While Austin might be best known for its barbecue and music, it’s also popular for its breakfast tacos. Austinites are obsessed with them and all swear they know where to find the best in town. You can find these delicious, affordable, and unique breakfast tacos everywhere from high-end restaurants to food trucks. By the way, Austin is also popular for its food trucks, which can be found all over the city.
Speaking of food trucks. Granny’s Tacos, located in East Austin, is a food truck which serves some of the best breakfast tacos in Austin. Granny’s Tacos was started by Guanajuato native Maria Rios in 2016. She used a repurposed ambulance to start her business named after her grandmother and great-grandmother. Today, the food truck is not only popular for its breakfast tacos but for its lunch tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, nachos, fries, and more. And, even better, they make their own flour and corn tortillas, salsas, and sauces from scratch.
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Visiting the Food Truck
If you are walking east down 7th street from downtown Austin, you might miss the small food truck located down an alley behind an outdoor gear shop. Though located only minutes from downtown, Granny’s Taco felt off the beaten path. It seemed like the type of place visited by locals, foodies, and lovers of breakfast tacos. These are the types of small businesses and local eateries I love to visit on my travels.
As with most food trucks, you want to order at the window. As this was my first visit, the friendly worker in the truck gave me his recommendations. For those who don’t like to carry cash, they accepted credit cards along with Apple Pay and Google Pay.
After ordering, I grabbed a seat at one of the picnic tables in front of the truck. Since it was a busy Sunday afternoon, the wait was longer than expected. It took about 20 minutes from ordering until my food was ready. But, the wait was worth it. While waiting, I enjoyed talking with other people, listening to music playing in the background, and browsing through the clothing market set up next to the truck.
Granny’s Tacos Menu
The biggest problem I had with the menu at Granny’s Tacos was deciding what to order. For a food truck, there were many great options. Whether you want something familiar or you are an adventurous eater, you are sure to find something interesting on the menu. Items included breakfast tacos, lunch tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, nachos, fries, and other Tex-Mex favorites. If this is your first visit, I recommend the breakfast tacos or chilaquil tacos.
Homemade Salsas and Sauces
Even though they are a small food truck, Granny’s Tacos makes their own salsas and sauces. My favorite sauce was the red sauce. It was spicy, smoky, and tasted of habanero and guajillo. I couldn’t get enough of it. If you aren’t a fan of spicy foods, you might want to try the green sauce. This mild sauce was creamy, rich, and smooth and tasted of avocado and cilantro. You get all the flavor without the heat. They also had a smoky and chunky pico de gallo and a mole sauce which I did not have a chance to try.
Machaca Taco
After his recommendation, I decided to order the Machaca Taco ($3.50). This taco was made with steak, egg, pico de gallo, cheese, and avocado. While the taco appeared small, it was more filling than it appeared.
The highlight had to be the large chunks of steak piled inside the fresh and lightly toasted homemade flour tortilla. Each piece of beef was flavorful and seasoned well. I could taste a hint of citrus from the marinade. The marinade also helped tenderize the steak, allowing for a tender bite with no chewy bits.
Without eggs, all you had was a regular taco. But add fluffy, lightly browned eggs to the mix, and now you have a breakfast taco. Breakfast tacos are an Austin specialty. People are obsessed with them and are constantly searching for the best ones in the city. You can’t leave Austin without trying one for yourself.
Another reason why I ordered the Machaca Taco was for the avocado. If a taco has avocado or guacamole in it, then odds are I am ordering it. The avocado added a buttery texture to each bite. The creamy avocado complemented the tender steak and fluffy eggs.
Sprinkled over the top was melted white cheese and fresh pico de gallo. While mild, the cheese brought the taco together. And, you can’t have a breakfast taco without cheese. Cheese makes everything better, at least in my opinion. The colorful and flavorful pico de gallo, another must, finished off this taco.
Potato, Chorizo, and Egg Breakfast Taco
Next up was the Potato, Chorizo, and Egg Breakfast Taco ($3.00) served on a soft and chewy flour tortilla.
As mentioned before, you can’t have a breakfast taco without eggs. While tough to see in the photo, there was a generous amount of fluffy scrambled eggs in this taco. Mixed in with the eggs was grilled chorizo. While chorizo can often be greasy or oily, this wasn’t the case at Granny’s Tacos. The browned chorizo added a smoky, salty, rich flavor to each bite.
There were two types of potatoes found in this taco. You had large chunks of potatoes along with shredded potatoes. While both types of potatoes were tender and soft, they each added a different texture to each bite.
Lightly melted shredded cheese brought the entire taco together. I could taste the gooey white cheese in each and every bite as it melted between the chorizo, scrambled eggs, and potatoes.
For something so simple, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the flavors and textures of the Potato, Chorizo, and Egg Breakfast Taco.
Service
The service at Granny’s Tacos was great. With such an extensive menu, I appreciated how the friendly worker in the truck gave me his recommendations, which all turned out to be delicious.
With that said, be patient. As food is prepared fresh to order, the wait can be slow, especially on weekends. From ordering at the window until my name was called took about 20 minutes. But, the wait was worth it.
Conclusion
Granny’s Tacos was both my first food truck experience and first breakfast taco in Austin. And, it did not disappoint. While the wait was longer than I would have expected, everything was made fresh to order, so the wait was worth it. With homemade tortillas and salsas, an extensive menu, large portions, and friendly service, I would not hesitate to say that Granny’s Tacos serves the best breakfast tacos in Austin.
Pros
- Homemade tortillas and salsas
- Extensive menu
- Affordable
- Large portions for the price
- Friendly service
Cons
- Limited seating
- When busy, food can take a while
Hours
Monday-Saturday: 8:00AM-3:00PM
Sunday: 8:30AM-3:30PM
Address
1401 East 7th Street, Austin, TX 78702
GPS Coordinates: 30.26417,-97.72809
Map
Last Updated on February 19, 2024
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