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Tableside guacamole at Z’Tejas
We know Austin is a queso-loving town, but what about queso’s green sidekick, guacamole? Plenty of Austin restaurants offer guac that rocks. So here at The Austinot, we’ve compiled a list of 10 restaurants serving the best guacamole in Austin. This is some seriously mind-blowing stuff.
Fill up the table with Tex-Mex goodness at DK Maria’s in Austin
Imagine sitting around a campfire after a hard day of riding horses and herding cattle, tendrils of smoke wafting up from carne guisada in a cast iron kettle, and your stomach growling with hunger. You can recreate that satisfying sensation at DK Maria’s Legendary Tex-Mex in South Austin.
Feast to remember at Tamale House East
Having moved to Austin about a year ago, I have trouble pining for the “old Austin” in the same way a longtime resident might. “I remember the good old days,” I commiserate. “When there were only two condos going up on my street, not four.”
As a transplant from the northeast, I’m admittedly contributing to the immense development and change this city has undergone in recent years. That’s not to say, however, that I don’t know an authentic Austin restaurant when I see it. With this idea in mind, I make my way past the new apartment buildings, the construction zones and closed-off sidewalks of East Sixth Street. When I want the taste and feel of old Austin, I go to Tamale House East. [Read more…]
Queso verde with nopalitos at El Chile (Credit: Susannah Haddad)
¡Salud! Manor Road staple, El Chile, is rolling out new menu items in time for summer fun. You’ll enjoy the festive patio, a fun happy hour spot for sipping margaritas and visiting with friends. [Read more…]
Matt’s El Rancho is one of Austin’s most beloved Tex-Mex restaurants
Guest article by Laurie Engle
Matt Martinez was a boxer and winner of the Cross Country Olympics in Kodiak, Alaska in 1952 before he opened his now iconic restaurant. Once open, Martinez took special care of his customers while his wife, Janie, worked in the kitchen cooking everything from scratch. Here are some other things you may not know about Matt’s El Rancho in Austin.
Nasha India offers complexly flavored food with a seriously spicy kick and a fun Tex Mex twist
Looking for your next food adventure in Austin?
Search no further than East 7th Street and the charming wooden house previously occupied by Casa Columbia. While that east side favorite has moved further down the street, Nasha India has taken its place with a bold attempt at a new food genre: Indian-Tex Mex fusion. [Read more…]
Summer is well on its way, and this weeked I had a chance to beat the heat at El Mercado. So far during The Austinot Tex-Mex Food Challenge, I’ve learned that the title of “Best Tex-Mex in Austin” is very subjective. Plus, it takes a ton of time and work for an out-of-state immigrant like myself to fully understand it.
Despite these hurdles, I can do my civic duty by telling people a bit about some Tex-Mex places they haven’t visited yet. Check it out! [Read more…]
Hi, everybody! Thanks for keeping up with my Austinot Tex-Mex Food Challenge series. Though the Austinot is more than an Austin food blog, we do love to feature good food! We’ve made a lot of progress on the hunt for the best Tex-Mex in Austin, and I’m grateful for all of the advice you’ve sent my way. There have been a few specific suggestions I will focus on from here on out:
I am sure you’ve heard of Chuy’s. It’s basically a household name around Austin. Beginning in 1982, Chuy’s Tex-Mex was formed from the remains of an old barbecue restaurant on Barton Springs. Two friends named Mike and John barely scraped together enough cash to buy the building, much less fill it with decorations. So the guys thought for a second and bought the first cheap decor they saw, which happened to be paintings of Elvis and Stevie Wonder. Thus an avalanche of color and diversity flowed into Chuy’s Tex-Mex…that hasn’t stopped yet. Today, you’ll find Chuy’s spreading Austin Tex-Mex to various states beneath the Mason-Dixon line.
Walking into Chuy’s N. Lamar location for the first time was a shocking experience. [Read more…]
Today marks another leg of my journey to discover the best Austin Tex-Mex. When I first wrote about Maudie’s, I asked you to recommend restaurants that I should check out. Instantly, you blew up The Austinot’s Facebook, Twitter, and email accounts.
Thanks for all the suggestions. Hopefully you can see that I’m doing my best to make it to your favorite places in Austin. Due to popular demand, I most recently checked out Trudy’s Tex-Mex and Bar.
Trudy’s may be the most controversial Tex-Mex restaurant on my list. Small verbal skirmishes erupted whenever somebody mentioned its name. Our readers either praised it or condemned it for various reasons.
A business doesn’t attain that level of [Read more…]