Atmospheric Eastside eatery blends coastal and Interior Mexican with Tex-Mex.
The menu boasts appealing items clearly influenced by Central Mexico, the specialty cocktail selections include signature margaritas (including one made with tepache, a fermented pineapple drink that's popular in Jalisco), and the sauces here were all extraordinary, but the precooked meats and chaotic service disappointed.
The "cathedral of seafood" is a jaw-dropper. The menu is half seafood and half grilled, meat-centric Norteño. Try the tostada de pulpo, a pile of tender, griddled octopus with scallions and pepper.
Chef Rick Lopez whips up neo-Mexican cuisine at this Second Street District anchor and 2010 James Beard Award nominee for Best New Restaurant. It's still running on all cylinders.
The barbacoa is top notch, while the picadillo is mind-numbingly good, made from minced – not ground – beef. What sucked us in originally was the promise of chivo (goat barbacoa), which melts in your mouth with intensely good flavor and isn't too gamey. The carne guisada is tender and smothered in a rich, beefy, comino-kissed sauce, while the pork carnitas are tender and unctuous. When it all settles out, La Fruta has vaulted into rarified territory as one of the best taquerias in town.
The wide selection of inexpensive pan dulces, empanadas, and galletas is available 24/7, just like the taqueria menu. Get the tres leches cake on your way out.
Look for a dozen egg dishes for early risers, as well as machacado and nopales, enchiladas potosinas, and plenty of Mexican standards.
This restaurant, opened for business for over 30 years, is still serving up delicious Interior Mexican in a lovely setting. The empanadas, frijoles a la charra, beef tenderloin, and anything with the mole sauce is not to be missed. Also check out the extensive gluten-free menu.
This expert purveyor of real Norteño-style grilled meats and side dishes offers reliable Interior dishes such as puerco en chile colorado and pollo en mole poblano to round out the menu.
Los Pinos provides a balance of Tex-Mex and Interior Mexican cuisines. Be sure to try the fish borracho: tilapia swimming in chipotle-cream sauce, corn, and mushrooms. The tortillas and aguas frescas are made fresh daily.
Serves premium Black Angus Texas beef, all natural chicken and pork, and wild-caught fish, served in many ways with non-GMO corn meal. Consulting chef Juan Jose Gomez has created new soups, appetizers, and entrees on a revamped menu. You can't go wrong with shredded pork enchiladas in mole poblano, or Chile Relleno del Mar, which contains all manner of sea life in a creamy sauce.
Information is power. Support the free press, so we can support Austin. Support the Chronicle