Taqueria Charly just came fresh out the box this moanin – new trailer player (map) on the taco block – mom and son servin up them goodies fer just $1.25 each…
The awning had “best tacos in town” skrawled across it in puff paint…whoa there hombre! U gotta pay your dues before you go slanging that kinda bravado around…besides, we’ll be the judge of that, holmes.
GET: Chorizo/egg topped with habanero salsa
GET: potato/egg (diner style hashbrowns up in eer)
AVOID: bacon/egg (looked like fuggiin BAco’s – FAIL)
I pass this trailer most days coming home from work…its located in a convenience store parking lot off the southbound feeder of i-35, just past the Whip-In.
Trompo Taco (1.50), which is just another name for the Al Pastor taco, also referenced by the flaming trompo painting on the trailer itself. It was a hearty taco, with big chunks of pork and pineapple smothered in mystery red Pastor sauce, in a fresh flour tortilla and topped with the ubiquitous green jalapeno paste salsa (which u gringo’s may recognize as TacoDeli’s Doña sauce)
…twas definitely above average al pastor, if a bit salty and i chomped a few bubblegum fatty pieces. but not baaad. seemed like quality offering – but it could’ve been an off day for the trompo.
The real star here was the bacon/eggtaco (1.50), topped with melted white cheese. The bacon was chopped up and cooked together with the eggs so the grease flavors just melded into pure breakfast bliss. It may be a simple combo – but when done correctly, bacon & eggs is just the tits.
Verdict: I will return for sure after having the legit bacon/egg – and I might try the pastor or the Pollo Asado taco – since that seems to be their specialty…i do love me some pollo asado. -Cabeza
First you gotta realize that this thing is a technically a taco..then, come to terms with the fact that it might be the tastiest taco in town. We are all children of the cone. [mightycone.com]
wait a minute! i just realized that back in 2007 when I wrote about the chicken cones at ACL fest, I entitled my post “The Mighty Chicken Cone” .. did I name the place?
this beef fajita meat is pretty good, substantial chunks, unlike say, the kind of thin-strip jerky shank you tend to get from Arandas and its clones. The meat was marinated and cooked right, so the flavor and tenderness were there. this could be the best thing on Maudies menu besides the standby tex-mex enchiladas..
This weekend Christopher Huang will attempt to run 200 miles from Houston to Austin non-stop, completely unsupported, and utterly untrained. He will run straight to East Austin’s legendary Juan in a Million mexican restaurant, where he will immediately attempt to break his own world record – a 10lb scarfing of 8 Don Juan breakfast tacos. The amazing quest begins Thursday, March 19 and ends in Austin on Saturday March 21st at 3pm. Chris has set up a website to promote the event where you can follow his trek LIVE via GPS….One thing’s sure – TACO TOWN will be at the finish line for the full report. Good luck Chris/ -cabeza
originally posted on october 4th, 2007
Down on South First.. in a little strip center, next to the sushi karaoke joint, just south of Stassney.. its called Evita’s Botanitas.. I have no idea what a botanita is and I never met Evita either.. nonetheless, and moreover, this place is not messing around. On my two visits, the food was way above average.. spectacular in a down-home kinda way..the decor inside is gaudy, full of momentos and various nick nacks from over the years.. it reminds me of my cuban grandma’s house. theres a wall full of plaques and awards, letting you know they’ve been to the proving grounds and they brought back gold a few times.. Read the rest of this entry »
originally posted on November 4, 2008
Most Austinites are familiar with the al pastor taco- tender marinated pork flanks stacked on a “trompo” with pineapple and slow cooked rotisserie style. Well, Did you know its origins are actually Lebanese? That’s right – Lebanese immigrants in Puebla, Mexico introduced their neighbors to the Shawarma and the rest is history. more info>
Mexican taco franchise Chihua received world-wide attention when it broke a record for the Guinness Book of World Records by cooking the largest trompo in the world. The hunk of meat weighed 3.9 metric tons and served more than 24,000 people.
Here’s some of TacoTown’s favorite Al Pastor tacos in Austin:
originally posted 10/31/06.. this review is in issue 61 of the Austin Daze! Check it out.. Rating:
South 1st street in the ATX: Taco Row, The Isle of Mex, whatever you wanna call it, you could slip on an enchilada and fall into basket of tacos one step off the sidewalk. This is where the taco obsession started for me, my taco homeland. I used to work in an office at Monroe and South 1st.. come lunch time every day, we would choose the next restaurant in line.. El Mercado, Jovita’s, Little Mexico, La Reyna, La Mexicana Bakery, Aranada’s #5, and of course, Polvo’s…
Polvo’s is about a “South Austin” as you can get.. Its not overly-trendy by any means.. it is real. The decor is funky and colorful.. the patio is always crowded and the wait staff is laid back and helpful. Its where the real Austinites go to eat. Its a great place to have some drinks, you’ll probably run in to an old friend and see a semi-famous Austinite or two there as well. The food is not tex-mex, rather, it is mostly authentic central mexican dishes, they are known for their fish tacos. Read the rest of this entry »
Changos is offering a damn good deal on lunch these days. I got a 2 taco plate with rice and beans (refried per request) and Horchata- my favorite drink in the world- for $6.95.
As I’m writing this I can’t stop thinking of how fucking good that Horchata is . Its self-serve too. I love to mix the horchata either the watermelon or cantaloupe agua frescas. Oh man, I might go there again today just to get that drink.
The 2 tacos were Chicken Tinga tacos served on corn tortillas with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes – VERY TASTY.
I usually never order corn tortillas but i dont think i had a choice this time. I could be wrong about that. But either way, even with 2 corn tortillas supporting all that lovely stuffing, the bottoms were still soggy enough to fall out and thus force me to eat them with a fork and knife. Bernie hates this. I also cant stand when someone makes me a sandwhich that has so much shit on it that it just falls apart. That is not a fkg sammy, that is a plate of fail. However, in this case it was ok because the Tinga sauce was excellent and the chicken melted in my mouth.
Tinga Taco Lunch $6.95
Rice and beans are really tough to talk about because its so tough to tell any difference really. I mean, with the rice, all im looking for is that its flavored correctly, is fluffy, and doesnt have any crunchies in it that indicates someone burnt some of it. And for the beans, especially refried, im just looking to make sure there are no toenails or band-aids in it. That said, both rice and beans were WIN.
When i was leaving i asked the very friendly chiquita that was jockin the register what was in the Tinga sauce and she just simply replied that it was “a chipotle-based sauce with onions and other spices.” Good enough for me.
I will definitely go back and have this same lunch special again…if not just for that crack juice they call Horchata.
originally posted 10/31/06.. this review is in issue 61 of the 
