Casa Garcia’s – South Austin
editors note: For those of you that don’t know Joby: he’s the mastermind behind Joby’s Hot Sauce Contest and a long time taco lover. His first job was at a Mexican restaurant. He’s tasted tacos from Ohio to Amsterdam. In short – Taco Town has mucho confidence in Joby’s ability to tell good Mexican food from bad…enjoy. – Cabeza
The corner of William Cannon and Manchaca is home to over ten restaurants, all battling it out for your hard earned peso- Chinese, Church’s Chicken, pizza, barbecue and burgers- but for hardcore taco lovers, there is only one place that can satisfy- the way you want, the way you need, the way YOU DESERVE. That’s Casa Garcia’s.
9 different kinds of MIGAS!
One of the best aspects about Garcia’s is the sports bar. The right side of the restaurant is dedicated to sports fans and alcoholics, with four televisions tuned into all the big games and super strong Bloody Mary’s available at before noon. Its a great way to separate the after church crowd from the after party crowd. This morning there are a mix of college kids, thirty-somethings and couples in the bar, with the older peeps and families safe in the dining area.
I feel breakfast is the strong point of Garcia’s and anyone who has had their migas would agree. With nine different options for migas alone, everyone should be happy.
But today I will have the plate that bears Casa G’s name. The Casa G’s Deluxe (no relation to Grego). You won’t find a more packed plate of food for $8. Two eggs topped with ranchero sauce, carne guisada, chorizo and eggs, potatoes and refried beans.. Served with flour or corn tortillas, made by authentic Mexican women- I checked em’ myself.
Casa G's Deluxe
Now this plate is not for the faint of heart. It’s designed for fat Americans who eat five servings of food for breakfast- People like me. If you are counting calories, this plate is not for you.
Today I got the eggs sunny side up and found myself in gooey goodness while making my tacos with a little of everything in them.. Although I can’t finish it most days, I felt obligated today because of Taco Town- I wanted to make the boys proud.
The service is always friendly and quick. There’s even one person designated to hand out chips & salsa all day. Now that’s good service !!!!! Are you listening Polvo’s ?!?!? And let me tell you something, this guy is always busy refilling the salsa cups and chip baskets. The chips are hot and crispy and the salsa had a spicy kick that reminds me of my home town Mexican restaurant back in Goliad, TX.
Overall, I give the place very high marks for great food, great service, and their fair prices. The fact that I can watch basketball and drink a tequila sunrise at the same time only adds to the overall quality.
-Joby
Casa Garcia
http://casagarcias.net/
1901 W. William Cannon
Austin, TX 78748.
Sick! said,
September 30, 2009 @ 10:30 am
About two weeks ago, I made the mistake of going to Casa Garcia’s for a late lunch and ordering the chicken tortilla soup. It LOOKED great, but the chicken was in large chunks and falling apart a little too easily. Well, about 3-4 hours later I was unable to part with the toilet… This went on ALL NIGHT; I didn’t get a wink of sleep nor could I keep small sips of water down. I had sweats and chills, body aches, and my fever peaked out at 103.5 degrees at about 5AM; I genuinely thought I was going to have to go to the ER. This was, hands down, the most miserable night of my life. I missed my Clinical the next day because I was STILL vomiting. I felt nauseous for about two days after and have not been able to eat chicken since.
So what happened when I called management the next day to tell them?
I was extremely nice, considering I was up all night beforehand. I suggested that they double-check on their chefs to ensure they were cooking the chicken properly. I made no accusations, I even had a nice tone of voice. The manager took offense and did not even apologize to me NOR did she offer any type of compensation for my night of Hell. She even went so far as to deny that I got the Salmonella there because “it takes more than 24 hours to get.” As agitated as I was at that point, I politely replied, “Actually, I am a Nursing student and know for a fact that is not true.” The NERVE of this woman! So after a pointless phone call, I am here to warn you, because obviously this manager/establishment did not give a care in the world about her customers’ health.
SO, the moral of the story: DO NOT to go to Casa Garcia’s. They charge way too much for Salmonella-induced gastroenteritis!
Joby said,
September 30, 2009 @ 12:10 pm
But have you tried their breakfast?
chappy said,
October 1, 2009 @ 1:00 pm
that sucks! thanks for sharing your story.. we have too many quality options in the ATX to have to settle for shit like this.. also.. i make it a point to never order chicken at mexican restaurants! go for the beef or pork.
tara said,
July 2, 2010 @ 8:41 pm
maybe you had a glass of water that was authentic mexican.
Frank said,
July 12, 2010 @ 11:55 am
I went to casa garcias last week on Friday they had a little bit of a wait but it was well worth it. my girlfriend and I sat in the dinning room. I had the Chicken fajita plate and my girlfriend had the chicken tortilla soup. She nor I got sick actaully we enjoyed every thing about it the food the staff and the atmosphere everything was well above par. They even had mariachis and they were really good. We had a great time and will keep going back.