Taco Cabana

Ordered a cabana bowl, personal nachos, bean and cheese taco, small refried beans. Cabana bowl had no chicken, personal nachos was a plate of some ground beef with toasted shredded cheese, no queso, quac or sour cream given, didn’t get the bean and cheese taco and the refried beans were cold and consistency was like dog food.

Considering this is located in a popular area, it’s in pretty bad shape. The bathroom had no soap or paper towels, the salsa station was half empty, there were a half dozen tables with messes that hadn’t been cleaned up… The only saving grace and the two stars is that the fajita was not bad… They need to step up their game here.

Very dirty drink station, with a sour smell and gnats flying around. Dirty bathroom with no changing table.

Let me start by saying that I like Taco Cabana in general… the street tacos, tortillas, rice and beans are all pretty good for the price; sure, its not upscale like Benjis, or as good as places in the East Side, but for the price, convenience, and hours of operation, its pretty good.
Having said that, me and the group that I was with had quite the experience the other night. They literally had 2 people working this location when the bars were getting out. That means two people cooking, working the cash register, cleaning (in theory)… They shut down the drive through likely as a result. After we ordered, about 25 minutes into waiting (literally), I was ready to leave and abandon my food. But my friends refused, and they drove, so we stayed. One of the employees acting as both cashier and cook would take money, then go on to make orders and call out orders… not by order number on the receipt, but by the type of food (which caused mass confusion since more than 1 of the 20 people waiting may have ordered a burrito or a taco at a Mexican food restaurant).
When a new customer came in, production of food stopped, and we all waited that much longer. Somewhere around minute 30 – 40 one of the two employees stopped working, to call the police on a customer who seemed like he was trying to buy a beer after hours; perhaps he opened it before he got to the register? So now it was one guy working. On minute 45 we saw him leave the register, grab a few cold tortillas, and make our tacos. Despite how unsanitary the situation was, plus the place looked like a war zone with no one cleaning it, salsa and garbage everywhere, and drunks packed inside angrily waiting, I ate the taco that I just saw the only working employee slop together… cold tortilla, runny meat that had been out since we arrived, all made by a guy who looked like Kid Rock – mullet and all – wearing dirty gloves, and thrown on a counter for me and a dozen other people to debate who it belonged to.
Needless to say, probably my single worst fast food experience. I like Taco Cabana, but the highly flawed logistics of the staffing and food preparation, and mismanagement of the place in general (perhaps at the ownership, management, and staff level) make me obligated as a reviewer to give that location only 1 star.

I’ll start off by saying I normally enjoy TC, yes it’s cheap fast Mexican food — DUH! I’m more rating this particular location as a whole. It was one of the most unsanitary food establishments I’ve ever been in. All of the tables were covered in garbage, the salsa bar was a mess, and all of the beverage utilities were sticky like they hadn’t been cleaned in months. Not to mention there were only 4 other customers In there so there’s no reason why someone couldn’t have been cleaning up the place. I will never be back here. Disgusting.

No atmosphere but new cashier was very friendly! Margaritas were yummy especially for $ 1.50 happy hour price; not too sweet and even salt on the rim. Nachos: solid. They were like you’d make at home from cheap grocery store items, but in a good way.

If you have a drive-​thru, no one should have to wait 40 minutes for a meal.
Also, some of the regulars at this location can be bothersome at certain points and can make it an uneasy environment to eat.

Not a big fan of Taco Cabana. Cheap fast food Mexican. I love Mexican food, but it needs to be a little more authentic than this. It’s ok if you are in a hurry.

The worse customer service in Austin thus far. Three people ignored me while I, the only person in the store, stood there. After being rudely asked «are you ready?» I ordered two tacos with cheese. I received my tacos as she handed me the bag she realized she didn’t put cheese on it, then threw a cup of shredded cheese into my bag. Lazy, horrible customer service and the food was cold. Taco Cabana fail.

This is the most horrible taco cabana I have ever been to. This review is based off of multiple visits, as it is a short walking distance from my work.
No one smiles, no one greets you, all of the condiments look like shit. The diced onions are definitely there from at least a few days prior, and the cilantro is usually far past death. If you order through drive-​through, you will most likely get the wrong order. I have, on an order of 2 breakfast tacos, as is, as on their menu, and instead gotten 3 of something I didn’t want (with no other customers in line). Read me my order. This is fast food, not fucking rocket surgery.
One time when ordering inside, my order number was called out, then a guy set my tacos, wrapped in foil, on the counter, then pulled out a still-​flattened bag, and just laid it there. You can’t put the tacos in my bag for me? I have to pay roughly 50 cents for per taco, than I would at any other fast-​food restaurant, for self service? Not to mention, today, my potato and egg taco had ONE small bite of potato. It’s like everyone here is leaving their job tomorrow. No one here gives a shit about service industry. It should be either shut down or re staffed entirely. Posting pictures of the food as well. Hope you guys get lucky and don’t have to work there anymore, as you have obviously given up completely.

Taco Cabana is just above taco bell. Their high points are that they’re open late night. I presume this is a late night I’ve been drinking food. I did not find my food disgusting but as with any food that there are tons of options for, i’m sure I can find a better quesadilla elsewhere. The question is can I find it at 2am.
I’ll avoid this place until I’m taken in again.

You need a taco? They got a taco. Best thing about Taco Cabana is the salsa bar and their freshly made tortillas. After that, you’re here because it’s closer than something better.

I mean, look, it is what it is. A fast food taco joint that’s most satisfying when you’re hopelessly drunk. Welp, I happened to eat here for lunch last week and I wasn’t totally grossed out! It’s a nice alternative to Taco Bell with a lot more authentic-​looking options. I also ordered the new Chocolate Cajeta Cake and though it’s totally pre-​packaged bullshit, it was tasty!
Whatever, I would kick Taco Cabana out of bed.

Don’t let the new ad campaign fool you: it’s just the same old crap. Maybe if Taco C would stop wasting money having the Sarah Silverman rip-​off pimp all the new stuff on the menu and got back to their core competencies, this place might be worth more than one star.
The new ad campaign fooled me. I thought, maybe it is time to give the old Taco C another shake. Boy, was I wrong. I went a couple weeks ago and got the fajita plate to go. The one nice thing I will say is with the plates, you get the two tortillas used on your tacos and two other extra tortillas, so that’s pretty sweet. Aside from that though, the meat was raughty and gross and the rice was so hard, it’s a good thing it did not crack one of my crowns. If the staff gave a darn, they wouldn’t have served rice that was so obviously old and inedible.
I called the location three times that afternoon to get a refund but of course, no one answered. I called their survey hotline listed on my receipt and took their survey and was very specific about the issues with the food. The next day, this location’s manager called me and apologized and said that they could not refund my money would would give me some free meal vouchers. Sure whatever. Cause there’s nothing you want to do more than go back to get a place that you had a sub par experience at three more times instead of just getting your $ 6 back.
My two subsequent visits have been generally at the one to two star level. Those hickory brisket tacos they are pimping now are much more the consistency of overcooked barbacoa and taste like they have been artificially flavored with hickory and the meat is the color and smell of dog food. Where’s Gordon Ramsey when you need him. I could just picture him opening up those sad tacos and exclaiming, «It looks like a bloody dog’s dinner! You expect me to eat that?!?»
The rice has been generally the most inconsistent: crack a crown hard the first time, softer than soufflé the last time, and today, almost spot on. I’m shocked as you are, believe me. I still have one more meal voucher…
The moral of the story: you are never in so much of a hurry, craving Mexican food so bad that going to Taco C is a good idea.

Stopped in this morning to grab a couple tacos, black bean and bacon & egg. Not impressed and kind of disappointed.
So first the black bean taco — which used to be my favorite. The rice was overcooked and even hard — and there was a lot of rice. The ingredients just seemed like they had been sitting out. Considering it was about 8am and it’s open 24-​hours, I can’t really understand that.
Then there was the bacon & egg taco — apparently bacon now comes in chunks that look similar to ham. Why would you not just put bacon strips in the taco??? It seems like these were the chunky fat bits after cutting out the good stuff.
Ugh dangit for being hungry. If I wasn’t I would not even be eating these tacos right now — and believe me I considered it.
The only reason this location is getting 2 stars instead of 1 is that I usually like Taco Cabana just fine, in fact their cabana bowls are great, but I guess not everyone is consistent.