TacoTown is starting a new weekly taco lunch excursion – Taco Turrsdays! make sure you are our fan on facebook then be on the lookout for invites to meet us around town for some Thursday taco tastings..
for the inaugural run, we hit up the trailer scene on south congress near stassney.. site of the recent taco trailer murder..
First up was Chilango’s.. we had been here before and this visit was on par with last time .. the al pastor taco ($1.75) was good – flavorful and meaty, and the carne guisada was decent – the flavor was a little bland but he meat was tender – no dryness.. stay away from the fajita beef!.. no bueno. Chappy had a $1 cup of mexican coffee that was surprisingly good with a nice cinnamon flavor.
Next up was Tacos Linda, which was only 50ft. away and the site of the aforementioned murder.. the trailer was the same (it still had the ” La Surena” sign written on the side), but it was under new ownership. When asked, the owner said they weren’t really bothered by what had happened .. fair enough.. besides, it all makes sense to me now – their tacos really are to die for.. (too soon? sorry :-/ )
Tacos Linda served up $1.75 tacos on handmade tortillas.. they were the highlight of our Turrstay.. as was the al pastor that edged out Chilango’s on flavor..
the owner and cook were friendly and attentive.. they even made us some free tacos before we left.. some tacos Campechanos – bistek and chorizo mixed and served on a freshly-made corn tortilla.. they were awesome! .. they serve their salsas wrapped in little sandwich baggies.. funny. We heard that the weekends are the best time to go to Tacos Linda because they have special goat barbacoa and fresh tamales.. The assortment of tortas on the menu also looked promising.. We will definitely have to return for a followup..
Lastly, we decided to swing by Antojito’s Mexicanos on south first near Clifford Dr. .. Cabeza went for the Chicharron taco.. total fail.. I tried the al pastor.. moderate fail.. shoulda quit while we were ahead.
til next Tursday!!
Austin Police are still searching for the gunman who shot and killed a 43 year-old employee Sunday afternoon at the La Sureña Taco Trailer (translation: “The Southern”) on South Congress near Stassney. {google street view}.
Hispanic male in his mid-20s to early 30s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a thin build, wearing a yellow shirt under a dark jacket and dark baseball cap, walked up to the taco stand about 3 p.m. and shot the man working inside, police said. The employee was pronounced dead at the scene. statesman article >
TacoTown has never tried La Sureña, but it’s about 100 feet away from Chilango’s, which is easily one of the best taco trailers in Austin. We assume its a newer operation, cuz it seems to be in the same spot that used to be Taqueria “Angel”…
The suspect is still “on the runs“, and motive for the shooting is still unclear, though we highly suspect the chorizo.
WELL……on 2nd thought: While TacoTown has never claimed to be a “classy” outfit, we DO apologize for the light-hearted comments on this subject. Our hearts REALLY DO go out to the family of the victim and to all other mobile vendors in Austin. Stay safe you guys.
Austin’s most popular gringo taco trailer & mobile food pioneers TORCHY’S TACOS turns 3 years old this week. To celebrate, they’re throwing a Birthday Party this Thursday evening at their non-mobile location on the corner of South 1st & El Paso. FREE KEG BEER will be served from 7-10pm along with fiddle music from teenage prodigy Ruby Jane Smith.
Don’t forget about movie nights up the road at Torchy’s South Austin Trailer Park (1311 s. First). Tonight’s feature film is GroundHog Day
I found this GREAT little taco stand just a couple minutes South-East of Austin, off Hwy 183 and DG Collins Rd. I was the only gringo there, and the girl inside spoke ZERO engles…which is always a good sign in my book.
Chorizo/egg taco (.99) was and great, especially with the chunky, vinagery house salsa piled on top..reminded me of Maria’s w/ the chimichurri (though not quite THAT good).
Bomb Taco Alert: the Al Pastor Taco (.99), was more like a BBQ pulled pork smothered in red sauce – but it was AMAZING…highly recommended.
Las Flores – try to remember that name – and go there next time you head out near the airport or traveling towards Lockhart – its right off 183 about 5 min south of hwy 71…It may be a little off the beaten path, but there’s also a Pollo Regio stand across the street- if you feel like u wanna double up.
We’ve been to the downtown Serranos location plenty of times, with pretty good results, but their south location – next to Best Buy and other “big box” stores down near Mopac and Ben White has been passed by 100’s of times.. I think the fact that its flanked by an Applebee’s just kills my appetite every time I see it.. But these days, Cabeza and I have basically run out of new places to try, so its time to start digging in the dirt..
My interest was piqued when i spotted the vinyl banner hanging from the side of the building as we drove up.. “Tuesday Lunch Special $12.99 Fajitas for Two” Okay, i can work with that… Probably cheaper than my backup lunch choice – Spec’s deli.
Not surprisingly, the 2pm lunch rush was nonexistent.. we got chips and salsa and our iced teas quickly.. The salsa was a minced pico variety.. a little dry.. it couldnt even be stirred.. just a lump of pico.. but tasty enough.. I spotted a lady in the kitchen making fresh tortillas and my spirits were once again lifted..
The mixed chicken and beef fajitas came to our table in a matter of minutes and we got to making our own personal fajita tacos for which to scarf.. Accompanying our skillet of meat and onions, we each got a plate of mexican rice, charro beans (with shredded queso blanco on top), and shredded yellow cheese. All ingredients were tasty.. The meat was cooked right.. the beans were flavorful.. the rice was a nice filler.. but the star was the fresh made tortillas that made every bite shine… A great lunch at a great price..
ps: Tuesday is the Fajita special, but Monday is buy 1 get 1 free enchilada plates..
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
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 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 »
Austin’s 
originally posted 10/31/06.. this review is in issue 61 of the 
