This week I visited Torchy’s Tacos in the South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery off of South First. I was going to attempt to venture outside of the more frequented food-trailers, but I woke up Sunday morning and could not get my mind away from Torchy’s "damn good tacos." Bare with me people, I’ll be adventurous next week.
I am a taco fiend. I love the spices, the succulent flavor of the meat, the salsa, the cheese, the variety of toppings…everything! My favorite kind of taco however, is the breakfast taco. I don’t think it gets any better than eggs, beans, cheese and salsa all wrapped up in a homemade corn tortilla. Torchy’s Tacos pulls this off perfectly.
I’ve been to the UT District Torchy’s off Guadalupe several times, but had never been to the trailer park location. I had heard of the South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery and always wanted to check it out, so I wrote down the address and hopped in the car.
The address listed on the website is 1311 S. First St and I live off 43rd, so I thought that I could just drive South on Lamar and I’d eventually hit First Street and take it from there. After passing Sixth Street, I was getting pretty excited for my long overdue breakfast taco but, after driving for another ten blocks I realized that I must have gotten turned around. It turns out that all the numbered streets in Austin run East to West, except First Street magically runs North to South. I guess I’m realizing this late, but for all you Austin newbies out there- you’ve been informed!
I whipped out my priceless TomTom, forced myself to continue driving past Gourdough’s, and eventually found the Trailer Park & Eatery.
The Torchy’s Tacos food-truck shares the trailer park with Holy Cacao and Man Bites Dog, but Torchy’s was the only one open at 10:30 a.m. The trailer park has generous parking (for Austin), umbrella tables, and a covered eating area that boasts Torchy’s Tacos as Austin Chronicle’s choice of Best Taco & Best Taqueria for 2010.
I normally would order my usual egg, bean, cheese and green chilies, but I went out of the norm just for you lovely reader! Also, it gave me an excuse to buy two tacos. I ordered my usual and the taco of the month: The Scarecrow. $3.50 for pumpkin crusted chicken, roasted poblanos, escabeche carrots, cojita cheese and cilantro, served on a corn tortilla with creamy chipotle.
Can I just say that ordering that taco was one of the best random-order-decisions ever? The escabeche (pickled) carrots were the bomb, they were crunchy and packed so much
flavor. The pumpkin crusted chicken caused a déjà vu moment, but I realized it reminded me of the breading at The Mighty Cone. I thought the poblanos were a little soggy for my taste, but overall the taco was a great choice. I even enjoyed the chipotle sauce that I normally would substitute with the traditional salsa.
You should visit the South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery if you’re trying to get some good, cheap food and stroll slightly off the beaten path.
P.S. Torchy’s Tacos just opened a new location in Dallas! If you’re there for a visit you should stop in and tell me if that location is as good as the real thing.
What’s your favorite Torchy’s Taco? Answer in a comment below and I’ll try and check it out!
I am a taco fiend. I love the spices, the succulent flavor of the meat, the salsa, the cheese, the variety of toppings…everything! My favorite kind of taco however, is the breakfast taco. I don’t think it gets any better than eggs, beans, cheese and salsa all wrapped up in a homemade corn tortilla. Torchy’s Tacos pulls this off perfectly.
I’ve been to the UT District Torchy’s off Guadalupe several times, but had never been to the trailer park location. I had heard of the South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery and always wanted to check it out, so I wrote down the address and hopped in the car.
The address listed on the website is 1311 S. First St and I live off 43rd, so I thought that I could just drive South on Lamar and I’d eventually hit First Street and take it from there. After passing Sixth Street, I was getting pretty excited for my long overdue breakfast taco but, after driving for another ten blocks I realized that I must have gotten turned around. It turns out that all the numbered streets in Austin run East to West, except First Street magically runs North to South. I guess I’m realizing this late, but for all you Austin newbies out there- you’ve been informed!
I whipped out my priceless TomTom, forced myself to continue driving past Gourdough’s, and eventually found the Trailer Park & Eatery.
The Torchy’s Tacos food-truck shares the trailer park with Holy Cacao and Man Bites Dog, but Torchy’s was the only one open at 10:30 a.m. The trailer park has generous parking (for Austin), umbrella tables, and a covered eating area that boasts Torchy’s Tacos as Austin Chronicle’s choice of Best Taco & Best Taqueria for 2010.
I normally would order my usual egg, bean, cheese and green chilies, but I went out of the norm just for you lovely reader! Also, it gave me an excuse to buy two tacos. I ordered my usual and the taco of the month: The Scarecrow. $3.50 for pumpkin crusted chicken, roasted poblanos, escabeche carrots, cojita cheese and cilantro, served on a corn tortilla with creamy chipotle.
Can I just say that ordering that taco was one of the best random-order-decisions ever? The escabeche (pickled) carrots were the bomb, they were crunchy and packed so much
flavor. The pumpkin crusted chicken caused a déjà vu moment, but I realized it reminded me of the breading at The Mighty Cone. I thought the poblanos were a little soggy for my taste, but overall the taco was a great choice. I even enjoyed the chipotle sauce that I normally would substitute with the traditional salsa.You should visit the South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery if you’re trying to get some good, cheap food and stroll slightly off the beaten path.
P.S. Torchy’s Tacos just opened a new location in Dallas! If you’re there for a visit you should stop in and tell me if that location is as good as the real thing.
What’s your favorite Torchy’s Taco? Answer in a comment below and I’ll try and check it out!
**All photos by Rachael Sperling
