I followed the excellent Yelp ratings to Cruzteca for lunch today. The Saturday lunch crowd had…read morejust emptied out at 2 p.m. Alone, I sat at the bar. I ordered the Bowman Tacos (2) -- Two roasted chicken tacos, sautéed pico de gallo, and salsa fresca; and added rice and black beans, along with iced tea. It was a good choice. The flavor was outstanding. As I dined, five or six parties filed in for a mid-afternoon meal. The service was friendly and proficient. The price, okay. About $28 with a generous tip. I'll be back.

Steve W gets this one right…read more 4 1/2 stars. Everything he says is on target. I will add my own comments: This is a better than average family Tex-Mex restaurant. The owner comes from a long line of Tex-Mex entrepreneurs in Austin. He has all sorts of stories he can tell. He works the tables chatting with everyone and is super friendly. He can come to any of my parties any time. * * * On the salsa, they put a bland red salsa on the table for timid types. If you want the real deal, accept their offer of their two salsas - red and green - in plastic squeeze bottles. These are REAL salsas with taste, heft and entertainment value. No need to take Cowardly Lion Salsa when Wicked Witch of the West Salsa and Wizard of Oz Salsa are available. * * * Ordering fish may not be your Plan A on visiting a new Tex-Mex restaurant. Think seriously about getting the fish plate here. The spice mix on top of the fish is outstanding. They have all sorts of entertaining garnishes to remind you that you are in a Tex-Mex place and not Captain Bob's Seafood. Captain Bob's Seafood can go take a walk. * * * Tacos come with lots of pickled onions. Pickled onions are the secret of a happy life. They do a Tempura Shrimp taco that is not like any other taco you have ever had. Is it the one taco I would want to have until the end of my days? Probably not. But it is a fun ride to go on at the carnival. * * * Steve W. says he had no room for dessert. Neither did I. They do peach empanadas here. Somehow I have a sense of opportunity lost. * * * If I lived anywhere near Cruzteca, It would be on my regular rotation of places to eat. If I am anywhere near the Brodie/290/Lamar shopping complex ... I know what I intend to do. Heh heh heh.

Good food and service. Neighborhood vibes, slow and low…read more Unable to say enough good things about this South Austin gem.

The food here was so delicious. I ordered the white cheese enchiladas. It had so much flavor. My…read moreboyfriend ordered the chicken enchiladas and he said it was so tasty. The service was fast. They have good horchata there as well. I highly recommend coming here for some tasty food.

Pro tip: daily HH for both drinks and appetizers…read more I'll admit that this location isn't as intriguing as the first location (Bouldin Creek). Perhaps it's because it's less "neighborhood" and more "strip mall/highway fastfood" vibes. With that being said, the service and food options are about the same. So it may seem like you're walking into a tier above fast-food, but the quality is better than that (and, therefore, better than expected). El Alma will always be in the running for the best avocado margs in town, and their queso is pretty solid too. I'm regretting not ordering the Coca-Cola marinated pork, but am happy to report that adventuring with the duck stuffed relleno poblano pepper was pretty solid.

I sat at the bar, and the only open spot was off to the side near the kitchen. It's kind of an odd…read morelocation--not the best view--and feels more like where waitstaff pick up drinks and orders than a place meant for guests. Sit on the other side of the bar if you can. The chairs weren't very comfortable, but I did appreciate the hook for my purse. The bartender was friendly, and I was greeted right away. The chips and salsa were good, and the green sauce was favorite --I liked it so much I asked for more. The only downside is that it comes in a really small container, which makes it hard to scoop and doesn't last long. I noticed the people next to me also ended up ordering extra. I ordered the street tacos. The filling was flavorful, though the tortillas seemed a bit soggy. I ended up scooping the filling onto some chips from my chips and salsa, and it was perfect. The green salsa was the cherry on top! Sorry I didn't get any pictures this time!

We showed up during a rainy cold front, when nobody should be out and about, but we were in town…read morefor another reason. My husband found La Playa on Yelp and noticed the great reviews. All I can say is wow!! This place is awesome! The staff was very nice, and the place is super clean, so that set the right tone. Even the iced tea was good. I ordered the Tuesday special - tilapia with shrimp, steamed veggies and the best buttered rice ever. My husband got the pastor plate, and he really liked it, too. Both dishes were plated beautifully, in addition to being very tasty. I look forward to my next visit there!

I got the mini tacos with beef fajitas and barbacoa and the beef fajitas quesadilla to go. The…read moreservice is very fast, decent pricing, and the food quality is not bad. The beef is a bit tough, but it is as expected with the pricing. The interior is very casual, which is suitable for a quick meal. I want to try more items next time. It's inside a small shopping center on S 1st, so the parking can get full. Not going to sugar coat it, but the parking lot feels a bit unsafe.

Beautiful, cozy Mexican restaurant offering typical plates. They serve breakfast all day…read more I started with their Esquite (Corn with Cheese, Mayo) and it was good, maybe lacked more Cheese and Mayo... then I had their Sopes Plate and Chicken with Mole Enchiladas Plate, which both were really delicious! The mole on the enchiladas was like a party of flavor in your mouth... really good and well balanced flavor. Loved it. Also, their Agua de Horchata was one of the best I've had so far, not too sweet and very refreshing... it was my first time trying strawberry tamales and I can tell you that you MUST TRY them, also the sauce bar was fantastic... their spicy avocado and creamy poblano sauces are exquisite! You order and pay at the register, then they'll bring your food to the table. Service was good, place was clean... Highly recommend it, this is perfect to come by yourself, bring a date, or come with your whole family. Try them out!

Very loud inside, a bit hard to hear even at the register…read more They hand you a menu and then you pass by the register to order and then have a seat. We eventually moved outside where it was much quieter but humid. We ordered a mole enchilada plate and a flauta plate. When they brought our food and asked about napkins, silverware, condiments, etc., and then we were told oh you have to get up and go back inside and get them yourselves. This was after we had left a tip at the register. So, be sure before you sit down you get your silverware napkins and condiments. No one pointed that out as we checked out and paid and left a tip. The lady at the register seemed very friendly, but she had to ask someone to substitute french fries for my refried beans and they seemed very reluctant to do so. Not sure why I told him it's OK just put the beans on it, but they finally relented and gave me fries instead of refried beans.. I have to say my mole enchiladas were barely above room temperature. The flavor was OK but nothing else standing. The fries also had that kind of frozen flavor like they've been in the freezer for a long time before being cooked. The flautas were pretty good, but again nothing outstanding. Overall, I would say we had an average lunch. It was nice to try somewhere new but I'm not sure. I would drive out the way to go back.

This place is a staple in Austin. It's really cute and it's pretty authentic to me. The staff there…read moreis so nice and very attentive. They have a cute indoor seating area along with a rooftop patio, which is really cute especially when the weather gets great. I got a corn poblano soup and I have to say that was delicious. I got the small cup and next time I go back I will definitely get the whole bowl cause that was amazing. I did go during brunch hours so I got two tacos. One of them was the Migos taco, which was delicious. I love that the tortilla chips and they were nice and crunchy still and not soggy. I also got a taco called the Cherrywood, which had bacon cheese, egg, potato, and avocado, and it was delicious. I love that their tortillas are homemade and they're not the cheap American puffy ones. They also give you complementary chips and salsa and both salsa were delicious. I literally combine both of them in my tacos. They do have some great drinks. One of them is the Highlander margarita which is really nice and smooth and they use patron silver. They also had another margarita that I saw a lot of people ordering and it was an avocado one, and everybody kept raving about it. They definitely have a good mix of cocktails and then anything in general that you would want.

Had a fantastic brunch experience on Saturday. I had originally made reservations but the…read morerestaurant wasn't too busy. We stopped by at 11:45 am and surprisingly there were plenty of parking spots around the restaurant. We had a great waiter who was attentive and patient with us. We ordered a mimosa carafe for the group. Unfortunately, I think they need a better way of serving these mimosas because the sparkling wine in the carafe gets immediately warm due to not being placed on ice. We were drinking lukewarm mimosas. Please rethink this El Alma, you need buckets to keep the wine and juice cold! Anyways, we received complimentary chips and salsa while we waited for our food. I ordered the breakfast enchiladas which were delicious. They had egg in them, and honestly never thought this existed but happy I found it! Wish the side of beans it came with was bigger. The rest of our group enjoyed their foods as well. There's rooftop seating which was lovely BUT there's a huge oak tree above that continuously drops leaves and debris constantly. Our drinks had floating bits and it just kept falling. I recommend some umbrellas. Our waiter was kind enough to let us move when a table opened up under the canopy. Great food, super cool restaurant but some operational issues that keep it to a 4 and not a 5.

First time here (although we ordered delivery during Covid - it was bad)…read more I usually hit up Azul for interior flavors but the party wanted to try something new. Moderately busy on a Saturday night but we were greeted and seated right away. We caught the last few minutes of HH (on a Saturday?) and took advantageous of some house margs. Nicely made! Salsa is okay. I prefer it by the bowl, not the weird saucer thing they serve it in. Made a mess. Sorry. Queso was a little flat. I really enjoyed the chicken enchiladas verdes. Thanks for putting the sauce on the plate rather than drowning the enchiladas in it! Kid enjoyed her chicken flautas and the Boss was okay with the street tacos (Al pastor). Rice and beans (refried and black) were good. Service was friendly and efficient and everything is well priced. We'll add HEM to our rotation.

Was on our way and realized the location was closed. Still ventured to the oak hill location…read more Primary reason was to try the Moles. Only hot 3, should have tried them all. Chile relleno with the walnut cream was beyond words!

The food is great! The rating is correct, they are a 4star! The omelette wasn't just eggs and ham,…read morethey mix some fresh pico and it gives a flavor other than just egg. The flour tortillas are good and not hard or flat and don't taste like they were cooked on a flat top full of grease. The potatoes have a slight seasoning not too over powering. The service is quick, friendly and the place is clean. Not too busy on a Sunday at 9am. I was able to study and enjoy breakfast. Definitely should try this place for breakfast, if you haven't already!

The smell in here was terrible. As soon as you walked in it smelled like an uncleaned bathroom that…read moresomeone just blew up. They had no margaritas, which I thought was strange for an authentic Mexican restaurant. They had a small soda selection as well. Prices were low which was good! Overall, it was kinda dirty in there and that smell really made it that much worse. We saw a nice video about it on TikTok and decided to try, but it was not up to par with what we thought it was going to be.

A hole-in-wall! Found this place through Yelp. We were looking for an authentic Mexican restaurant…read more This restaurant is located in South Austin. Plenty of parking on site. Casual ambiance. We were seated right away, and they also have a small store to buy from as you check out after your food service. The sauces that came with the chips were approved by my Mexican fiance. I ordered chicken fajitas (not pictured) and the portion was huge. Plenty of protein! They had plenty of agua options too! 10/10 would return here.

They have consistently charged at least $1 over the price of items (as they are listed in the…read moremenu). I have even seen the ticket the server filled out have $9.99 written out and they charge me $10.99 for the item (no add ons, etc.). Just pay attention to the menu and ask to see the receipt before paying. Other than that, the people have been nice enough and the food is average.

Amazing food amazing service endless options for food and they have truly captured the environment…read moreof a Tex-Mex restaurant in the greatest state in the USA. ask for Emily

We went to Casa Garcia's on Wm Cannon for a family dinner, and it was a bit off the mark this…read moreexperience. It was very busy and we added our name to the waitlist to get a table. We didn't have to wait long, approximately 10 minutes and we were seated in the back dining area. I split the beef fajitas with my mom, which were decent once everything was finally on the table. Grilled Beef fajitas meat served grilled with onions and bell peppers on a hot skillet. Sides include guacamole, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, Mexican rice, and refried beans. Three homemade flour or corn tortillas per person with sizzling fajitas. The tortillas are made fresh and are the highlight of the meal. The flavor was solid, but the overall experience was slowed down by service issues. Our food arrived without flour tortillas, which are pretty essential for fajitas, and it took a while to get them brought over. So the food was a bit cold by the time we received the order. One of the kids' meals was also missing a piece of bacon, which added to the feeling that things weren't fully checked before coming out of the kitchen. Getting the check at the end also took longer than expected. The atmosphere was lively, but the mariachi band was a bit loud and made it hard to have a normal conversation at the table. Overall, the food was okay, but the service and pacing took away from the experience. It might be better for a casual, loud group outing than a relaxed family dinner.