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

-cabeza

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..

La Posada, or loosely translated, “the portopotty”, started out with a salsa that, while definitely spicy enough with jalepeno or serrano peppers, had way to much black pepper in it that was noticeable as soon as it hit the tongue.

We all got variations of tacos except for Taco-Tara, who rolled with their “Famous Enchiladas”. I think they were made famous in a Wal Mart parking lot trailor stand in Nebraska in the early 90′s when they actually cared about their food. Taco-Tara didnt complain too much about them but we’re pretty sure she was just being nice.

I had the 2 taco lunch special #1 which consisted of a shitty crispy beef bag of fail and a soggy pink chickened bag of fail. These atrocities were accompanied by the worst refried beans ive had since the Bears won their last Superbowl. They had obviously burnt the shit out of the giant metal bucket they cooked these things in because they tasted like burnt ass. I would have rather ate a flaming bag of poop as it would have tasted exactly the same and wouldve made for a better story.

We finished up with the FLAAAAAAAAAN. Im pretty sure that it was congealed giraffe semen accompanied by a sauce of pure sugar and vanillla. Fail. This was the worst Mexican i’ve had in Austin in since i can remember. Cabeza made the correct comment “This was the kind of place that we should’ve sent one person in to test the waters so that all 4 of us didnt have to have our lunch ruined at the same time.”

Nuff said.

Cabeza adds this:  it was the worst tortilla soup i’ve EVER had. tasted like a chicken taco drenched in bongwater. Never again.

pics after the break > Read the rest of this entry »

We visited the newest Torchy’s location today and I have to say the new digs have a lot of potential.. You can find the new spot just south of the original location on S. 1st St and also houses a new burger trailer called Shuggies.  

Formerly an auto shop and used car lot.. they’ve managed to repurpose the shop into a covered eating patio that overlooks bouldin creek, quite nice.  Other renovations were still in progress..  Read the rest of this entry »

UPDATE: We made a return visit today.  the tortillas are amazing…worth the price of admission alone.  Also, get the mango/cucumber pico at all costs…really refreshing and tasty.  I recommend the pork and fajita beef tacos.  Would NOT recommend the fish- low quality me thinks. And the Dublin sodas seal the deal – Cabo Bob’s is a winner.   –Cabeza

Cabo Bob’s just opened in Austin.. its locally owned and this is the first location.. Its laid out kinda like a Chipotle or a Freebirds! where you build your own tacos,burritos, or bowls as you are sent through a cafeteria line.

The kicker that sets Cabo Bob’s apart from its competition is that they make their own tortillas right before your eyes.. there are four varieties- flour buttermilk, ancho chile, cheddar, and cilatro/tomatillo – and they are all tasty.. You can choose from 4 different meats – shredded pork, chicken , fajita beef, cripsy fried fish.. also mixed grilled veggies..

The fountain drink station also features old school Dublin Dr. Pepper and some other interesting soft drink varieties with real cane sugar (if you’re into that). Overall, it was a nice experience and I will return for sure..info after the jump

Read the rest of this entry »

I had passed this place on the corner of Congress and Ben White a million times..a funny looking place with a sheep on the sign.. I never really thought it would be very good, but after giving in and eating there a few times, I have been proven wrong.. I really like this place.. its unassuming.. the waitstaff is friendly (the little hispanic man that refills your tea and salsa is hilarious), and the food is made with pride…

I’ve tried the chicken tortilla soup twice and its great.. very hearty, with rice avocado, cheese,.. its like a good home-made soup that your grandma used to make.. try it during lunch and its cheaper!

the al pastor is just ok.. I thought the pieces of pork were a little too big and tender.. I know that shouldnt be a gripe, but my favorite al pastor is a little crunchy because the meat has caramalized and been cooked properly.. this is good in a different way.. like carne guisada almost..

the tortillas are made fresh in-house.. nice.

the salsa is a little watery..but tasty nonetheless.

overall, I would definitely reccommend this place to anyone.its well above average.

El Borrego de Oro
3900 South Congress
Austin,TX 78704 [map]
(512) 383-0031

the Score:
Atmosphere: 6 (low key, no frills)
Food Quality: 8 (good)
Service: 9 (great)
Salsa:5 (meh)
Price: 7 (ok)
Total: 70%
Rating:

so I stumbled onto http://austin.metblogs.com and found a couple taco joint reviews
…In the name of comprehension, we will post said review, though we claim no ownership of this content. Taco Town abides.

Casita Taco es bueno

posted by wae at 8:38 AM on July 18, 2006

There really is no substitute for Maria’s Taco Xpress, especially when it comes to weekend hangover cures. But my workday breakfast taco quests at Maria’s are increasingly thwarted by construction-constrained parking and rush hour traffic. Through the red mist of traffic frustration, I recently spied Casita Taco and its copious parking, and opted for its unproven convenience.

Casita Taco is located at 2310 S. Lamar, just North of Maria’s in the distinctive lime-green strip mall alongside Swerve and a tattoo parlour. Its narrow space and handfull of small tables suggest an upscaled taco shack rather than restaurant, although they share Swerve’s funky exterior deck for those who like a little sit-down sweat with their tacos. Read the rest of this entry »