Juanita’s Tacos and More

Went to Juanita’s off Airport tonight and I walked in and found a weird setup. I noticed a couple of things. I was the only customer. There were two ladies sitting at a table finishing their supper. One had been smoking. The smoke alarm kept beeping while I waited for my Pastor order. When I was ready to pay, there was no cash register. I paid the lady who had prepared the tacos al Pastor. When I got home, I tasted the taco, found it ok, but a bit greasy. I kind of lost my appetite while waiting for the order and breathing in tobacco smoke, so I did not finish eating my order. It was a very disappointing experience.

So glad Juanitas is back ! they are now on airport in a red building and the pastor tacos are still the best around!

Where did she go? Did she open up somewhere else? Sad to see it go.

SAVE JUANITA’S TACOS!
Juanita’s, housed in a red caboose, is an Austin Institution. I think their Migas breakfast taco is the best breakfast taco in town.
Unfortunately I just learned this morning that Juanita’s is being forced to move after 10 years in her current location. She has to move by the end of the month (April 2011) and doesn’t have a new location.
Ideally it would be great if she could stay in her current location. However, this apparently isn’t an option. If you are reading this, please spread the word and help find her a new spot.

Authentic breakfast tacos and at great prices… this is the real deal.

Wait. Is this a trailer or a restaurant? No matter. The food is good. Yes, you can sit inside this trailer OR (my recommendation) outside. You can park here too! The food tasted fresh. But what caught my eye was the orange salsa. It’s deep. And the chips are freshly made.
Juanita’s is a bit out of place in it’s location and that’s a shame. Most of W. 5^th street used to look like this at one point. But then came a thing called «progress». So, you’re sitting outside and that’s nice. The food is good in the way that a salty beef fajita taco can be good… but you’re surrounded by traffic, tall buildings and tension not far from you. Fortunately «Juanita and her Husband» treat you right.
I wasn’t a huge fan of their refried beans. So they must be authentic! Their Spanish rice was interesting. It was long grain and salty. Maybe a little oily.
Overall, this place was a victory for the Unilocal Mobile App which is what steered me here from Zilker Park. And I’d say that it’s a place that I wouldn’t consider a must-​visit destination, but rather one that, should fate (or a GPS) steer you there, you would not have been steered wrong.

i love this little joint b/​c it’ the epitome of austin and local! great bfast tacos that aren’t greasy and have some depth to them. super soft tortillas and very fresh fillings. their green salsa with cilantro is amazing! definitely a place i’ll frequent. not a fan of torchys or rudys b/​c their tacos just drip grease.
$ 5 min for credit cards and private parking lot available, which is a win! not busy at all at 8:30am on a weekday :)

Loving the breakfast tacos here. Fresh tacos cooked to, in my opinion, perfection. Just the right amount of each ingredient. I also love that these tacos are NOT a slop of grease. A nice clean full feeling after consuming just 2 of these.
On a side note, I brought a dozen in for coworkers who normally have breakfast tacos at Torchy’s, El Chilito, or Taco Deli. They had nothing to say but positive things about Juanita’s.

it’s a boxcar from the outside but from the inside it’s a taco heaven.
we found it randomly after church a couple sundays ago when my wife had a sudden taco craving. we pulled into juanita’s, as it was the first place we saw. i was apprehensive as i pulled open the tiny door (alice in wonderland anyone?) and then immediately surprised as i stepped into a cozy restaurant space.
there was family in there ordering ahead of us, so we had time to scan the menu. my wife ordered 2 breakfast tacos (cheese, eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage) and i ordered 2 breakfast tacos (cheese, eggs, chorizo, bacon) and a machada.
every taco was so good. fresh, not overcooked, not greasy– runny enough to taste good but not runny enough to drip all over your shirt and arms. the salsa was also fresh and provided an excellent biting sting to the back of my throat.
i will be back. best tacos in austin.

I’ve driven past this place thousands of times and never stopped in. The sight of a tagged-​up old train car wasn’t enough to entice me in. Today, however, the traffic on Mopac was HORRIBLE and I needed a Mexican pick-​me-​up ((tacos/beer)I didn’t get beer at 8am, though).
Upon sliding through the ancient little door, you enter a suprisingly inviting and delightful interior. There are only 4 tables inside, but the walls are covered with pictures of patrons past and news paper clippings about the stand. This place definitely has history.
I ordered my usual breakfast tacos (migas, potatoe/​egg/​cheese, bean/​egg/​cheese). Let first say that I have eaten at a SHITLOAD of different taco stands in the Austin area. Most are mediocre, with their store-​bought tortillas and tasteless salsa. But this place sets the standard for breakfast tacos in Austin. The tortillas were über-​fresh, the tacos themselves were a good size and not too greasy. The salsa, while a bit thin, was some of the most delicious I’ve ever had. It was bursting with flavor without being too hot/​too watery/​too little quantity. They generously give you 1 salsa per taco, which is plenty for this size of taco.
The bottom line is that you will be hard pressed to find anything even close to the level of deliciocity that these tacos posess. If they would set me up a small bed in the back of the stand I would never leave. Juanita is my honorary abuelita!

Love Juanitas! Family owned and authentic breakfast tacos that are always fresh and tasty. This is my go-​to bfast taco place when I am west of downtown.

Green sauce. Migas. Done.

I love Juanita’s! Every morning I’m in there for my migas on corn tortillas smothered in the red salsa. She’s a little late opening (sometimes forgetting to turn on the open sign), and a little more so on Mondays.
I generally call in my order about 5 – 10 minutes before getting there and my tacos are ready to pick up.
Juana is a very sweet lady who makes some damn fine tacos. It’s nice to have a healthier option to El Arroyo’s queso-​smothered migas tacos down the street.
Tip: have patience and don’t be in a hurry the first time you go in. It’s usually only her and one other person working and a lot of people call in orders. So, even if you’re the only one there, they may be busy cooking for people on the way to pick up their orders.

okay so, juanita is not a bowl of roses or a bag of joy. she greets you with a fake smile and charges you more than the dude that works there.
BUT O to the MG that red salsa is banging. The al pastor is really awesome and they really do have the best breakfast tacos in town in my opinion. The tortillas are super fresh as are the ingredients inside. I mean i’m a hardcore foodie foodlover will pay anything for foodie so I don’t really mind the fluctuating 50 cents or so. No the tacos aren’t huge but I don’t want my a$$ to be so that’s not really a bad thing to me. GET THE AL PASTOR or the MIGAS and douse it with that red goodness. GUACAMOLE IS HOLY as well. oh and side note rice & beans aren’t that great. (yea weird, right ?)

Shit! Avoid lunch here. No wonder it is always dead when I pass by! Food was ok, but when 3 of us got a $ 34 bill for 3 not so big or great tasting taco plates we shit our pants. I could have hit Z Tejas for that and better quality! Might be ok for breakfast but lunch sucked! Over priced. Prices not even marked! Might change depending on who comes in. Shady shit! Avoid avoid avoid!

I just moved here from Houston a few weeks ago and have a few reviews to write, but I’m starting with this place.
This morning I’d been on cruise around Austin with a realtor looking at cute and not-​so-​cute apartments. (More not-​so-​cute, but whatevs.) And after we were done, it was 1pm and I was stu-​har-​ving. Juanita’s was the first place I saw, and so…
There is a $ 5 minimum for credit/​debit and as I’m not in the habit of carrying cash (SOOO 1960s), I called my husband to see if he was also hungry. As usual, yes. And instead of buying a million tacos in order to reach $ 5, I ordered 2 tacos for him and a migas plate for me, para llevar.
The whole ride home I regretted my migas choice. I tend to order migas while I picture chilaquiles and then I get a plate of tortillas fried with salsa. And I was like, «Dammit!» and already figuring out how I’d steal my husband’s tacos and give him my migas.
When I got home, I opened my package (HOW is styrofoam still around??) and there were these eggs scrambled with peppers and onion and tomato and cilantro and deliciousness. They seriously might have been the BEST migas I’ve had in my life or at least in a very long time.
I don’t know how their tacos are, I didn’t try them.

In a town of many, many breakfast taco joints, this is my favorite.

People say you can only choose two of these three, when it comes to eateries: cheap — fast — tasty.
I think Juanita’s has found a way to blow that maxim out the water.
Coming from the Oakland, CA area, I’ve had my share of taco truck tacos (though corn tortillas are more the norm back there). Juanita’s immediately has that feel as soon as you walk in (since I believe it literally is a converted taco truck), and therefore taco street-​cred. And it’s very cheap. And it comes out fast. And most importantly it is DANG TAZTY. I think it’s up there with some of the best tacos I’ve had in Austin, period. Soft, home-​made looking tortillas (either that, or El Preferida is having some issues with making their tortillas completely round these days), and very flavorful meats and salsas. And the lady is friendly, to boot.
Btw, the barbacoa is to die for.
This place is a thumbs up. And it’s wonderful that it’s so near the downtown area. The only reason I’m not giving it a five, is because there’s this ghetto but slightly tastier (true) taco truck 15 minutes east on MLK, and I have to give that place the edge. But Juanita’s is like a Brian Boitano triple lutz on a bad day — a 4.5. Which means it’s very, very good.

I’ve stopped in for some breakfast tacos a couple of times, and all I can really say is that they are better than Taco Shack, which isn’t saying a whole lot.
Today I stopped in and got a bean and cheese, potato/​egg/​cheese and a bacon/​egg/​cheese. There was only cheese on my bean and cheese taco. I called and the response was, «Ok, so what do you want?» in an annoyed tone. Well, sir. I would have liked the cheese I paid for, especially since my 16.9 oz Diet Dr. Pepper (which wasn’t cold) was $ 1.75. But instead of saying that, I just said «Well can I get a free taco the next time I’m in there since I already paid for the cheese that I didn’t get?» «Yeah, ok» «Do you need my name?» «no I have your credit card receipt and your name on the caller ID.» Except, I was calling from work.
The tacos are good, but I’m pretty sure I could make tacos that taste the same if I wasn’t lazy in the morning. I’m not going back for that free taco, and I probably won’t go back at all.

I haven’t found tacos this good since Tio’s Tacos in the (former) ghettos of downtown Bryan TX at 3 in the morning. And those were worth risking your well being.
Juanita’s tacos undoubtedly parallel Tio’s, but I’d venture to say +1up it with their flavor! Their cheesy egg & jalapeo stuffed taco is divinity. Barbacoa of course is extremely hard to funk up in my opinion, and the al Pastor was perfect. Salivating as I speak.
Juanita’s is actually an abondoned caboose propped up on cinder blocks and wooden frames. Inside (two) closets designate the men’s and women’s bathrooms, each too tiny to allow more than one person at a time. I’d imagine if this caboose ever got back aboard the night train whoever was in the bathroom would raise some hell. Entertaining scenario however.