Taco of the Week: Puff-Chilada at Maria’s Café
The San Antonio stalwart, known for its creative Tex-Mex tacos, evokes a long-gone Texas Monthly favorite with this offering.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly's taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. He is the author of American Tacos: A History & Guide. Ralat has written for Eater, Imbibe, Dallas Observer, D Magazine, Vice, Cowboys & Indians magazine, Gravy, and other national and regional online and print media outlets. Ralat is also a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and serves on the advisory board of Foodways Texas. In 2022, he won a James Beard award for his Tex-Mexplainer column.
The San Antonio stalwart, known for its creative Tex-Mex tacos, evokes a long-gone Texas Monthly favorite with this offering.
In addition to my tacos of the week, these dishes from both sides of the border stand out.
The migas taco might be all the rage, but this open-face tortilla delight is the secret star of the North Austin location.
The expert beef preparation was a nice surprise at this Breckenridge breakfast-and-lunch spot.
How to wear your love for tacos on your sleeve, your feet, or even on a fanny pack.
Poblanos, cauliflower, kale, and other delights have the starring role in these inventive offerings.
A Waxahachie institution serves a great version of the South Texas specialty.
An Austin bar and record shop is cranking out wonderful additions to the city’s tortilla scene.
The recently opened Tex-Mex restaurant from chef Omar Flores has a few surprises among the classic offerings. One in particular is a must-try.
A tradition of the indigenous Otomí people of Mexico is growing in popularity north of the border.
The fried treat scarcely found outside San Antonio isn’t officially on the menu, but it’s worth inquiring about.
The El Paso native and celebrity chef is coming home in support of his new memoir, ‘Where I Come From.’
Zavala’s Barbecue’s weekday morning alter ego makes a signature taco even better than the joint’s original.
The tortillas de harina at this Brownsville restaurant are amazing, but just one is more than enough.
A brief history of the costra, a Mexico City delight that's finally gaining traction across the state.
At his weekly pop-up in Houston, Eddie Ortiz serves tender brisket wrapped in a shell of griddled cheese.
As Roberto Espinosa and Eric Wilkerson mark the Austin institution's milestone anniversary this week, they look back on how it all began.
If ever an island paradise were represented in a single dish, this taqueria special might be it.
I might have come in last place, but I learned a lot while walking in the woods of San Antonio during El Taco Loco.
A northern Mexican specialty gets a Mexico City twist in Central Texas.
This Tarrant County taco pop-up treats its vegetarian options as seriously as its meat offerings.
Purists, be prepared to have your minds changed by the Fort Worth pizzeria.
The new Dallas taqueria serves this not-so-usual taco de guisado.
Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece connect tacos with community issues in their new show on Robert Rodriguez's El Rey Network.
I ate my way from San Antonio to Dallas in one (very filling) day. Here are some of the highlights of my taco travels.
You can cut meat from the bone before you eat, but it’s better to go all in with this San Antonio staple.
Blasphemy? Far from it. Allow me to fill you in.
Restaurants that make tortillas in-house have to get it right, like the new Dai Due Taqueria in Austin.
They’re rolled, they’re fried, and they’re delicious. And they deserve your respect.
Let the vast universe of succulent cuts, chewy entrails, and cooking techniques be a mystery to you no more.
A devotee’s long-awaited taco crawl through Mexico City.
A border taco run that finds there is more to the city than Chico’s Tacos.
A taco tour of Dallas and Fort Worth, from Big D’s Oak Cliff and the Bishop Arts District neighborhoods to Cowtown’s Northside and West 7th strip.