Buen Provecho!

Juan and Juanito Meza of Juan in a Million (Photo by John Anderson)

Juan in a Million

East Austin entrepreneur Juan Meza is an old-style restaurant owner and neighborhood leader from the same mold as Rudy "Cisco" Cisneros of Cisco's Restaurant and Jorge Guerra, co-founder of El Azteca. Meza has expanded his corner eatery over the past 30 years, developing a loyal following and expanding his holdings to include much of the block that surrounds the restaurant. Juan in a Million offers a solid menu of Tex-Mex standards and is busy for breakfast and lunch every day, with consistent lines and waits for a table on weekend mornings. SXSW 2011 attendees are in luck; from Thursday, March 17, to Saturday, March 19, Juan in a Million will stay open until 7pm.

The breakfast menu contains all the basic plates and tacos, with the house specialty being the revered Don Juan taco ($3.80), a heaping concoction of scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, grated cheese, and jalapeños piled on a hot flour tortilla. This behemoth will start the day off just right, and you can even buy a souvenir T-shirt to commemorate consuming your first Don Juan taco. Another reliable hunger antidote is the rib steak breakfast plate ($8.95), a six-ounce beef steak paired with two eggs cooked any style, fried potatoes, savory refried beans, the red house salsa, and flour tortillas. Carne guisada lovers will want to try my personal favorite, the Con Queso breakfast ($8.95), two eggs cooked perfectly to order, napped with creamy chile con queso, and paired with the wonderful refried beans, potatoes, and a side of the house carne guisada (tender beef tips in a mild chili gravy). This plate can't be beat!