Amaya’s Taco Village is a mainstay of the i-35 taco scene.. Not much has changed in years… expect to find the place packed at lunch time. The highlight of the (otherwise lackluster) menu are the Village Tacos.. Served in thick yellow corn fried shells that are a combination of chewy, crunchy, and greasy.. with processed yellow cheese, lettuce and tomato.. then your choice of ground beef, shredded chicken, or beef fajita. Though you can get as many as 3 tacos to a plate, with rice and beans, 2 is more than enough to keep your belly full for the rest of the day.
For me, its the combination of the greasy, chewy shell and the half-melted yellow cheese that make these tacos taste so damn good.. sometimes you just have wipe that ’south austin – holier than thou – organic – whole food ‘ look off your face and enjoy the beauty of processed cheese… at least i do. The ground beef is ok, but i would reccommend the fajita beef at a small extra charge.. it adds to the amazing texture of these tacos.. Amaya’s tacos have a weight/mass to them that is unrivaled.. a true gut-bomb if there ever was one.
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 »
Posted by Cabeza De Taco »
May 12, 2008
» Filed under Austin, Reviews, South
The first casualties of low blood sugar- Decision making and creative thinking/ you ever wait too long to take that lunch break and you end up pacing south congress like a zombie in search of any meat-based meal that’ll quench the pangs? yeah, maybe we should bring snacks to work or somethin…tacosnax…
Well, said pangs led me reluctantly to that mediocre stripmallueria they called Garibaldi’s on South Congress (just south of Ben white). BUT I was overjoyed to see that Baldi’s had been replaced by a shiny new Taqueria Chapala- IMO the best of all ATX Jalisco-style restaurants.
Chapala is sure to challenge the Tapatia family’s stranglehold on Ben White- much more class and quality (though to be fair- Tapatia has bigger portions than anyone).
At Chapala the decor is bright and simple, the service is lightning fast, the prices are dirt cheap, and the food is outstanding.
I ordered the old faithful – Combination Plate with all Beef Fajita (which i recommend to all virgin jalisco diners). I also took a chance on the barbacoa Adobado Taco – a grilled taco stuffed with juicy, spiced up bbq beef cheek meat…the best barbacoa I’ve tried in some time. (pictured at right: the Barbacoa Adobado Dinner)
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Thumbie and I were searching uncharted territory on a Monday afternoon, combing the wilds of Anderson Ln. we saw Enchiladas y Mas, which sadly appears to have gone under.. smells like a conspiracy…so we tredged onward until we saw a colorful little dive at the end of a mini-strip mall – La Casita. the decor on the inside was ultra bright and freshly painted.. the place sparkled with bargain priced new-ness.. we sat. I believe our waitress used to work at another taqueria in town.. she looked very familiar. she was very friendly and prompt. apparently not prompt enough for the other table across from us. This suit wearing good’ol boy had the nerve and impatience to walk to the back to ask another lady for some iced tea..and queso in a very condescending tone, mind you he had just ordered from the waitress 30 seconds beforehand.. bro – cant you see she’s taking care of our chips and salsa? step off bo-seefus! Read the rest of this entry »
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Okay, just the goods.This joint is right behind my house, at Berkman & Briarcliff Dr. (on da East Side near ol’ Mueller Airport) I say joint cuz the name translates to “the Big House”. Don’t be fooled- their food does NOT taste like prison food. Quite the contrary.Casa Grande is a classic Mexican meat market/grocery store. The great thing about these places is, they’ve also got a discotecca (Record Store) inside, and a cowboy hat store, and a clothing store, and a check cashing place, and they sell phone cards. Its great- like a little tejano mall. But the best part is the Taqueria, located to the left as soon as you enter. Read the rest of this entry »
originally posted 10/31/06.. this review is in issue 61 of the 
The first casualties of low blood sugar- Decision making and creative thinking/ you ever wait too long to take that lunch break and you end up pacing south congress like a zombie in search of any meat-based meal that’ll quench the pangs? yeah, maybe we should bring snacks to work or somethin…tacosnax…
I ordered the old faithful – Combination Plate with all Beef Fajita (which i recommend to all virgin jalisco diners). I also took a chance on the barbacoa Adobado Taco – a grilled taco stuffed with juicy, spiced up bbq beef cheek meat…the best barbacoa I’ve tried in some time. (pictured at right: the Barbacoa Adobado Dinner)
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Rating: 
