Shell station

It may only be a few years old, but Sloppy Taco Palace’s stripped-down atmosphere and ’70s-style furnishings make it seem like the bar/taqueria has been around since the days of Chico and the Man. The vibe is very much like that at another “taco palace”: PR’s, on Fairbanks Avenue in Winter Park.

But STP’s signature sloppy taco basket ($7.75) is all its own – and it’s drinking food at its finest. Two flour tortillas are fried just enough to be simultaneously soft and crisp, and they won’t collapse under the weight of a heavy slathering of queso and a heap of meat (your choice of chicken, steak, pork or ground beef). Texture-perfect corn dogs ($2.25) and tater tots ($1.95) are State-Fair-worthy, and also best enjoyed with a libation, which run pretty stiff (even the sangria goes heavy on the triple sec). Function-over-form beans and rice help soak any excess hooch, probably a common occurrence given that their happy hour runs twice a day – 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and midnight to 2 a.m. Best day to visit? Wednesdays, when tacos run a buck-fiddy all day long.

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