’s clearly simmered for hours in the consommé, absorbing every ounce of flavor. The tacos are flowing with gooey cheese, and the tortillas, fried in consommé on the flattop, have a nice crispiness to them. Dunk these tacos in the rich, complex broth and you’re going to be in a happy place.

The Torta is a large sandwich uses flat, oval-shaped telera bread with an ever-so-slightly crunchy exterior and pillowy-soft insides. Lime mayo, avocado, and housemade beans add a nice creaminess to the sandwich, and buttery, savory asada is the perfect meat to pair with this handheld delight.

The cheese/protein ratio is often a stumbling block for the quesadillas at most restaurants, but the Quesadilla at The Churro Spot hits the proper balance. There’s more than enough cheese present to provide gooey, Instagram-worthy cheese pulls, but not so much that the meat takes a backseat to the dairy. The tortilla is finished on the flattop, giving it a nice, crisp texture.

With chewy flour tortillas and a simple dressing of cilantro and onion, the Tacos similarly allow the protein to be the star, and they handle their leading role with aplomb. From the lean, slightly sweet cachete (beef cheek) to the rich, porky carnitas, each brings something unique and powerful to the table.

This is especially true of the Fish Taco, which has quickly become one of The Churro Spot’s best-selling items since Omar added it after moving into the brick and mortar. The fish is grilled rather than fried, maintaining its briny, sweet flavor, and it’s accented with salty cotija cheese and a lime crema that’s tasty enough to enjoy on a sandal.

To form its Sope, The Churro Spot deep fries masa (corn dough) to form a crisp cup with a small rim to help contain the toppings. A schmear of pinto beans is topped with a mountain of meat, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and cotija cheese to create an excellent take on the handheld Mexican street food.

The Tamale is doughy and crumbly all at once, an excellent mix of masa, lard, and chicken. These steamed dough pockets have a soft, fluffy texture, and the lard ensures they maintain a moist consistency.

If you want a side dish to pair with your meal, the Elote is the ideal solution. This corn cob is cooked to perfection, as each kernel provides a pop of sweetness. A thin layer of mayo adds richness, while cheese and cayenne add saltiness and heat, respectively. This is the best version of this dish I’ve found in Omaha.

Not that any of The Churro Spot’s dishes need flavor enhancers, but if you’re looking for an extra hit of spice, the housemade salsas are stupendous. The green sauce is herby and mild, delicious enough to drink through a straw, while the red brings some serious punch.

The Churro Spot has grown quite substantially during its life span, and it hasn’t been without its ups and downs. But Omar and Hannah’s perseverance and hard work has resulted in a restaurant that serves not only authentic churros, but an entire roster of delicious Mexican dishes.

If you’re craving a churro, by all means, this is the place in Omaha to get one. But don’t stop there—explore the whole menu to truly appreciate one of Omaha’s best Mexican restaurants.