La Palapa Restautant & Cantina

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La Palapa Restaurant & Cantina
6640 East Highway 290
Austin TX 78723

La Palapa is a place everyone who as lived in Austin for a long time knows about….and what great tacos! Crispy shell, lots and cheese and veggies, and nicely favored ground beef…..that wasn’t all drippy. Unlike your regular very flat corn tortillas, these shells were super crispy with the little bubbles you get from bread raising. The only negative thing is it seemed all the extras have a price tag (most places do but it seemed like everything did here). When my dining companion asked for a little guaq the wait person quoted the price….a couple tortillas, price…..different side, price. Maybe we just didn’t want to hear it so much. The chips were as fresh and crispy as the shells, and free as were the refills (some places actually charge for chips!). The salsa has a mild heat to it, but a bit too much cumin for my liking. It nearly overwhelmed the other flavors. Alas, it was lunch time during the week, so not beer, but their selection looked inviting. With its cantina and live music nightly, I need to come back.

Serranos (Lakeline)

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Serranos Café & Cantina
Lakeline
11100 Pecan Park Blvd.
Cedar Park TX, 78613


Walking into Serranos reminded me of the Tony Roma’s rib house that used to occupy the space not that long ago, but it could have been Serranos’ mesquite fired grill adding to the aroma.

Regardless, their tacos were pretty decent. Two large tacos sitting in a bed of lettuce and tomato, stuffed with meat, hard to beat. The salsa was great; just the right amount of heat and chopped cilantro to add a fresh flavor.

The service was a bit on the slow side and since they weren’t very crowded, I would have expected better. The beer selection was typical, but they serve it with a small 4 ounce glass, which for some reason I find to be an enjoyable way to imbibe one’s beer.

Another Taco Shack

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The Taco Shack
4002 North Lamar
Austin Texas

I had to try another one. Just a couple blocks away from the Taco Shack on Medical Parkway, I found a completely different looking one on North Lamar across from Central Market. While the first was rather small and eclectic, this one looks pretty much like a normal fast food place. The tacos however were identical in construction. One mistake here, they wrapped them in foil together. The added heat steamed off more juice, making them both a bit soggy. Otherwise, for a 99 cent taco, tough to beat.