Torchy’s Tacos

This place has some good food. They have lots of good tacos to choose from, but don’t miss out on the other menu items. They have some of the best queso in Austin. I usually just use the drive-​thru here since they hardly have any parking. Good place. I recommend it.

I frequently pick up tacos from here as it is right around the corner. Unfortunately for me it seems that people have picked up on the call ahead or order online routine which allows you to walk in, cut the line and pick up your order before a single car in the drive through has managed to move. Ideally this shouldn’t be unfortunate but lately I have had to awkwardly wait in the tiny Torchy’s because the pick up time estimate has been off. It’s not that I mind waiting, but if you have been inside of this location you know that it’s already lacking in space and there is next to no standing room unless you are in line. But I digress as the tacos are always on point. Shout out to the person who upgraded me to a full order of guac when I only ordered a half! Y’all know how to make a girl feel special.

First day in Austin for work and I find this place. Probably the best tacos I’ve had, may be living in the NorthEast, I’m not exposed to good tacos. Just pick whatever you like from the menu and you won’t be disappointed. Get ready to wait in line if you show up after 1130am. In a Republican state, try the Democrat taco :-)
Its damn good!!!

I absolutely love this place. This is where I take everyone who visits me. In fact, this is always the first place my mom wants to come when she’s in Austin. Their customer service is also ace. I recommend buying the hot sauce.

All I have to say is DEEEE-​LICIOUS!!!
My favorite taco, hands-​down, is the Trailer Park fried chicken taco — get it TRASHY, of course! Try it with Diablo Sauce for a kick instead of the Texas-​style ranch sauce that it comes with, of which I have never been a fan. There is a reason that they sell bottles of it.
My husband cannot go there without getting the Matador — perfect for you Texas Brisket Lovers! A meal at Torchy’s would not be complete without an order of Guacamole or their famous Queso — yes…QUESO…it has green chile and guacamole on top to seal the deal!
YUMMMM…my mouth waters just thinking about it
Be prepared to wait in line because Torchy’s is no secret. It moves fast so no need to fret. They usually play good tunes while u drool over the tacos that await. BTW, weekend evenings they are open late and there is a drive thru! Torchy’s is an Austin staple. You will become an addict, I assure u.

The food is pretty okay but there is no parking and you had better be ready to wait 45 minutes for a cold taco. It happens about every 1 in 3 times I come here. I really need to just go to a different location.

If all you eat is the guacamole and the queso, then you won’t walk away disappointed, but the tacos for which this place is named are also delicious!
My favorite taco is the fried avocado. I love that they have Maine Root sodas, too, since they’re Cane Sugar sodas… no HFCS!
We love the kids’ menu, too… My daughter’s favorite is the «Lil’ Devil,» which is a flour tortilla with peanut butter & banana, coated with corn flakes and deep fried, served with strawberry jelly.
If you’ve never been, RUN, don’t walk, to the closest Torchy’s near you!
This particular location does not have a lot of seating, so it’s a bit tight to find a table, especially if you have a larger group. There is a drive-​thru at this location, though. The wait time isn’t «fast food,» but it’s not unreasonable if you remember that everything is made fresh.

Was told I needed to stop by Torchy’s during my first trip to Austin. Was. Not. Disappointed. The tacos and guac were super tasty!
If you like spice and fried chicken (which, let’s be honest, you should) order the Trailer Park and «make it trashy» by subbing queso. You won’t regret it!

Food is good, if you ever get it. It’s also pretty expensive for what you get. This location has terrible parking, and never EVER gets in a hurry. Go to another location. You’ll thank me later.

Review specific to this location — IT IS INFESTED WITH BUGS.
There are so many fly’s and gnats it is impossible to eat here. Very sorry but I will stick with other locations for my fix! Clean this place.

Yet another go to Taco joint. Their Diablo sauce is my main draw. Fried Mushroom tacos, Avacado tacos and street corn are next in line.
Their migas are a-​ok and so are the chips. Decent prices, friendly people and good tacos what else do you need.

Parking in this location is sparse and at a premium. It does however have a drive-​through, so that’s a plus.
It was super-​busy when I stopped in. This was the first time in this location, as the last time I was in Austin there were only two Torchy’s in existence. (Yes, it’s been a while.)
The dining room is small, but there’s outside seating to be had. The proximity to the highschool meant that there were a decent amount of teenagers in the place. The flow was good, the line moved quickly, and it didn’t take to long to get my queso and tasty tasty tacos.
The soda selection was a company I had never heard of, but the diet cola was good.
About the only negative thing I can say is that the chips that came with my queso were small broken pieces that took an effort to dip and eat. Didn’t have that problem with the one in Anderson Mill…

I feel like I’m going to be shunned by the local Austinites for my review… But I was totally underwhelmed and unimpressed with Torchy’s. We recently just moved to Austin from the Northeast, I know you’re probably thinking that makes us taco-​naïve, but I gotta tell you, our friends back home own a Mexican restaurant and their tacos are to die for. Taco Escobarr FTW!
Despite looking delicious our Torchy’s Tacos were soggy on the bottom and either flavorless or over-​seasoned. I tried the fried avocado one which was just one muted note (which is really disappointing because fried avocado is delicious), while my squeeze said the pulled pork taco was overloaded with salt. The other two we had, the braised beef and ‘Dirty Sanchez’ were alright, but nothing I’d rush back for.
I was sooo hoping to love this place! I’m sure since we now live in Texas there will be plenty of other taco locations to try, sorry Torchy’s.

4.5 stars for this great taco place with great service at the bar. Yes, the parking situation is unfortunate since you have to back out into the street, dodging oncoming traffic in the process, and the bathroom could use a little TLC, but the tacos are really good. Two tacos is probably enough for a meal, although you won’t regret adding a third. There are so many tacos to try from and supposedly, there’s a secret menu (which we didn’t get to try). I’m a fan of the Democrat, the Trailer Park and the Brushfire.
The place is super casual and the ambiance reminds me a bit of Nando’s (peri peri chicken). Definitely a great spot for lunch or casual dinner. We sat at the bar and service was really friendly, fast and helpful. My iced tea never sat more than half empty and food came out fast. Being situated near UT Austin, I thought the place would be more rowdy and divey, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it relatively quiet and very clean. We waddled out feeling full after only spending $ 8 (!!!) per person!

For as awful the parking situation is, the food more than makes up for it. I’ve definitely had a better experience when eating in instead of getting it to go.
My favorite taco is the Trailer Park (Trashy please!) and I always have to have some of that queso! I honestly don’t know how places like Taco Bell or Taco Cabana stay open when there are so many superior options in Austin…
Go. You definitely won’t be disappointed!

Holy giant tacos! I’m accustomed to small authentic tacos, where you could eat three before feeling officially full. Thank goodness I had the better judgement to only order two tacos, because by the end of our meal, I was so painfully full!
I ordered the Democrat and the Dirty Sanchez. The Democrat was closer to the authentic tacos I am familiar with back home– shredded beef, onions, cilantro, fresh lime, and the «fancy» additions of avocado and queso fresca– on corn tortilla (as they should be). The Dirty Sanchez was the gargantuan taco I wasn’t expecting– a huge amount of scrambled eggs, an entire fried poblano, guacamole, carrots and cheese. Let me tell you, it was delicious, but it was sloppy!
Also, I wasn’t expecting an order of chips and guacamole to be large enough to feed a family!

I know Torchy’s is an Austin institution but I actually usually go in Ft. Worth, so my default I’m comparing this location to the one I’m used to.
It’s a pretty small location. There’s not much seating inside and people standing in line might end up butt up against your table. There’s a decent amount of patio seating but alas not a decent amount of patio weather in this town.
They have a drive through though, which makes it all better. My Torchy’s doesn’t have a drive through, which stinks because sometimes there is nowhere to sit and I would prefer to just drive through instead of going somewhere else… but I digress.
I ordered my usual Trailer Park (trashy) and the taco of the month «Tipsy Chick»
Most of the monthly tacos are good, only some are great — this one was grrreeeaaatt! (cue Tony the Tiger). It’s got grilled chicken, sweet corn, some kind of bourbon jam… omfgyum.
It’s right up there with the Scallywag for favorite taco of the month. I hope it comes back again.
Only downside was, it was drippy. My trashy trailer park was not only trashy but tipsy (aka soggy) when I got to it. They should serve the tipsy chick by itself so it doesn’t molest the neighbors.
I still think homemade tortillas are all they need to kick it up a notch to a 5. They’re at like a 4.75 for me.

When we’re being lazy, and we realize we’re leaving the gym late and don’t have a dinner plan, Torchy’s is an obvious choice. Our order is simple:
— Green chile queso and chips (86 the extra cilantro dumped on top)
— wife’s Democrat (I don’t tell her what part of the cow «barbacoa» comes from) on corn
— my Ranch Hand (scrambled egg, fajita beef, and cheese, on flour). It’s on the «breakfast» menu, but available day/​night
The tacos are usually quite filled, and we at times have asked for extra tortillas to split a single taco into 2. I find the Democrat to usually be salty, but that’s kinda what my wife likes about it.
What I like about this location?
— Usually fast. We’ll order on the website while driving over there, and usually have no wait
— Same as all locations — the queso
— The outside covered patio is comfortable, has music, and is fun to watch all the comings and goings
What I don’t like about this location?
— terrible parking lot, always dodging people, and hardly any spots especially during a workday due to the adjacent day care that likes to tow, and turning in from Spicewood Springs is scary
— the disdain I get when trying to «cut the line» to the «pick up phone orders here» area
— people who have been in line for 10 minutes and finally grab a menu when they get to the front (ok, that’s not Torchy’s fault)
— when we do have to wait there for our order, it always feels like you’re in the way
We used to enjoy the patio dining more, but now we usually just pick up. Not enough hours in the day, I guess. I don’t even bother with the «Go Local» discount anymore. I don’t think it even covers sales tax. Folks complain all the time because «tacos should cost a dollar» or something, and these don’t. But for $ 15 or so, we’re always happy.
4.25 stars

BIG tacos! They don’t skimp on the ingredients at all. They give two tortillas if you order tacos on corn. I usually order two tacos at a restaurant and feel satisfied, but here I felt STUFFED!
Some tacos I did like more than others. Most here feel a tad too greasy and heavy with sauces. Overall, I would describe the tacos here as rich, dense, and jam-​packed with flavors that sort of mix together. The flavor of the ingredients compliment each other well, but in a sloppy sort of way. Does that make sense? Not like it tastes bad in any way, but in a sloppy joe sort of way. A mess of good flavors.
Like I’d describe Tacodeli as having a «clean» taste where the good taste is in every individual ingredient that make up the taco. At Torchy’s, the good taste is in the combination of the bold flavors assembled together. Personally, I think I am more a fan of Tacodeli’s lighter, clean tacos compared to Torchy’s incredibly dense, messy ones. But that is a matter of personal preference! Both taste great, in different ways.

When in Austin, tacos are a must. And Torchy’s has some big hefty tacos. I get more than stuffed after eating just 2 of them.
As a vegetarian, I can only comment on a few. I really like the Fried Avocado and the Independent. I can’t eat them without making a mess just because of their size and everything in them. But they sure are delicious and you do get your money’s worth.
I’d also recommend the Lil’ Nookies for an indulgent treat. They’re basically deep fried chocolate chip cookie balls. The first time I got them there was a ton of powdered sugar, which can be quite messy. The second time, they hardly had any powdered sugar (as shown in the photo). I’m not really sure what happened there but either way I still enjoyed them.
I wouldn’t recommend using the drive-​thru — in my opinion, the long wait to order and get your food feels much worse sitting in a running car than inside the restaurant. But I guess it makes you that much more ravenous to devour your tacos.