Taqueria

Taqueria
Los Jaliscienses #3
6903 Airport Blvd.
Austin, TX 78752
Phone. 512/419-7340

Outside:

Jake: We went here at lunch because it is convenient to work. Parking at lunch is a bit spotty. It is a very popular place to eat.

Hoppy: This is my newest "most favorite" place to eat. The exterior is colorful and festive, proudly upholding their Mexican heritage. The parking is sufficient although they do fill up during peak eating times. Once you get familiar with the area, it is easy to get in and out of.

Inside:

Jake: The place offers a full bar, which does not interest me all that much as I cannot drink and then go back to work.
The lunch special is more than reasonable in price. $4.50 at the time of this writing. Their portions are enormous, I had fajita beef burrito and it was wonderful, although I was unable to eat more than half of it. They offer a fifteen inch burrito and we tried that one the first time we went. I can only eat a quarter of the fifteen inch burrito.
The waitresses are very nice although not totally conversant in English. There is ample seating and the place is sparkly clean.

Hoppy: The first thing I noticed was the simplicity of the furnishings and that everything was clean. The floor was spotless. The second thing I noticed was the Hispanic/Latino Pop music being played. Jake and I both love this type of music and enjoyed it while there.
The waitresses were lovely, attentive, and quick. We were given the usual basket of chips and two sauces, one red and one green, to dip chip into. I totally fell in love with the green sauce, although I nearly burned the back of my throat with it. YES! Gotta love it!
I had the chicken burrito and as usual, their portions are extremely generous! I could only eat half of it, but with this food, it is better as leftovers. They were not skimpy with the meat which was very moist and tender. Their flour tortillas are to die for, as they have a taste that I find highly appealing. The food fairly screams "fresh," a big plus to me.

After Thoughts:

Jake: This is the only place I have ever eaten at where the green hot sauce is too hot for me to eat. The red is very hot and very good….but the green is smoking!!

Hoppy: I hope to try everything on their menu. This place is well worth the effort to find if you haven't been there yet.

Mangia Chicago Stuffed Pizza

Texas Tasters – Jake and Hoppy



Mangia Chicago Stuffed Pizza GF

12001 Burnet Road Suite D

Austin, TX 78758

512-832-5550



PARKING:

Jake: There is enough parking. We went during the noon rush and still found a parking spot close. This is a big plus with me. So big a plus that I have been known to take one quick drive through the parking lot, and, not finding a place to park, just go somewhere else. This even knowing the food is not as good at the second place.

Hoppy: Surprise! We arrive at the peak of noon rush and still found a spot to park, right in front of the door too! I like that! This place has ample parking, from the front of the building, going on around and down the side. Lots of places to park, which made Jake happy.

INSIDE:

Jake: The place was full and people were eating and laughing and talking. These are all signs of a regular lunch crowd. There was also enough room inside so that we did not have to wait to be seated. Another plus, again if I have to wait I will usually just leave.

Hoppy: Instant attendance, warm welcome and ushered to a table. Jake didn’t want the table and asked for a booth which we were given without a pause. Smooth operators in this place. I enjoyed the attractive décor and the interesting art, nick knacks and posters to examine. Booth seats were padded just the right amount of thickness for comfort and enabled one to slide in and out easily. I hate booths that have no padding at all (very uncomfortable) and the ones that go over board and make the padding so thick, it ends up trapping innocent victims.

Jake: It was loud enough that when I received a cell call I had trouble understanding the caller. The staff was just attentive enough that we did not feel abandoned and not so attentive that we felt either rushed or smothered.

Hoppy: The buzz of a happy crowd told me that this place was enjoyed by many and that they probably had a good number of repeats. Our waitperson was knowledgeable and answered questions easily, she was quick and efficient.

Jake: We intend to return to give them another chance as our choice of food was new to the two of us and we both despised it. We will order regular food the next time. I cannot believe that many people can be wrong. We just made a bad first choice as to the food. We will give the tea a second chance as well, it was a bit bitter. My more intelligent better looking half says that is from sitting too long.

Hoppy: Being new at this, we erred in that we ordered the same thing for both of us. Please bear with us as we are learning what to do and what not to do. We ordered a spinach/cheese/black olive stuffed crust pizza with whole wheat crust. Neither of us liked the crust which probably caused us to not like the pizza at all. I can’t but wonder how it would have tasted with a regular crust. The whole wheat crust was hard and about as tasty as cardboard. The spinach stuffing was too spicy … not the hot spicy, just too much of something I wasn’t familiar with. The tea left a bitter taste and that will ruin any meal for me. I like my tea to be mild.

Yes, as Jake said, we will return to give them a second chance to impress us. We will let you know how it turns out. Until then,

Happy eatin’.