The weekly Chronicle feature “Second Helpings” offers readers the opportunity to sample tasty, bite-sized restaurant listings compiled from new and previous reviews, guides, and poll results. This week’s entries were compiled by M.M. Pack. When you need quick, reliable information about Austin eateries, check here.
El Rey
4109 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 443-1911
Mon-Thu, 11am-10:30pm; Sat, 9am-10:30am; Sun, 9am-9:30am
El Rey, in the Brodie Oaks shopping center, specializes in Sonoran-style Mexican food, a bit of a departure from the standard Tex-Mex. The succulent house specialty, Chile Verde, is a mild green chile stew, loaded with very lean and extremely tender chunks of pork, served either in a crisp taco bowl or wrapped in a burrito. Different lunch and dinner specials are available every day.
Janitzio
1422 Town Creek Drive, 442-6275
Mon-Thu, 7am-1am; Fri-Sun, 7am-4am
Housed in the former La Parilla location near East Riverside, a trip to Janitzio could make you believe that you’d crossed the border for a bite, from the serve-yourself paletas icebox to the cocas en botellas to the variety of fruit liquados. Choose from among the northern Mexican-style steak dinners, seafood platters, and numerous types of gorditas, tacos, and tortas. Try winning a free margarita from the tabletop chance machines.
Mi Rey
1505 E. Seventh, 476-4211
Tue, 7am-2:30pm; Wed-Mon, 7am-10pm
Orange on the outside, tangerine on the inside, Mi Rey is hard to miss. Serving up solidly fundamental Tex-Mex dishes, the joint was jumping on a recent Saturday afternoon, with family parties rubbing shoulders with groups of homeboys, cops, and serious solo diners. The gordita plate is a winner — two huge, crisply fried corn pockets stuffed with your choice of fajitas, carne guisada, or picadillo.
Jaime’s Spanish Village
802 Red River, 476-5149
Mon-Thu, 11am-9pm; Fri-Sat, 11am-11pm
Everyone’s got taste memories (like Proust’s madeleine) that propel them straight back to childhood. For me, an instant ticket to the past is a combination Mexican dinner (one crispy taco, one enchilada, refried beans and rice, chile con queso, and guacamole). Partaking of this dinner and other such classic favorites, I can indulge in memories anytime at Jaime’s Spanish Village, an Austin institution since 1931. A sterling example of the if-it-ain’t-broke principle, Jaime’s serves Tex-Mex like it used to be.
La Feria
2010 S. Lamar, 326-8301
Mon-Fri, 11am-10pm; Sat, 9am-1pm; Sun, 9am-5pm
La Feria delivers a variety of hearty Tex-Mex food every day of the week, including $3.99 lunch specials, but on Thursday nights, the draw is the talented seven-piece Mariachi Estrella. Absolutely. Even on those 90-degree-plus Austin summer evenings, the patio spills over with boisterous music fans enjoying the show, although there’s still plenty of room inside, where the AC is. Margarita and beer specials are almost always available.
El Jacalito
2030 E. Oltorf, 445-4109
Mon-Sat, 7am-9pm; Sun, 7am-3pm
If you ever wondered where the truckers of Southeast Austin eat lunch, El Jacalito is one of the spots. Wedge your vehicle in the strip-center parking lot and chow down on the usual and not-so-usual Tex-Mex offerings. Try the calabazitas plate — chunks of tender pork and green squash, stewed in a flavorful tomato broth spiced with onions and black pepper, accompanied by a side of pasta in the same broth. Service at El Jacalito is like a well-trained military operation; the numerous, crisply uniformed waitstaff work the room with efficiency and precision.
This article appears in August 25 • 2000.