For anyone that does not know Mexican and Tex-Mex in general are usually pretty safe options for people living a gluten free lifestyle. I am forever grateful for this, because tacos are amazing.
Austin has some pretty great options when it comes to Tex-Mex. Not too long ago I went to Torchy’s Tacos. So far this is my favorite Austin Tex-Mex joint. I had been to Torchy’s once before when I was in Austin in the summer of 2017. And honestly I could not believe I had not made it to Torchy’s before I did.
I went for lunch on a day that I was not working. It was a bit past the normal lunch rush, so it was not crazy busy inside. I checked out the menu and then went to the counter to order. There was no gluten free labeling on the menu, but many of the tacos come on corn tortillas. On top of that the employees were able to answer my questions.
After much contemplation I decided on getting a half order of queso and a taco. I am obsessed with queso from Condado in Columbus (read about it here). Now every time I have queso I compare it to Condado’s because I have consumed many buckets worth of it during my time in Columbus.
There are some very fun names for the tacos. I ordered the Democrat taco. I was worried one taco was not going to be enough. But it came out with two tortillas and it was plenty after eating the queso. This taco comes on a corn tortilla so that is all good. It has a barbacoa base with avocado, cheese, and tomatillo sauce.
I also ordered a soda because they have Maine Root Soda and it is delicious.
I finished ordering and they gave me a buzzer. Then I filled my cup and found myself a seat. The queso came out pretty quickly. I honestly do not understand how they knew to bring it to me though. Like my buzzer did not buzz. And it is not like they had given me a number on a stand. Maybe they took notes on what I was wearing when I was ordering, I do not really know.
Anyways the employee that was running food was great. He made sure I had what I needed and that he did not miss anything.
To me the queso was a bit disappointing. It was good, but not great. I really think that is because I have such a distinct expectation for what queso is. The majority of my experiences with queso have been from Condado so the fact that it was different from that is really why I think I was unimpressed.
Despite not being too impressed with the queso, my taco was great. It was so flavorful and the flavors all worked together so well. It was also plenty of food for me. I personally wished that instead of just giving me the extra tortilla they would have split the taco into two. Presentation wise it looked really good. But I had to split the taco myself because there was so much inside.
Overall my meal was wonderful. All the employees answered my questions like they knew what they were talking about. And my food was served in a timely manner. I was not a biggest fan of the queso, but again that was probably a me thing and not their queso. I will definitely be back to Torchy’s here soon. And in my opinion it is the best Tex-Mex I have had so far in Austin. Granted the only other place I’ve been to so far was Tacodeli (learn about it here). So we will see if any other place will beat Torchy’s in my attempts to find the best gluten free options in Austin.
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