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An informal Capital of Texas taco tour
Some tortillas are luckier than others. Read this review to see which tacos shredded the competition. OLIVIA CAPOCHIANO staff reporter
With avid taco eaters Bella Russo and Ellen Fox by my side, I was ready for the Battle for the Best Taco to begin. In one corner, corporate chain Taco Cabana; in the other, food trucks, Arlo’s and Kitchen for the Soul, and opposing them, local franchises Tacorrido and Taqueria Los Jaliscienses.
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Taco Cabana For a chain with taco in the name, the taco selection was lackluster. The tacos come naked, not even a shred of lettuce to grace the chicken fajita. For 40 cents, add vegetables. For free, add salsa. “The salsas are free, but in reality they take away value from the taco.” Russo said. “They’re watery, bland and do not make up for the fact that literally nothing but meat is inside the $3 taco.” As recommended by our cashier, the steak taco was above average. Simply put by Fox, “It delivers.” The brisket taco chosen by myself, was below average. Flavor and texture were hardly stunning. “This is a lot of tortilla. The meat-tortilla ratio is off,” Fox said. Taco Cabana provided the bare minimum to us. It reminded me of what a serf would eat in the 1500s if they were lucky, an unflavored carbohydratemeat combo. We deserve better in 2020. The ambiance, however, was better than at other fast-food restaurants. The patio was nice and offered an unbeatable view of Lamar and the empty lot next door. The undeveloped field is a picturesque break from the industrial mess of the street. The bustle of the Lamar and North Loop intersection provided calming white noise adjacent to rain sounds. Taco Cabana rated on taste is underwhelming. However, the location is great. Points for proximity to school. If you’re looking to catch lunch during the 40 minute allotment, Taco Cabana is fine, but if you have other choices, we wouldn’t recommend it.
El Tacorrido As we opened our tacos in Russo’s Honda Odyssey, they seemed to glow with natural light. It might have been 1 p.m., but these tacos were experiencing golden hour. The al pastor taco in particular was arresting, with colorful reddish meat. “A little spicy, a little tangy,” Fox said. “That’s a good taco.” The barbacoa was delicious as well. Covered in cilantro and onion, this taco is a classic. “Not too crazy but that is enough for a great taco,” Russo said. The chicken fajita was our least favorite. The chicken was chewy, and the simple toppings did not save it. “Maybe it was just my bite, but I didn’t love the chicken fajita,” Fox said. “In general, it was good.” The atmosphere of Tacorrido doesn’t stand out, but its proximity to McCallum is stellar. We
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TACO ABOUT A DREAM STORY ASSIGNMENT: (1) The chicken pechuga taco from Taqueria Los Jaliscienses, located off Airport Boulevard. (2) Plant-based jackfruit tacos from food truck Kitchen for the Soul. (3) Chicken taco from Taco Cabana. (4) The chicken, al pastor and barbacoa taco from El Tacorrido. (5) The vegetarian taco made of seitan from Arlo’s food truck. Photos by Olivia Capochiano. made it back with time to spare. Kitchen for the Soul Tacorrido is relatively cheap, although the Across from Arlo’s was another plant-based tacos are small. Compared to other Austin meals, food truck, Kitchen for the Soul. The jackfruit al they’re cost effective. pastor taco was almost absurd. Inventive, I would say. It was definitely the Arlo’s farthest away from a traditional taco out of all After searching the drag for “Cool Beans,” an the sampled meals. The first thing that stood out about the unfindable vegan food truck, we found ourselves sitting down at the picnic tables next to Arlo’s. $8 tacos were the ingredients. Shrouding the Arlo’s is a plant-based food truck stationed next jackfruit was a heaping of avocado, sprouts and a sweet sauce. Spider House Cafe. The jackfruit mimicked meat in texture but First, we struggled with the price and content of the taco. We ordered the “Street or Chik’n” not in taste. If you haven’t had jackfruit, it’s taco, which included a meat substitute called reminiscent of pineapple. Fox thought that the taco was much too seitan. We later learned that seitan is pure gluten, much to the dismay of our gluten-free reporter. sweet. “There’s a lot happening here,” Russo added. I still do not understand what “Street or Chik’n” means. Is “Street” a different taco than “Chik’n”? “The presentation is good until you get to the Look, I hate vegan food as much as the next bottom, and it looks like the Krabby Patty that guy, but the seitan taco was delectable. Perhaps to killed the inspector in SpongeBob.” The sweetness of the cooked fruit overwhelms make up for the lack of meat, the substitute was beautifully flavored. The accompanying chipotle the taco, so it’s more of an innovative salad than anything else. ranch was so good that Russo took it home. I personally have no beef with this taco, “I’m not missing the meat,” Russo said. considering there’s no meat. The chef just took “Wait, I’m actually impressed.” Fox said. “And the corn tortilla is freaking good,” Russo creative liberty with it. As for ambiance, I find it important to point added. Two tacos for $7 was certainly a reasonable out I could distantly hear the buzz of a tattoo price, especially considering the quality of needle from next door. Is that a health code violation? our meal.
Taqueria Los Jaliscienses I looked down to realize I had begun eating without pausing to photograph the barbacoa taco in its full glory. It was just too tempting. The tacos, barbacoa, al pastor, and chicken pechuga, were all good. They were pretty average tacos. “It’s very much like a stewed meat,” Russo said about the barbacoa taco. “It’s very fatty.” “It’s just a chicken taco,” Fox said about the pechuga. “It really is just a chicken taco.” The corn tortilla from Los Jaliscienses was light but didn’t crack. It complemented our tacos well. The highlight of Taqueria Los Jaliscienses was the horchata, which was served in a gargantuan Styrofoam cup that looked like a prop from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. That cup had a larger gravitational pull than Pluto. In taste, the horchata had a distinct cinnamon flavor. All in all, Taqueria Los Jaliscienses was an average authentic Mexican restaurant. The winner of the McCallum taco tour is Arlo’s. Arlo’s was impressive in terms of creativity and taste. If you’re wallet is feeling light and you don’t want to be late to third period, however, Tacorrido might be your best bet.
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