The Marathon Short Stop convenience store and on Goodman Road in Southaven is kind of like Narnia, in a weird-but-good-gas-station-y way.

I stopped for gas here about a year ago and went inside to grab a snack. I walked in, expecting to head for the chip aisle, but I was immediately faced with an exciting discovery: a taco shop right in the middle of the dang mini-mart.

I’ve eaten tacos at gas stations plenty of times but only from a taco truck. I’ve never before seen an entire taqueria inside of a gas station convenience store. I was intrigued. I knew that I had to try it. Something inside of me — that hole-in-the-wall intuition — told me that it was probably going to be really, really good.

Calkins: Jennifer Biggs brought us together for lunch again. Even though she was stuck in a hospital room.

The taqueria is called Tacos De Soto, which also operates a taco truck nearby. The taqueria inside the Marathon is their main gig, operating between refrigerators full of drinks, a wall of vapes and aisles of cowboy hats and camo fishing gear.

The setup is pretty bare-bones: a few steam tables behind a glass counter, a prep table, a fryer, stovetop range, a combi oven and a panini press used to warm tortillas. The menu is slender as well — a few Mexican classics, like gorditas and tamales, as well as a breakfast menu with more Mexican-American fare such as breakfast burritos. 

I’ve eaten at Tacos De Soto a few times since I first found it. For your first time, you really don’t need to get too adventurous here. Follow the name. Get the tacos.

There are five protein options for the street-style tacos here — asada, pollo, chorizo, barbacoa and al pastor — all of which are $2.99 each, so you can get 3 for under $10. That’s a steal these days. Once you pick your protein and amount, the rest is simple: Load up your tacos with whatever you like.

I tried all five options, but my order is this: three tacos. Barbacoa, asada and al pastor. Pico de gallo, cilantro, raw onion. Both salsas — rojo and verde, extra of both. Lots of lime wedges. This is, in my opinion, how a street taco should be dressed. Simple, not so many additions that you can’t taste the meat, but enough to complement it and uplift it as the star of the dish.

And Tacos De Soto’s meat game is on point. The barbacoa was tender and juicy, the shredded beef melting in the mouth almost immediately. The braise on it is well-executed, and the cuisson (braising liquid) is deeply flavorful, with overtones of chipotles en adobo. 

The asada is nearly as juicy and fattier than usual, but still delicious. The tortilla soaks up a lot of the grease, making it a well-oiled vessel for meat delivery. Squeeze extra lime on this one.

Finally, the al pastor — my favorite. I didn’t see a trompo (a big spinning grill used to cook stacks of pork), so I’m not sure if it’s cooked traditionally. But it doesn’t matter to me. The pork is spicy and sweet with strong pineapple flavor. If you only order one taco here, get this one.

And, alright, sure. Tacos might not be the most novel or exciting food. But they are for me. Tacos can be interesting and different and good in the same way new songs about love can be — when they’re done right and with ingenuity. It’s not every day that a good love song is written, and it’s not every day that you find a good taqueria in a gas station convenience store in North Mississippi. But it happens, and when it does, you know it.

Tacos De Soto is located inside of Marathon Short Stop, located at 2930 Goodman Road E. in Southaven, and is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.