Where to Eat Tacos, Tex-Mex, and Mexican Food During SXSW
Breakfast tacos fuel the city of Austin, and there’s many more great Mexican and Tex Mex options to explore, from gloriously cheesy queso to interior Mexican from a lauded Oaxacan chef. Here’s this year’s updated guide to the best bets for tacos, Tex Mex, and Mex Mex within easy striking distance of the convention center downtown. Want more? Head over to the ultimate SXSW eating and drinking survival guide.
1 Pueblo Viejo
Pueblo Viejo serves up classic and tasty tacos, as well as gorditas and quesadillas. They’re open late Thursday - Saturday, too.
907 East 6th Street.
2 El Naranjo
Chef Iliana de la Vega originally operated a restaurant in Oaxaca, and her Rainey Street outpost features upscale, and pricy, interpretations of Mexican cuisine. Go for the chiles rellenos.
85 Rainey Street.
3 Las Trancas
Dig into this trailer’s $1.50 tacos, which are small in size but big on options. In addition to popular options like carnitas, Las Trancas gets serious about offal, including tripe and buche (pork stomach).
1210 East Cesar Chavez Street.
4 Veracruz All Natural
Homemade tortillas, fresh ingredients, and hands-down the best migas taco in Austin. Don’t skip their aguas frescas, either. They will also have a truck at the South Bites food court.
1405 E 7th Street.
5 Porfirio’s Tacos
Definitely off the beaten path but still within striking distance of downtown, Porfirio’s is a great place to get breakfast tacos and spicy-as-hell salsas.
1512 Holly Street.
6 La Condesa
This upscale Mexican restaurant serves killer tacos and modern riffs on interior Mexican. They also serve one of Austin’s best margaritas.
400 W. 2nd Street.
7 Cisco’s Restaurant & Bakery
A breakfast taco classic, Cisco’s is a great option for migas and biscuits. They serve lunch too in their historic space, a longtime political hangout in Austin.
1511 E 6th Street.
8 Licha’s Cantina
This East 6th cantina features a menu of authentic Mexico City antojitos and cazuelas. The patio is one of the loveliest in the neighborhood.
1306 E 6th Street.
9 Takoba
Takoba has a great patio, reliable tacos, and a killer mango habanero margarita. What more do you need, really?
1411 E 7th Street.
10 Tamale House East
Genuinely cheap tacos, a gorgeous patio, horchata coffee and bomb-ass migas make Tamale House East an institution-in-the-making. They’re operated by the fourth generation of a Tex Mex restaurant family, so they know a thing or two about institutions.
1707 E 6th Street.
11 Las Cazuelas
This classic Tex Mex dive features late hours (24 hours Thursday-Sunday!), cheese-covered everything, and killer micheladas.
1701 E Cesar Chavez Street.
12 Mr. Natural
Want to experience vegetarian Tex Mex? Mr. Natural will feed you fast, cheap, and healthy, with delicious old school smoothies to boot.
1901 E Cesar Chavez Street.
13 Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ
This under-the-radar truck on West 6th serves up brisket tacos and other Tex Mex mashups of Austin’s two most popular cuisines.
600 W 6th Street.
14 Taqueria Chapala
Want to check out solid, classic Tex Mex that feels much further away from the festival madness than it actually is? Taqueria Chapala is a great bet.
2101 E Cesar Chavez Street.
15 La Michoacana Meat Market
This meat market also features a taco counter, and it’s definitely off the SXSW radar. Pay at the register before ordering, and if your Spanish isn’t great, embrace pointing.
1917 E 7th Street.
16 Joe’s Bakery & Coffee Shop
Sure, it’s a little bit of a hike from downtown, but if you’re in East Austin checking out non-official venues, it’s worth a trip to this neighborhood institution.
2305 E 7th Street.
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