Ah yes, Herbert's in San Marcos...where you must have a tostada with anything you order, even if you don't want it. The fajita's at Lupe Tortilla's are rivaled by no one.
Texican in Manchaca has some good food too. I like the white cheese queso and margaritas. Then again, I get pretty messed up on the margaritas when I go, so the food could really be pure crap.
Pappasitos SUCKS! ... Ninfas is better than Pappasitos. You also have to consider where your eating. "Tex-Mex" is not the same as "Mexican" food. At a "Tex-Mex" restaurant they will serve you food with black beans, where as a "Mexican" restaurant will not. There are also subtle differences in the food also. For instance a "Mexican" restaurant will not serve "chicken fajitas" which by the way does not exist. Fajitas are BEEF AND ONLY BEEF! that other crap is chicken breast, call it what it is damn it! ... sorry I get a little carried away about this subject. All Im saying is that you cant lump them all in the same group.
This is fairly amazing ... a discussion of Austin Tex-Mex, and no one has mentioned El Arroyo? Perhaps not the best all around Tex-Mex, but they serve what is perhaps the best dish in the entire city - Enchiladas Del Mar. Shrimp and crab enchiladas. Oh lordy, I need some now. I gotta defend the honor of my favorite restaurant in the nation. Trudy's is trendy, it is hip, it serves a drink which doubles as paint stripper. That said, the migas can't be beat. And name me another Tex-Mex place where you can get a passable chicken fried steak, if you're so inclined?
Any place that has fake tortillas is already knocked off my list. Austin places suck about that. Guess the recipe for tortillas was lost somewhere in SA. Why can't they afford the extra $10 they pay these people for a day's work, and have authentic tortillas!!!! Man, that pisses me off. Sucky *** EastAustin-think-it's-real-Mexican-food served with microwaved HEB tasteless crap tortillas. On the flip side, Guadalajara's in Cedar Park has awesome tortillas, and ****** food. Spoiled by my mom's food, I guess. And that earlier guy described Tex-Mex to a T: Tex-Mex = Mexican food(fried) + Velveeta.
Pappsito's chips tase like soap to me. I think that place sucks, but it was one of hte only places in Atlanta to get decent Tex-Mex so it gets a temporary pass. One ofhte best placees in town is a little restaurant in a strip mall just south of Ben White on Congress called Girabaldis. Dont be confused by the Italian name, it is good tex-mex. I HATE maudies. Putting that Velveta **** on my enchiladas bothers the hell out of me.
Best Frozen margarita, hands down Nuevo Leon on 6th street. The food quality is overall pretty good but not blow your socks off. I think it's harder to have the consistancy now that their new location is so much larger. Try Nuevo on a Wednesday night they have happy hour till 7 pm and the "killer" mariachis to boot. Plus where else do you get to hear yours truly sing stand up and sing the eyes of Texas after football games? (thankfully others join in quickly!) Best Tex-Mex breakfast and ll cheese related items, Dario's on 6th (way east 6th) Angies food waulit is great, closest to puffy tacos in S.A. that we have in Austin. One place that has kind of grown on me is Antonio's up in Round Rock. It's a bit of a drive North but a mid point for some friends and their food quality is consistantly good and the Margs are pretty good as well.. the location near my house on Jollyville SUCKS by the way from a food perspective. I hear lots of folks like jorge's new place where Enchilda Y Mas used to be on 26th is pretty good but I ahven't tired it. Ate Dario's breakfast this Sunday after church it was awesome as Always.
the only good at papasitos is the chips. best chips in town. i have not been impressed by anything else on the menu. i ordered the chile relleno once and it was horrible. nuevo leon was my favorite before they moved into their new location about 2 1/2 years ago. the new location is much nicer but much bigger. any time a restaurant gets bigger, the food quality drops some. that said, i still love nuevo leon. awesome margaritas too. great enchiladas and awesome carne guisada. i like el arroyo b/c it is down the street from me on far west and the 5th street location is great for drinks. and even though i go there b/c it is close and good food, it isn't in the top list. get the chile relleno at matt's el rancho. one of the best in town. i started going to matt's on sunday nights when i was a freshman at jester almost 10 years ago. jester dorm cafeteria wasn't open on sunday nights so for 2 years, matt's became a weekly tradition. i have had about everything on the menu. i still love going there. going there on friday night before games is always fun for me b/c i run into old friends in town for the game. never been to jaime's. not sure why. i have heard the food is not good but the margaritas by the pitcher are something to be had. for those from san antonio, tycoon flats by trinity is a great hamburger place and has awesome pitchers of margaritas. i like trudy's but could do without the wait. but like someone said, this isn't tex-mex but instead more new mexican style "tex-mex". watch out for their mexican martinis... i personally like la reyna. very authentic and much better than the arranda's in town. surprised noone mentioned guero's taco bar. best corn tortillas in town. it isn't traditional tex-mex but awesome. Texas97
Dario's, Angies, are definitely 3 of the top. Also not mentioned are "Little Mexico" (almost on the corner of Oltorf and South first down the street from La Reyna) it is a little hole in the wall family owned and run place that has hardly any seating or parking. Great breakfast and lunches. Joe's Bakery on 7th street: some of the best menudo (if you like menudo) and breakfast around. Also great bakery to go with it. I have never eaten lunch there though. The Texican cafe used to be very good, but the sauce they use for the enchiladas has too much chili powder in it, very deep reddish-brown and not good to the palate. The queso flameado (served in a small skillet, I request a bowl so the cheese does not stick and burn) is one of the best. Try "Casa Maria's", this place is fast becoming one of my families favorites. It is on the corner of St. Elmo and South first (across from St. Elmo Elementary and in the strip mall). They have great breakfast and lunch.
Tex-Mex / Mexican food in Austin is a joke for the most part, and anyone that lists Matt's as a good choice should be disregarded off the bat. Guerros, come on, they charge for chips and salsa...what the hell is that all about... Casa Garcia's on South Lamar, however, has some tasty food and a nice atmosphere, with friendly service. Check it out..oh, and Azul Tequila in the Target shopping center off S. Lamar is pretty good for more interior mexican food.
I cannot believe I forgot Casa Garcia's, they also have one in the strip mall on William Cannon and Manchaca rd. I will say this, those that think Austin does NOT have good Tex-Mex don't have a clue. That or they have not tried to right places. I also travel all over the state for a living and Austin is up there with any place I have been, you just have to know where to go. It is all in your preference and taste anyway. Mexican and Tex-Mex are not the same. Austin has great Tex-Mex.
ezgoin, there is a difference between mexican and tex-mex. mexican is fonda san miguel. tex-mex is nuevo leon. and austin and san antonio have great tex-mex. Texas97
Dogfart, I agree on Pappasito's, it sucks. However, you got this one wrong, "At a "Tex-Mex" restaurant they will serve you food with black beans, where as a "Mexican" restaurant will not". It's quite the opposite, most restaurants that serve authentic Mexican food will serve you black beans (La Fonda San Miguel, for example). If there is one meaningful difference between Tex-Mex and authentic, I'd say is the use of American yellow cheese. You'll never, ever find an authentic Mexican place that uses it.
Pappasito's seems to draw a love it or hate it response. I personally love it. Few places have mastered tacos al carbon, which is a favorite of mine. Pappasito's gets it right, as does Uncle Julios (a DFW chain). Ninfa's is serviceable. I've been to many of the non-chains mentioned in this thread, but few serve a decent taco al carbon, if they even have it on the menu. Some serve a fajita taco, which is something different altogether. A taco al carbon is sliced char/flame-grilled steak served in a tortilla. Nothing else goes in it or on it. If it's cooked in a skillet, it isn't al carbon. It is best served with rice and frijoles a la charra. Chuy's doesn't do al carbon, so I get the cheese enchiladas with Tex-Mex sauce. They use real cheddar cheese, and the sauce is good. I think finding a favorite place depends entirely on what you like to eat. If the chips and salsa are bad, I usually won't go back.
Austin Tamale House (the one in East Austin off of Airport Blvd.) has excellent breakfast tacos. Maudie's is my favorite, but there's a little family place in Round Rock (Garcia's) that's in an old house that is a close second.
My top 10 are: 1. El Azteca on E. 7th- best all around 2. Angie's- great lunches 3. Casa Garcia's on South Lamar-excellent variety 4. Maudies on South Lamar-good enchiladas 5. La Reyna on Mary Street-consistent 6. Nueva Leon on E. 6th-good margaritas 7. El Arroyo-always good looking women around 8. Dart Bowl-great enchiladas 9. Taco Express on Soputh Lamar-super breakfast tacos 10. Guero's-too loud, but decent food 10. Cisco's Bakery-great migas 10. Jaime's Spanish Village-like the dark atmosphere Hook em
Revived this old thread in response to a conversation on another board. As I have now had the grub at both Enchiladas y Mas and the Dart Bowl, I can now add them to my rankings. Dart Bowl has the best cheese enchiladas anywhere -- they remind me of the old White Kitchen enchiladas in the valley. Enchiladas y Mas is solid, but I didn't think it was worth the wait or the hype.
Regarding Nuevo Leon, which has typically been one of my favorite TexMex joints . . . we went there for lunch today, and they've had a lot of turnover in the waitstaff, and by the food, I presume in the kitchen. Not good. What used to be decadent, cheesey TexMex is now bland. I don't know what happened. Maybe it was a bad day. There's a new place at Manor and Chicon that is getting rave reviews, too. I don't know the name.
El Chile Cafe and Cantina - 1809 Manor Rd By the way, they arent open on Sundays or Mondays, as I discovered today.
ttt gawd-dammit, after reading this thread and the chips and salsa one, my stomach is about to implode. I need tex-mex, stat! I'll put in a vote for South Congress Cafe. It wasn't quite standard fare, but it had nice heat, and the tortillas were awesome, and huge.
Every Sunday night since the first week of my freshman year, I have been to Trudy's for dinner. I never get tired of their chips and salsa, mexican martinis, and enchiladas. I've never understood the hate for Trudy's, everyone I have taken with me has absolutely loved the place. There certainly are different tastes but in no way can Trudy's be considered bad. I've been to Maudie's, Angie's, and Chuy's... none of which have knocked Trudy's out of its Sunday night slot. Everything there is absolutely outstanding.
I went to Evita's Botanitas on S. First Last night. I talked about the salsa on the Chips and Salsa thread, but the food there was good too. There were plenty of choices, and you get to decide between cilantro lime rice/spanish rice and refried/borracho/black beans with each plate. The cilantor lime rice is really good, as are the borracho beans. I got the "Extra Hot Rico, Rico" Chiptole enchiladas w/ queso blanco. The sauce actaully lived up to its name, but the chicken inside wasn't your typical pulled chicken type encilada filling. It was diced grilled chicken, and it had a nice flavor. And I had enough for dinner last night, and to take the rest home for lunch today. Even after being heated in the microwave the next day, it was worth mentioning. My dad got some steak dish that was good, it was marinated in some sort of mexican sauce before it was grilled, but I can't remember the name. My girlfriend got the typical mexican combo w/ enchiladas and a taco, and she enjoyed it. And the last member of our party got chiken mole. Now, mole is always hit and miss, some places do it right, some places just palin suck. This was the former rather than the latter. Great mole. All in all, recommend it.
i went to el chile, that new place that was opened by a couple of former chefs from jeffrey's the other day. it was pretty good, lunch specials were all pretty damned good, and cheap. the parking is ridiculous if you lack a UT permit however, as they have two Ut permit parking lots on either side of the restaurant. the flan was the best i've ever had.
okay i took everything yall had to say and put em in a spreadsheet. I scored them based on what each person said, 3 for great, 2 for good, 1 for decent, and 0 for ******. then i averaged them for the score. I don't know if this will be helpful or not, since some of them only had one comment and some are about 3 years old, but at least there is one list with all the comments now. Tex-Mex Word File
