Mini-Review

Los Comales

Sun-Thu, 10am-10pm; Fri-Sat, 10am-midnight

I stopped going to Los Comales a few years ago after I was served a slightly overaged carne asada. Until then, I had been a faithful devotee of their delicious salsas, chicken with mole, and flavorful steaks. Located only a few blocks from my house, Los Comales on East Seventh offered cheap satisfying Mexican meals, without the ubiquitous runny yellow cheese, flavorless hamburger, and bland sauces that so many of Austin’s Tex-Mex places hawk, and it saddened me to lose a reliable neighborhood diner. But recently an acquaintance raved to me about the new Los Comales on Riverside — how they make their own tortillas and how they serve some of the best and cheapest steaks in town. Intrigued, I decided to give the new Riverside location a chance, and am now happy to report that Los Comales (both locations) is back on my family’s regular restaurant rotation.

Since then I have returned to both Los Comales locations on numerous occasions and have yet to be disappointed. The new Riverside location offers exactly the same menu as the older Seventh Street location. At this restaurant, you won’t find anything too racy or exotic. Rather, it seems as though owners Merced and Graciella Benitez prefer to concentrate on a few traditional dishes that they know they do well. The rest of the fare populating their extensive menu represents multiple variations on these basic recipes. Their outstanding stewed pork in tomatillo sauce, for instance, finds its way into tacos ($1.50), sopes ($3.50), gorditas ($3.50), enchiladas ($7), and as the centerpiece for the Pork en Salsa Verde plate ($7). Similarly, chicken with mole or just plain grilled steak can be mixed and matched into a number of different plates, from tacos to enchiladas. Although such heavy repetition may bore those who are perpetually on the lookout for a new flavor buzz, those who prefer consistency will find Los Comales worth returning to again and again.

Vegetarians may want to shy away from this strongly meat-oriented menu. Grilled and stewed meats are what this Norteño-influenced restaurant does the best. Well-seasoned steaks such as their Tampiquena Ribeye ($9, served with an enchilada, rice, beans, and guacamole), their Carne Asada Los Comales ($8, served with a sope, rice, and beans) or their T-bone Los Comales ($8.50, served with queso flameado, chorizo, grilled onions, chiles, rice, and beans) really stand out here. Also delicious is their pork in cascabel chile sauce, which dazzles the palate with the combined savory tones of slow-stewed pork and chiles. Homemade corn and flour tortillas complement all of their dishes. Wrapping their enchiladas, the same fresh corn tortillas transform this somewhat overexposed Tex-Mex favorite into a hearty, sturdy meal that doesn’t turn to mush once under the salamander.

The Los Comales on East Seventh Street has developed a reputation as a late-night weekend spot. Open until midnight on weekends with mariachis adding entertainment, this location is virtually dead in the evenings until around 8:30 pm, when it begins to fill up with college students, Mexican families, and neighborhood folks. Lunches are always busy at both locations. The $5 specials menu, which includes such dishes as chicken with mole, pork chops smothered in chipotle sauce, fajitas, flautas, and a variety of enchiladas, definitely draws a crowd. It is clear that Los Comales has decided that a few good recipes can go a long way.

This article appears in June 15 • 2001.