Don Pablo's Mexican Restaurant

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Don Pablo's Mexican Restaurant
444 West I-20
Grand Prairie, TX 75052
972-642-9595


I'm not one for chain restaurants, but Don Pablos has some good tacos! Time was short and once the chips and salsa were delivered, our wait person disappeared. But the manager took our order (he didn't write it down and got it all right!). We told him we were in a hurry and our food was on the table in less than five minutes. The tacos were good size and delicious. The unique thing was they had them standing on a couple large chips...this kept the tacos standing up and out of any meat drippings, but there weren't any. Well stuffed with a touch of cumin in the meat, these tacos were really good. Aside from the slow start of service and the too sweet salsa....and dispite being a chain, I would go back.

Tuesday night is all the tacos you can eat for $6.99. Too bad they are up in the DFW area and not Austin.

Jardin Corona Mexican Restaurant

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Jardin Corona Mexican Restaurant
13233 Pond Springs Rd
Austin, TX 78729
(512) 250-1061


Right on Pond Springs Road in the heart of Jollyville Texas, Jardin Corona is a friendly family owned restaurant. My buddies enjoyed their food, but my tacos didn't quite make the cut.

Not overstuffed...not even stuffed. Shredded cheese and lettuce are cheap enough to make up for the lack of meat. The taco shell was a hard variety that was so thick, it seemed to have lost any crispness. The flavor was good and with a different shell and filled a bit more, it could have been a decent taco.

The service however was not at all disappointing....prompt and friendly. Our chip bowl was never empty and we were chomping them down.

I can forgive them for the tacos as everything else was very good. I will go back again, just not for tacos.

Angie's

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Angie's
1307 E 7th St
Austin, TX 78702









One word for Angie's taco's, unique! Using the thickest corn tortillas I've seen, Angie put together a fine taco. The shell isn't as crispy as I normally like them, but they are awesome. Packed with meat and all the other required elements, I could eat these tacos all day.

Watch out for the green salsa....don't try it without a drink in hand. It is spicy and good.

The service was a bit slow, but they were very crowded during our visit. The beer selection was the typical pick for a Mexican restaurant, but it was cold.

One negative, if they are crowded (lunch), don't plan on carrying on a conversation. With tile floors, wood beamed ceilings, and unadorned walls, this is the noisiest restaurant I've ever been in. Sound just reverberates off everything. My ears were hurting when we left. But don't let that stop you from trying the best taco in East Austin.

Casa Rio

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Casa Rio
430 Comerce Street
San Antonio, TX
(210) 225-6718

One of the first restaurants built on what is now the famous San Antonio Riverwalk, Casa Rio is the home to the most perfect taco I have found so far. Huge hand fried shells, loaded with flavorful beef and mounded with lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. See for yourself:

I could hardly get it in my mouth....but succeeded. The sausa was home made, the chips fresh, and the service couldn't have gotten much better. You can eat inside or right on the river and watch the tourist boats go by. And did I mention the beer was cold.

Beer Trivia Time: I tried the Alamo ale brewed by Real Ale Brewery in Blanco. It tasted a lot like their Firemans 4. I found out later, that's because it is. Just bottled with a different label for the San Antonio crowd.

Casa Rio, a place I've been to many time and will go to again and again!