Tacos
April 30, 2024
El Botanero Mariscos Is a Seafood Oasis Along the Texas Border
Perhaps-too-humble taquero Abel Palacios should take more credit for the ceviche, aguachile, and shrimp tacos he produces at his Horizon City trailer.
Tacos
Taco editor José R. Ralat covers Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisine with reviews, profiles, and trend pieces
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April 24, 2024
The Woodlands was Made for Summer Vacations
There are plenty of Texas hot spots to consider when planning your summer vacation, but none can twist together modern luxury and outdoor adventure quite like The Woodlands.
Tacos
April 23, 2024
Dine on Birria and Ceviche by the Sea at This Coastal Taco Truck
Birrieria y Mariscos El General is back in Corpus Christi after temporarily moving to San Antonio, and its tacos, tostadas, and sopes are as fresh as ever.
Tacos
April 16, 2024
This Spot Has Found a Way to Legally Cook Traditional Lamb Barbacoa in Texas
Restaurants that cook Hidalgo-style barbacoa de borrego often have challenges adhering to health department regulations. But El Grandpa Mexican BBQ, in Georgetown, has made it work.
Business
April 15, 2024
The Battle of Big Taco
With their anything-goes approach to ingredients—and deep-pocketed investors—Torchy's Tacos and Velvet Taco have ambitious plans to expand nationally.
Tacos
April 15, 2024
Taco Palenque Deserves to Go National
The Laredo-based chain’s straightforward, satisfying fare stays true to its Mexican roots. I wish many more Texans, and Americans, could enjoy it.
Tacos
April 11, 2024
This Food Truck Offers a Taste of El Paso in the Capital City
At El Paso Flauta, in Austin, Arturo Reyes recreates—and even surpasses—Sun City's famous dishes, such as the chile relleno burrito and tacos ahogados.
Tacos
March 28, 2024
A Robot Can Make Your Taco al Pastor. Is It the Future or Is It Heresy?
While taqueros remain divided on whether slicing a trompo is an inalienable human art or a fine place to cut corners, customers can get a taste of the action at a taqueria in San Antonio.
Tacos
March 14, 2024
The Katy Trail Crowd Loves Tequila Social, but Is Its Food Any Good?
The many trendy restaurants of the Harwood District and Harwood Hospitality Group are sure to gain fans, but I set out to find if it's latest Tex-Mex venture is up to snuff.
Tex-Mexplainer
March 13, 2024
Stuffed Avocados Are Back, Baby
While the dish might have reached its peak several decades ago, it's going through a resurgence, with restaurants putting the classic on their menus.
Tacos
March 7, 2024
Phoenix Is for Tex-Mex Lovers
A visit to Arizona’s capital shows how the Southwestern state celebrates Texas’s beloved cuisine and border food.
Tacos
February 29, 2024
This El Paso Restaurant and Market Sells Everything You Need, Including Turkey Tail Tacos
When purchasing a cazo or freshly made tortillas at Flores Meat Market, don’t forget to take a break to sit down and order colitas de pavo, a local specialty.
Tacos
February 22, 2024
This Homey Laredo Taco Joint Is a True Family Affair
The mother, father, and son behind Suarez Restaurant have created a comforting and nostalgic vibe in their six-year-old eatery and serve tacos to match, like weenies and eggs and smoky carne asada.
Tacos
February 16, 2024
Taco Bell Has Tapped a San Antonio Chef to Reenvision the Crunchwrap Supreme
As part of the fast food chain’s TBX program, Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin, the James Beard Award–nominated chef of Best Quality Daughter, will get the chance to put her own cultural touches on the iconic menu item.
Tacos
February 15, 2024
Two Industry Veterans Open One of the Rio Grande Valley’s Newest and Best Taquerias
Jaime Elizondo and Navin Chatlani had respective restaurants that were suffering, so they decided to close them and open ¡Tacos! Mi Gente, a trailer that specializes in barbacoa and chicharron.
Tacos
February 8, 2024
You Shouldn’t Miss Steak Night at This San Antonio Taco Trailer
Los Weyes de la Asada offers a bevy of beef tacos, but you should really visit on a Tuesday, when cooked-to-order grilled ribeye gets the spotlight.
Tacos
February 1, 2024
Great Fish Tacos in the West Texas Desert? You Better Believe It.
Despite its landlocked location, Sazzon Baja-Mex Culinary, in Alpine, serves the cuisine of Baja California, which means smoked marlin quesadillas and shrimp tacos.
Tacos
January 25, 2024
This Houston Taco Trailer Is Introducing Locals to Oaxacan Food
El Alebrije Oaxacan Streetfood serves nachos and fries for the crowd at the brewery where it’s parked, but also offers hard-to-find specialties such as chapulines and tacos de mole.
Tex-Mexplainer
January 23, 2024
Torta Ahogada’s Got the Sauce
The Mexican sandwich with French-inspired bread holds up when “drowned” in salsa.
Tacos
January 18, 2024
This Famed Pitmaster Is Bringing South Texas to Austin With His New Taco Trailer
John Bates wowed with InterStellar Barbecue, and now Yellow Bell Tacos is his way of showing off his Corpus Christi roots.
Tacos
January 15, 2024
Taco Palenque Dared to Bring Tex-Mex Tacos South of the Border. Does It Stand a Chance?
When Taco Bell expanded into Mexico in the 1990s and 2000s, it failed miserably. The Laredo-based chain hopes to win people over, but it’s still getting flack over its lack of authenticity.
Tacos
January 12, 2024
San Antonio Should Stop Worrying and Learn to Accept Austin’s Tacos
A taco media battle has raged since 2016, with the Alamo City constantly on the defensive. Eight years in, I suggest a different tactic.
Tacos
January 3, 2024
A Houston Bishop Squabbles With the New York Times Over a Saucy Crossword Clue
While I admire the fervor the Episcopal bishop has for Tex-Mex, his insistence that “taco sauce” isn’t a part of it makes me think, “Let it go, dude.”
Tacos
December 27, 2023
The Austin Taco Trail
Specialized taquerias and modernist Mexican restaurants offer more choices than ever before.
Tacos
December 20, 2023
My Favorite Mexican and Tex-Mex Bites of 2023
With visits to Mexico, New York, and New Mexico, this year might have been taco editor José R. Ralat’s best year of dining in a while, with nineteen dishes to prove it.
Tacos
December 6, 2023
The Amazing Birria of the Great Mexican City You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
Aside from its many cultural attractions, Aguascalientes is known for dishes like birria de borrego, bolillo con crema, and lechon tacos.
Tacos
November 29, 2023
Young Restaurants Close All the Time—But This Recent Loss in El Paso Really Stings
Two-year-old El Charlatan in El Paso was a James Beard semifinalist and one of the best restaurants in the state, according to our taco editor. But that didn’t stop it from falling to the typical foibles of new restaurants.
Tacos
November 22, 2023
The San Antonio Taco Trail
This Tex-Mex wonderland of a city has some of the best taquerias in the state.
Tacos
November 14, 2023
A Shared Faith Led Two Taqueros to Honor God With Guisados
The beginnings of Kingwood Taco Shop in Houston were a matter of divine timing, and, years later, the taqueria’s guisado tacos still taste heavenly.
Tex-Mexplainer
November 13, 2023
Meet Aguachile, Ceviche’s Hotter Cousin
Don’t take aguachile’s lightness for weakness. The spicy dish packs a punch.
Tacos
November 2, 2023
Meet the “Badass” Husband-and-Wife Team Behind This New San Antonio Taqueria
Even Wemby stopped by Tacos al Carbón Cabrón for its carne asada tacos. But the restaurant offers so much more than the typical Alamo City fare.
Tacos
October 26, 2023
My Midlife Crisis Is Getting Taco Tattoos
Or, really, any tattoos relating to the Mexican culinary experience. Now that I’ve gotten inked eleven times in nine months, I’m wondering why this form of self-expression is calling to me.
Tex-Mexplainer
October 18, 2023
Red, White, and Covered in Salsa: How Two Colors Came to Dominate Taquerias
You can thank an internationally famous soda brand and psychology for the classic red-and-white design of your favorite taco spots.
Tacos
October 11, 2023
A New San Antonio Taqueria Misses the Mark When It Comes to Tacos de Trompo
Tacos Vitali, which has two locations in the Alamo City, is the talk of the town, but it didn’t live up to the hype on my multiple visits.
Tacos
September 28, 2023
The Laredo Taco Trail
The border city has its share of troubles, but it also has a fascinating taco history that includes “mariachis” and the original barbecued brisket taco.
Tacos
September 21, 2023
When Hurricane Harvey Took Everything, a Houston Chef Turned to the Gulf and Opened a Taqueria
Dayatra Myers runs Fish Company Taco in Galveston, where the menu items rotate based on the availability of the fish, which leads to fresh and creative options.
Tacos
September 14, 2023
“You Shouldn’t Just Throw Anything on Whatever”: Why Recipes Should Be Specific About Tortillas
When working from a recipe, home cooks should have more guidance than just flour or corn. There’s a whole world of tortillas that matter.
Tex-Mexplainer
September 8, 2023
Mexican Sushi Is Rolling Across the Border
After Japanese laborers emigrated to Mexico in the nineteenth century, a culinary merger eventually resulted in nori stuffed with carne asada.
Tacos
September 5, 2023
Six Must-Try Taquerias and Restaurants in Puebla, Mexico
Order tacos árabes, cemitas, and chiles en nogada in this central Mexico city. Hurry for the last dish: You have two weeks before it goes out of season.
Tex-Mexplainer
August 31, 2023
Aguas Frescas Will Get You Through a Brutal Summer
Whether it’s creamy horchata or cooling cucumber, the various flavors of this sweet, refreshing drink act as potable air-conditioning.
Tacos
August 24, 2023
The Latest List of “Best Taco Cities in America” Sucks. Here’s Why.
The baffling ranking published by a real estate company has dubious data-gathering methods and eyebrow-raising results, with Austin as number one.
Tacos
August 22, 2023
Veracruz All Natural Moves Beyond Breakfast Tacos at Its New Full-service Restaurant
Offering aguas frescas, picadas, full plates, and conchas, Veracruz Fonda, in Austin, is what the brand should’ve been all along.
Tacos
August 15, 2023
The Nearly Forgotten History of the Viral Smash-Burger Taco
You’ve likely seen videos of the Big Mac–taco hybrid on social media, but the dish isn’t a newfangled fad—it has roots going back to the early 1900s.
Tacos
August 10, 2023
This Busy RGV Taqueria Features Specialties From Mexico City and Spain
Order the gaonera (ribeye) taco or the cochinita pibil taco—just don’t linger too long at busy McAllen restaurant Tacos El Andaluz.
Tacos
August 2, 2023
Find True Mexico City–Style Tacos in This Dallas Gas Station
Neza York Con Todo, near south Oak Cliff, offers many Mexico City specialties, such as suadero cooked in a choricera and steamed cow head.
Tacos
July 28, 2023
What Makes the Allsup’s Burrito So Legendary?
It’s small-town Texas’s go-to convenience store snack. Texas Monthly’s taco editor finally gives it a go.
Tacos
July 20, 2023
Pachuco Culture and His Late Brother Inspire This Permian Basin Taquero
Ruben Carrasco Jr. serves Indian- and Korean-inspired tacos at his popular Midland spot Pachuco's, which he credits to an old PBS show and his little brother's adventurous nature.
Tacos
July 3, 2023
Six Mexican Hot Dogs to Try This Summer
Frankfurter season is here and what better way to indulge than with Mexican regional variations on the dish, which are often wrapped in bacon and topped with carne asada.
Tacos
June 29, 2023
Meet the Borderland Taquero Doubling Down on the Concha Burger
Luis Lara of Proyecto Humo has often felt like his ideas were too big for Laredo, but they’re exactly what the city needs.
Tex-Mexplainer
June 13, 2023
Defining ‘Guisado’ Is Just as Messy as the Dish Itself
While the term is most commonly translated as ”stew,” it's not wholly accurate. Guisados are more of a feeling of warmth and family.