Fuego’s

Still very missed! I wish you would come back to austin! A food trailer is being put up right down the street from your old location!

First attempt to obtain fish tacos: tired calling but the number on the website was disconnected. The place is right across the street from home so I thought I’ll just drive over, order there and take them home. Drive up and see a sign on the door: closed for remodeling. Walking back to my car the new manager ran out and started telling me all about the new menu and how great it will be when it’s open and to come back later that week.
Second (and last) attempt to obtain fish tacos: This Monday. Still no phone number but there are big flags all over the lawn waving people in so I drove over again. CLOSED. The manager was there again putting a sign on the window that reads LUNCH.
He said because they weren’t getting enough dinner traffic they will now only be open for breakfast and lunch. They now close at 3. Blamed it on the prior management because «they were never open and people never knew when to come» REALLY?! Cause that sounds like my story with you. I told him his published number is disconnected and to at least get a twitter account so people know whats going on.
I really wanted to try this place but I’m done. Off to Chuy’s.

When I was young I had this dog, a golden retriever named Bandit. I played with him almost every day, we were pretty inseparable. Then one day I came home from school and my dog was gone, my parents told me he had ran away (he actually got hit by a car, but my parents didn’t have the heart to tell me). A few weeks pass and my mom brings home another dog. This dog, however, didn’t like to play and in general wasn’t a friendly dog at all. I was crushed even further because not only had my favorite dog ran away, but he was replaced with one that made me miss him more.
Fuego’s, much like the dogs of my childhood, was once a wonderful restaurant and has died and been replaced with a vastly inferior «dog». The once varied menu has been replaced with a Chipolte style Burritto/​Bowl/​Taco menu. The food, once prepared with a lot of love and flair now sits in a warmer waiting to be unceremoniously scooped into a tortilla.
The food is the worst part too. The chips were stale and my rice was hard. My friends’ burritos were barely edible. The guac was good, and my tacos weren’t horrible, but that’s about the most civil compliment I can come up with about it.
I really hate writing that too, as the people were insanely nice (which netted the extra star from me). But the place looked like it had been dead all day, so they were probably just happy to know that civilization still existed and some cataclysmic event didn’t happen while they stood behind their counter.
All in all there really is no reason to eat here. You’d be better served going across the street and eating at the food cart in the parking lot. It pains me to say that too, as the old Fuego’s was one of the first dining experiences I had in Austin, so a special place for me has died forever.

Fuego’s has reopened. Unfortunately, it’s not the beating of a dead horse. In this case, it’s the skinning of a dead horse and attempting to convince everyone that the horse still lives.
The restaurant has reopened under new management as a subpar Chipotle clone. The sauces? Gone. You now get a choice of chicken, steak or pork to put in your burrito (or burrito bowl or taco). When I went, they looked as though they had been sitting there for a long, long time; practically dessicated.
And the food– oy. The tortilla was the best part of the burrito. Everything else was bordering on inedible.
The new Fuego’s is nothing but a horrid imitation. Skip it.

It’s true.
Tomorrow ³⁄₃₁ is their last day.
The cook in the back said they’d like to open up someplace downtown. The lady who’s been so nice all this time was a bit more stand-​off-​ish and said that she just wanted a break and that they weren’t looking to open up anywhere anytime soon.
We stopped in today for one last Ahi sammich and one last Fish Taco plate. Both were very good, as usual, but they had run out of sprouts for the sammich. Not a huge deal, really. Still the used-​to-​be-​nice lady said that they shouldn’t even be open today because they were out of things.
Well, heck. That’s just too bad. Poor location, but the food makes up for it, and the service used to be great when everyone was happy.
Sorry to see them go, but when you immediately lock the doors after your only customers leave, and it’s only 5:30…well, I can’t help but wonder how many other poor choices they’ve made.

Tried this little gem this morning after Galaxy Café was only serving breakfast and we wanted heartier fare post-​boot camp.
The good thing is they have this incredible ahi tuna sandwich. Its huge — with a big tuna steak, dressing, tomato and a caesar salad on the side. Their green salsa will change your life — some kind of tomatillo with an extra spice that I just can’t quite identify — and I put that on basically everything.
The server was one poor lady trying to do it all herself, the place smelled really strongly of baby powder (pink fabuloso?) and the enticing and promisingly named carne asada fries were nothing remarkable.
It’s worth going for that sammy/​salsa alone but try to catch them when they have more help and a flushable toilet :)

The fish tacos really are some of the best I’ve had in town, although I wouldn’t call them «authentic.» Then again — fish tacos are probably a Californian invention, anyway, so I’m not particularly sure what «authentic» means in fish taco land. I have a tendency to compare every fish taco I try to the version at Duke’s in Malibu, right on the water across the PCH from where I used to work. I can still picture Duke’s dining room with its gorgeous view! …Which Fuego’s has none of, by the way. Come for the tacos and don’t expect atmosphere. :)

They are really at a disadvantage because the outside of the restaurant (and places around it) doesn’t exactly predict the quality of the food and top notch ingredients. We ate there today as I was craving some fish tacos but didn’t want to drive all the way to Oltorf. We found the interior to be nicer than was expected. The fish tacos were superb. Pan fried snapper (very lightly done) placed on corn tortillas with a special jalapeño tarter sauce and piled with colorful cabbage and pickled onions. The tacos were really wonderful and I savored every bite (and I am a picky fish taco person). I loved the freshness of the ingredients and the zing it put in my mouth.
The hubby got the ahi fish sandwich and he really enjoyed it. Much to his surprise it came with a Cesar salad which he wasn’t too thrilled about. He isn’t much of a salad type of guy. I should mention that my tacos came with beans and rice, but I didn’t enjoy those as much. They were your standard run of the mill refried beans and rice. It was all very well seasoned (everything we ate) which was a nice surprise.
I was sad to see that a restaurant with such excellent food was not that busy for a late Saturday lunch. We will definitely return.

Went back today to try the Fat Burger and fries. I will stick to he Mexican food. That’s all about that.

Fuego’s — you lied to me and I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to forgive you.
Since the menu is advertised as «Cal-​Mex», I assumed that I’d be able to find my favorite Fuego’s dishes in my current hometown of LA. So far, not so good… The fish sandwich with its side of caesar salad is in the pantheon of perfect lunches. I haven’t seen it anywhere in LA. I’ve run out of ideas for finding an acceptable substitute. I fear I’ve been misled about its provenance — not California but the mind of a mad kitchen scientist…
Other favorite offerings include the fish tacos, the carne asada fries and the burger. The rest of the menu also looks interesting but will have to remain unexplored by me.

This was the first time I ate at Fuego’s. I never gave the place the time of day before because of the location. The liquor store that use to be next to Fuego’s had been a source of contention for our neighborhood, but that wasn’t Fuego’s fault. It is actually pretty nice inside with ten tables or so.
I ordered the Al Pastor Enchiladas which were excellent. It wasn’t heavy or greasy like other places, but it was filling. The waitress gave me two different sauces in squeeze bottles which were both delicious. I would have drank them both if she hadn’t kept coming back to fill my ice tea.
The waitress informed me that they make all their sauces themselves, including the salad dressings. I didn’t doubt it. They also serve breakfast tacos in the morning. They are more like a breakfast burrito. The couple of times someone bought me one I thought they were very good.

When driving past this place, my friend and I decided to check it out on
because it stated it had the «best tacos.» We laughed at ourselves because the restaurant is unusually placed next to a used car dealership. We expected it to be a run-​down little taco place but boy were we in for a surprise
This place is absolutely amazing. We entered and the place was very nice. The kitchen had the nice touch of glass walls so you could see exactly what the chefs are doing.
The restaurant hung up its walls with
awards toting that they had the best fish sandwich. I dare challenged that notion.
I ate the had the tuna ahi sandwich and it was out of this world. The ahi tuna was cooked medium perfectly with special sauce, alfalfa sprouts and tomato slices. I could not believe how tasty and well cooked the sandwich was but it was cooked to perfection.
My counterpart ordered the fish tacos which he also said were amazing. I personally did not try them but they looked pretty.
All in all its about $ 10-​$ 13 a plate but well worth it. Its cali-​style so pretty unique in austin.
I only gave them 4 starts because of the poor location.

There are not many things I’ll hit north Lamar up for, especially not past the train tracks. As a matter of fact, there’s not really anything up there for which I can’t find a comparable counterpart in south Austin, but, I’ve been reared a southie, so my bias may be a little on the extreme side. When my north-​side comrade suggested we go, I was feeling adventures, and we made our way past *GASP* Airport Blvd. As it turns out, the trip was worthwhile.
It was a friday afternoon, just a bit after lunch rush time, 2 or 3, and we arrived to an empty restaurant. Not sure what to make of it, we chalked it up to being a weekday, after normal lunch hours. So we get in, and have ourselves a feast. I had the Fish Tacos, and they were as good as everyone had told me before. Fresh, with a delicious sauce, on unimposing tortillas that seemed more authentic than your often found 6 in. mass produced «tortilla.» The enchiladas were delicious, drenched in heavenly sauce, and the cerveza i pounded down after inhaling my meal topped it off, a succesful lunch I’d say. As Shannon B. mentioned before, the slaw topping on the fish tacos was seriously amazing, and I too could eat it by itself, in disgustingly massive quantities.
Pacific side fresh-​mex with an austin flair to it, I recommend stopping by for lunch, it’ll be worth your money.

Excellent fish tacos with the best slaw topping I’ve ever had; I’d eat that stuff by itself, and I don’t really even like cabbage. Perfect, award-​winning hippy-​style grilled ahi tuna sandwich with sprouts and wheat bun. These two entrees will keep me coming back to Fuego despite the turn-​offs…
— outrageously overpriced $ 4 domestic beer during happy hour
— terribly over-​cooked, unchewable calamari
— no chips & salsa
I was too stuffed to make it to dessert this time, but Coconut Cake, watch out ’cause I’m coming after you next. I’ve also heard that the breakfast menu is fantastic.

Awesome! Went here with a friend. He orderd the Three Fish Tacos ($ 9.99) which were delish! I order the carne asade enchiladas at a very well priced $ 7.99. Meat was well seasoned. The red and green sauces are both delightful. I am always wary of the sauces in the plastic bottles.
I have often stepped into these kinds of restaurants (strip mall, next to a small car dealership, so you can never tell what you are going to get!) and have NEVER been this pleased.
The warm coconut cake. Yum. My friend got the famous Fish Sandwich to go… and I heard that was awesome too. This is NOT a fried fish fillet, it is Ahi Tuna Steak. Yes. Seared or well done. Get it seared. :)
My only complaint is the ladies restroom… you know my pet peeve: no place to hang my purse. I hate this!!! Please Austin restaurants… get with it! Where do you want us to put our purse? And please don’t say *gasp* the bathroom floor. Shudder. Also, get rid of the moth ball smelling thingie in the toilet. Hate that. Oh and while I’m at it, increase the amount of hand paper from the ‘wave-​here-​auto-​dispenser’ machine. I know you people are trying to save paper, but all I end up doing is taking 4 times the amount.
The take away: awesome, fresh, delish food at a great price.

Yummy yummy yummy, I got love in my tummy.
It was a Saturday night in the thick of SXSW and the place was empty. We were scared, but we went in anyway. We were glad. The calamari was tender and crisp. The fat burger was even too big for my husband to get his big mouth around, but more than that, it was cooked perfectly medium to order. The fish tacos were a beautiful combination of fresh fried fish and cabbage. They came with a side of rice and refried beans that tasted like they had bacon grease in them. Hooray!
I could see us eating here once a week, easy.

After hearing from a friend about how good Fuego’s is, we decided to give it a try last week for lunch. I was absolutely impressed. The reviews are right, though, there is about zero ambience. This place is probably not a place you want to go for a romantic date.
But the food, man oh man. My mom and I split the fish tacos and a ceasar salad. The tacos were cooked perfectly and came with a creamy sauce, fresh cabage, and spicy pickled onions. They were awesome. The ceasar was huge and the dressing was one of the better ones that I’ve had. It also came with a slice of garlic bread and the garlic butter spread on it was just heavenly goodness. My sister ordered a bowl of the chicken vegetable soup and let me try a few bites of it. Wow. Super fresh, warm yummy broth. Next time I get sick I’m going back for a huge bowl. It had squash, zucchini, onions, carrots, celery, and some other veggies. We finished off our meal with an order of Flan, which was also superb.
We had a really great lunch at Fuego’s. The ingredients are all incredibly fresh, the service was awesome, and the prices are totally reasonable. I can’t reccommend it enough. I just really hope they are able to survive, as there really weren’t a lot of people in there. Please go and support this restaurant. You’ll be glad that you did.

We pulled into the parking lot and debated on going inside or not because we didn’t see anybody in restaurant and there were no cars in the strip center. We decided to go in because I had read really good reviews on Unilocal and on chowhound. I also knew that the restaurant was going through some hard times and we wanted to support a local business so we decided on trying it out. We walked in and were greeted immediately… of course when you are the only customers in the place you would hope to be greeted immediately :). It was a little odd to be the only people in the restaurant, but our service was fantastic and our food came out quickly.
I ordered the fish tacos and the hubby ordered the nachos. My fish tacos were da bomb. Even though the fish was fried it was delicate and flaky and it wasn’t greasy or super crunchy. They were topped with a spicy coleslaw mix that totally made the tacos. I would have eaten a bowl of the coleslaw mix on its own. I liked it much better than when restaurants just put some dry shredded cabbage on top. If you go and order the fish tacos I would suggest that you ask for the jalapeño tartar sauce on the side. It is very good, but I thought it had a little too much on the taco’s. The hubby’s nachos were exactly what he wanted, a ton of toppings on them so every bite was perfect and loaded with Mexican goodness.

Road my bike here today for to-​go breakfast tacos. Mama Fuego wouldn’t let me bring my bike in the store… who can blame her… after my Sarah Stewart workout (workover) and my bike ride with blue shorts, red shirt, blue bandanna, I looked like a crazy-​face cracked-​out American flag has been.
I ordered three breakfast tacos… added an ingredient on each. Price came to between $ 4 and $ 5 for the smallish tacos. They gave me one salsa and when I asked for two more, mama was gonna charge me. We worked out a deal… i didn’t take the coffee with the 3-​tacos ‘n coffee special, she gave the salsa.*
They were small but tasty.
Best part about the whole thing was how mama screwed up taking my order so the kitchen made 5 tacos instead of 3… and watching LeighAnn scold her mama and make sure that I got the correct three tacos was easily a 5 star experience.
I love family restaurants… can’t wait to go back for some crab enchiladas and round two of Fuego family wrestling.
*green was better than red

I ate here for the first time this morning, and I can’t wait to go back! I have NO COMPLAINTS about the food at this place.
The huevos rancheros were delicious! The coffee was fresh, and the home fries were perfectly seasoned.
I also like it that you can see right into the clean kitchen. I like to watch them prepare my food.
In addition, our server (Leigh Ann???), was great! She’s a young pretty woman with hospitable and attentive attitude. Actually, come to think of it, she may also own the business as well.
The only thing lacking about this place is the ambiance. As other reviewers have said, it is located in a strip mall and the décor is nothing special.
But the kitchen is clean, the people are nice and the food is excellent. Like I said, I can’t wait to go back. I’m dying to try their calamari.