All of my old favorite Tex-Mex places in Austin seem to have gone out of business. Matt’s is still around but I never really liked it that much. I haven’t been to Chuy’s in years but I understand they’ve gone corporate and nationwide. Never thought much of their food. There is no shortage of taquerias and interior Mex cuisine places, though.
Spanish Flowers opened a new location on Washington Avenue and Durham. We were in the area and looking for a place to eat and lo and behold! “They serve bean soup with every meal” I excitedly said to blank looks from my children. We went in, and they had Washington Avenued the fuck out of that place–it was clearly designed for bachelor and bachelorette parties. A group of dudes was sitting at a table filling their glasses with a six foot cylinder filled with margaritas. At one point, the lights went out, music started blaring, and two waiters appeared carrying a three foot tall model of the Eiffel Tower festooned with sparklers that had little rings to hold a dozen or so individual shots of tequila. There was no bean soup. I felt like I was in Back to the Future 2.
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The best brisket enchiladas I’ve ever had in my life were from La Cosecha Mexican Table in New Braunfels.
I always considered Teotehuacan as the sister restaurant to Spanish Flowers. The original on Irvington was fantastic. They still around? Also: Chapultapec, La Tapatia
Ruchi’s was terrible, but they would serve you beer later than anyone else.
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Have you been to Candante’s? I haven’t been, but The Pit Room team has my full endorsement on almost everything they’ve done.
Chuy’s was always “corporate.” 100+ locations in 15 states.
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They didn’t begin that way. They started with one location on Barton Springs Rd and expanded from there.
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Started in Austin on my mother’s bday in 1982, exanded fairly quickly in Texas. Elsewhere too:
“In the late 2000’s, with only fifteen restaurants around Texas, we decided it was time to let the universe in on our little Tex-Mex secret. It just didn’t feel right to keep our made from scratch dishes and out of this world service and atmosphere to ourselves anymore. With that desire to “spread the love,” we opened the first Chuy’s outside of Texas in the Nashville, TN suburb of Franklin in November of 2009. From there we have been spreading our vision of fresh, authentic Tex-Mex across the country and bringing what started “Deep in the Heart of Tex-Mex” to food and fun lovers everywhere.”
There is one a couple of blocks away from me in Mueller.
La Tapitia is still around, but they remolded and it just ain’t the same imo.
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TexMex chains I remember, given that I judge places on chips/salsa/tortillas/queso/fajitas
Chuy’s: tolerable
Ninfa’s: the original, solid, nostalgia factor is a plus
Trudy’s: great drinks, ok food after a couple of drinks
Lupe Tortillas: horrible
We used to give Kev and Scott a lot of grief, but I totally agree that Pappasito’s is unfairly maligned.
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Beef fajita burrito smothered in queso was an excellent late night meal…with a DosXX in a red plastic cup.
I’ve tried to recreate their marinated carrots/celery/peppers/etc… and I can get kind of close but not perfect.
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Oh man, that was it. So good late night.
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My judgement hierarchy is similar, at least for first visit. Interestingly, Lupe Tortillas has really good tortillas, but the rest of their food is absolute dog shit. They make Taco Bell look like the fucking French Laundry.
My favorite margarita back in the day was at Cafe Noche on Montrose, just north of Westheimer. The food was also really good, but more Mexican than Tex-Mex. Kind of reminds me of Ambriza. Also fantastic margaritas, and really good Mexican (not Tex-Mex). Their street corn and poblano soup are fantastic.
La Jalisciense was that way. The food was just ok, but it was open at 2:00 am and you could feed nine people on about three bucks.
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Cafe Noche was great.
I forgot Pappasito’s earlier. Everything they did was totally acceptable. My favorite meal of theirs was before I got on a plate to Argentina for 7+ months. My folks drove me to IAH, we stopped at the one by the airport, naturally I had fajitas, and I wrapped up 2 loaded tacos in paper and foil to take on the plane.
About 4 hours into the flight I couldn’t wait, and busted one out. I can’t imagine that the fellow passengers were very happy with me. It smelled like TexMex.
La Ha (or Jolly Science) was on Montrose, on the left north toward Gray right?
Yes, it was on Montrose and West Gray. I don’t know what’s there now. That area has changed so much.
I’m shocked every time, every few years, I drive around the inner loop.
Jolly Science was the best, they’d always have some dude playing Andes flute music. When they finally got kicked out of the building by new owners, they sold off a bunch of the art they had hanging all over the restaurant. I have an Elvis movie poster I bought from them hanging in my garage.
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