The BEST Tacos in Austin

June 30, 2015hubrunneradminUncategorized

Bean craving a new taco place? Check out HubRunner’s list of best tacos in Austin.

There’s a long running joke in the HubRunner office that whoever shows up late to our weekly team meeting has to bring breakfast tacos for the group, and we take that vow very, very seriously.

Taco joints in Austin are about as common as bats under the Congress Avenue bridge or drunk tourists searching for their Uber driver on 6th Street. Most of the HubRunner crew has lived in Austin for decades, so we know a thing or two about Tex-Mex brunches and gourmet taco food trucks.

Lettuce begin our journey through the best tacos in Austin, in no particular order.

Torchy’s Tacos

If you haven’t heard of Torchy’s Tacos at this point in your Austin taco eating experience, you’ve probably experienced one too many nights on Rainey Street. Known for their unique Taco names and piping hot Diablo hot sauce, Torchy’s has become a local dynasty over the past nine years.

Some of their most famous tacos include:

The Brushfire: Jamaican jerk chicken, grilled jalapeños, mango, sour cream and cilantro. Served with Diablo hot sauce on a flour tortilla.
Trailer Park: Fried chicken, green chiles, lettuce, pico de gallo and cheese on a flour tortilla with poblano sauce. Order it “trashy” to take off the lettuce and add queso!
The Independent: Hand-battered and fried portobello mushroom strips with refried black beans, roasted corn, escabeche carrots, queso fresco, cilantro and avocado, drizzled with ancho aioli on a flour tortilla.

With eight different locations scattered across Austin, Torchy’s is a convenient, affordable, and delicious taco choice, whether picking a place to watch the big game or grabbing some grub before hitting up the springs.

Make sure to grab a Torchys-tini or Strawberry Margarita at one of the restaurant’s bar locations.

The Independent or Fried Avocado are just a couple of the vegetarian favorites!

Substitute any flour tortilla with corn, and ask for fried foods unfried, then you’ll be set!

Papalote Taco House

Home of The Chronicle‘s Best Vegetarian Taco, Papalote Taco House is a wonderful spot for authentic, street-style tacos. There are no smoke or mirrors with this mom and pop styled taco shack. They serve great food at a great price, in two great locations.

Rajas y Hongos: Poblano pepper strips topped with onions, zucchini, mushrooms, cream sauce, cabbage, and queso fresco.
Tortas de Coliflor: Cauliflower cakes covered in guajillo sauce, topped with cabbage, queso fresco, and a slice of fresh avocado.
Tinga de Res: Pulled beef stewed in chipotle, topped with plantains, cabbage, queso fresco, and a slice of fresh avocado.

Grab a margarita and sit outside to enjoy your homemade street style tacos!

With several veggie options, Papalote is a VERY veg-friendly taco place.

Order corn tortillas and try out the Tlacoyos, a black bean corn masa cake.

13219 N 183 Research Blvd, Ste 100 | 2803 South Lamar Blvd

Texas Honey Ham Company – 3736 Bee Cave Rd

Enjoy a scenic drive through West Austin and towards Bee Cave to arrive at Texas Honey Ham Company, who are changing the world one taco at a time. With build-your-own breakfast taco options, along with homemade al a carte sides, nothing says home cooking like Texas Honey Ham.

THHC keeps it simple by allowing you two breakfast taco options, including the following:

Meat: Bacon, sausage, honey ham, turkey, pulled pork.
Other Add-ons: Baked potato hash, frijoles, egg white, cheese, jalapeño, tomatoes, onion, serrano, egg, chorizo.

If you’re making the drive out to Hamilton Pool, make sure to stop by this local favorite!

With two options to each taco, it’s easy to double up on veggies!

Order corn tortillas and gluten-free add-ons to keep your meal GF.

Taqueria Arandas #5

Voted the Best Taqueria multiple times in The Chronicle, Taqueria Arandas #5 offers amazing tacos with a welcoming atmosphere. Serving Austin since the 1980s, Taqueria Arandas serves authentic Mexican food at astonishingly low prices.

Some of the local favorites include:

Queso Flameado: Obviously this isn’t a taco, but you can’t go to Taqueria Arandas without ordering their melted cheese served with your choice of Mexican chorizo, beef or chicken fajita and freshly made tortillas.
Build your own tacos: Your choice of meat, served in soft corn or flour tortillas, topped with lettuce and tomato or onions and cilantro.

With three different locations across central Austin, there’s no reason to miss out on this totally affordable, local favorite.

Beer and tacos – is there a better way to spend your summer in ATX?

While they don’t have several vegetarian options, you can load up a taco with beans and veggies.

Order corn tortillas and make sure nothing is fried to keep your meal gluten free.

2129 E 7th St | 2448 South 1st St | 2038 W Stassney Ln

Veracruz All Natural Food Truck

Veracruz began as a single, tiny food truck offering freshly made tacos and tortas. After being featured in Rolling Stone magazine and opening two additional food trucks, Veracruz has become a food truck haven for vegetarians and carnivores on the go.

Vegetarian: Spinach, avocado, carrots, mushrooms, red bell pepper, pico de gallo, and cheese.
Fish: Grilled tilapia, cabbage, mango pico, avocado, cheese, and chipotle mayo salsa.
Tacos Al Pastor: Marinated pork, cilantro, and onions.

Stop by one of their three convenient locations for an affordable, delicious, homemade taco and a cup of Texas harvested coffee!

The vegetarian taco is the way to go! Or order their fresh Migas.

Make sure to get your taco on a corn tortilla to keep your meal gluten free.

1704 East Cesar Chavez St | 4208 Manchaca Rd | 1108 E 6th St

The Vegan Nom – 120 North Loop Boulevard East

As the self-proclaimed original Tex-Mex, vegan taco trailer in Austin, The Vegan Nom serves delicious tacos with homemade salsa that ANYONE will enjoy, meat eater or not. They have dozens of topping options for their breakfast tacos, including kale, mushrooms, and vegan meat substitutes.

Grilled Avocado Reale: Grilled avocados, black beans covered with caramelized onions, pepper-jack vegan cheese, alfalfa sprouts, cilantro, and their signature creamy salsa verde sauce on corn tortillas, with the option to add mushrooms.
Ranchera Luna: Organic tofu scramble, spinach, bell peppers, pepper-jack vegan cheese, fresh alfalfa sprouts, cilantro and their smoky, creamy roasted chipotle sauce on corn tortillas.
The Three Amigos: Handmade country sausage, organic tofu scramble and vegan cheddar cheese, with the option to add cilantro-lime crema, chipotle, and avocados.

Everything served is completely vegan and, therefore, vegetarian!

All of their dishes are gluten-free, except the flour tortillas, vegan chorizo, and country sausage.

Tacodeli

Just like Torchy’s, Tacodeli has legions of evangelists who proclaim their tacos to be the best in the land. And any time there’s a cult-like following, it’s worth checking out – at least when it comes to tacos. Don’t miss their famous Doña sauce, but beware, because it’s on the spicy side of super-freaky-spicy.

You can trail blaze your own way through the menu, but here are some good options:

The Cowboy Taco: Cowboy rubbed beef tenderloin with grilled corn, caramelized onions and roasted peppers, topped with guacamole and queso fresco.
Adobados: Scrumptious adobo marinated chicken topped with cilantro and onions. Our adobo is made from scratch using chipotle, ancho and guajillo peppers.
The Heather: Grilled Mexican queso fresco, refried black beans, with guacamole, lettuce and tomato. Wow!

Loads of vegetarian options, filled with gooey cheesy goodness.

You know the drill: corn tortillas, nothing fried, good to go.

12001 Burnet | 7301 Burnet | 4200 N. Lamar | 701 Loop 360 | 1500 Spyglass

In queso you missed our latest business tips, keep up with our blog, and make churro you like us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn! Did we leave your favorite spot off of our list? Let us know where you find the best tacos in Austin!