Torchy’s Tacos

Being a native San Antonian I know how I like my tacos, made homemade from a hole in the wall and let me just say that Torchy’s Tacos is not the place for me. I’ve been to this location as well as the one in Austin. In these experiences I didn’t think it was worth the hype that people say it is. The other thing is that it’s a long way out from where I live, it is such an inconvenience. I recently came with my friend whose from Austin and eats hipster food. I ordered the chicken fajita taco on corn and the green chile con queso with a water. Both of these things did not impress me at all, it’s too gourmet for me. I barely ate my food pretty much just picked at it.
Recently Austin and San Antonio had a taco showdown with each other in who has the best tacos in Texas after some New York blogger said that Austin had the best tacos. Well this blogger was dead wrong. I dare him to come to San Antonio and try real, authentic tacos in San Antonio. Take yourself to hole in the wall restaurants such as Los Robertos Taco Shop. Austin can keep their hipster tacos but they’ll never win best tacos in Texas. This title belongs to San Antonio. Viva Tacos!

Torchy’s is a’ight…it’s a chain, I believe from Austin, and I still laugh that people got SO excited when it opened in San Antonio. Really?! We’ve got some of the best tacos on Earth, but ok.
The décor is fun and the gangsta lit «DAMN GOOD» sign always makes me smile. I like to come for happy hour. The location is a perfect central meeting point in the city, so we typically choose it for proximity from the airport, medical center, and downtown. I make a beeline to the enclosed bar in the back (TIP: get to it using the side entrance from the parking lot. Extra bonus: avoid the ever present screaming kids in the cavernous dining room)
The food isn’t bad, but it’s not great either. The margs are pretty tasty. The queso IS damn good, I agree with the sign there. The corn cup is above average but not consistent. The tacos are meh in general; I personally prefer more masa and lard in my taco. The brownies and cookie dough bites are a pretty good sweet fix.
Service is usually friendly and prompt enough, but we have had a bad bartender, too.

Queso was bad to the bone. Baja shrimp taco was fiyah. Sat at the bar, bartender was extremely helpful and provided great service. Highly recommend.

I tried it for the first time today with some friends and was blown away! The food and drinks were delicious! I had the queso and chips, one Trailer Trash Hillbilly Style taco, and one Tipsy Chick taco. The THS was a little too spicy for me, but it tasted good. But the TC was amazing! I tried one of their $ 3 bloody Mary’s, and it was really good! I did have two margaritas (the bartender layered them with the strawberry and lime flavors) and they were yummy too. I can’t wait to come back again.

You know when the line is out the door that this place is popular and yummy. I ordered the Independent and Fried Avocado tacos… so good. I also shared the green chile queso with family and OMG. We all agreed it was the best queso we had ever had!

Basically it’s tacos for white people. Are the tacos bad, no. Are the tacos great, no. Average at best. I think the tacos are good, they’re not amazing like how I guess how white people describe how delicious they are.
The breakfast tacos or pretty bad. They mix everything separately. Like four instance chorizo and egg, they don’t cook them as one. They cook the chorizo separate and the egg separate and then they put it in the taco. Same with the potato and eggs. It’s cooked separately and then put in together. Real Mexican breakfast tacos it’s cooked all separate and put all together. The chorizo and eggs are cook together and then put in the taco.
Tacos ⁶⁄₁₀.

Their tacos are delicious especially trailer park, chicken fajita. Love their Diablo sauce…
But I complain about their tortilla used for the tacos are cold and hard sometimes.
Other than that it’s a great place to go for a evening bite.

Huuuuuuuuuuuuge fan of Torchys. Been eating here for years at their Austin locations and was really happy to see them open up on SATX! Great food, nice clean atmosphere, fast friendly service. The taco of the week (or maybe it’s the month) is always the first one I try, but usually ordering 2. The green chile queso is addicting as well. Add in good beers and you have a recipe for success. The only complaint I guess I have is that they’re becoming a little chain-​ish. But can you really blame them for expanding?
Totally 100% recommend this place for some fast casual tacos. So much better than Moes or chipotle.

Great tacos. I had the fried avocado and it was just ok. I wouldn’t do that again. Also had the shrimp taco and it was great! The queso and chips were very good too.
I’ve had breakfast tacos here and they are very good.

Came here after hanging out with a bunch of friends and we all decided to come try this place out. After all the hype from my friends I wasn’t disappointed at all. We were recommended the missionary tacos off of the secret menu and it was soooo good! There was a mix of flavor a and they came together super well. I also recommend getting the chips and cheese dip. It was super delicious and I’ll be back for sure.

Absolutely delicious! For the reviewers who says it’s expensive, maybe a little… But, since the tacos come with two tortillas and plenty of «stuffing», we split ours into two separate tacos. Voila! Cheaper :)
The ingredients were super fresh and plentiful. Loved the refried (pinto) beans with chips. It took us awhile to figure out the organic Maine Root sodas and they turned out to be pretty good (though a little sweeter than what we’re used to).
The atmosphere is a cool, laid back vibe with tons of indoor and outdoor seating, a bar and a super friendly staff. Can’t wait to come back!

I’m basing this review mainly on the price and quality of ingredients. I know this is an Austin based place but they cannot be charging $ 5 for one taco in San Antonio. I was surprised it was just the taco for that price, not even a side of anything or a drink included. When the food arrived, I though the taco would be large for the price paid and it wasn’t! The flour tortilla tasted like they buy them in bulk at Costco, it was not freshly made. I ordered the baja shrimp and was surprised they breaded the shrimp. If they are getting fresh shrimp there is no need to bread them, they are definitely not fresh. I was disappointed and won’t be returning.

I LOVE Torchy’s! I am so happy they decided to come to San Antonio.
Being that this Torchy’s is in a shopping center, the parking can be tricky at times but more often than not you will always find someone who is leaving.
When it first opened it was pretty busy but as the business has progressed it’s still kind of busy but it isn’t too hard to find seating once you get inside. Although, if you prefer outdoor seating they have that available as well!
When you walk in you there are menu’s near the cashiers. I especially love their fajita and order their Queso. It is SO good! I recommend both.
The service has always been great every time i’ve gone and I’ve never left disappointed. Awesome job Torchy’s SA!

This place reminds me of being in college in Austin. Torchy’s Tacos always delivers with consistency and taste. The last time I went there I ordered some queso and chips. The chips tasted home-​made and were warm and perfect!
I enjoy getting the Democrat Taco which has Barbacoa in it. Another favorite of mine is the Trailer Park taco, which has a fried chicken tender in the taco! I have never sat at the bar at this location before, but did so this time. The bartender was attentive, but not to the point to where I felt uncomfortable. This place is great for a quick bite to eat, a casual date, or a place to take friends and family.

These tacos are amazing! This was our first visit since we live out of town, but if we lived here I’d be there all the time. The tacos are inventive and the ingredients are super fresh. Each taco has its own flare and keeps you wanting to try more. The portions are also very decent. The service was great and I’m pretty sure every person there loves their job… If they don’t they’re very good at faking it. Love this place!

WHAT TO ORDER: 2 tacos + side
–A MUST: Green Chile Queso and Chips
–For Breakfast: The Wrangler, Migas.
–For Lunch/​Dinner: The Democrat, Trailer Park, Brushfire, Baja Shrimp
I’m giving this place a high rating because the food is great with consistent quality despite it being a chain restaurant. Since there are so many options on the menu, I’ll keep my review simple and break it down by pros/​cons.
WAITING TIME: If you get here around noon on a Saturday, you will be waiting in a line that goes out the door, but luckily I think the line moves fast and there is plenty of seating inside and outside.
FOOD PROS:
–The menu has a great variety and there are vegetarian options too! Can always try something new every time you come.
–Variety of sauces as well ranging in heat
–Ingredients are fresh
–Some people complain about the price, but I think it’s a decent price ($ 3 – 5) since these are artisan tacos and if you get two tacos, the portion is big enough to fill you up.
–Brunch drink specials are $ 3 on the weekends — woo! Mimosa, sangria, tequila sunrise
–There’s a secret menu btw!
FOOD CONS:
–Not the best tortilla you will have, but the filler ingredients make up for it
–Also since these tacos are packed with ingredients, not really the best to take them to go or save later since it’ll be really soggy
FOOD HIGHLIGHTS:
–THE WRANGLER: scrambled eggs, potatoes, smoked beef brisket, jack cheese with Tomatillo sauce. A good option for breakfast but ask for extra tomatillo sauce on the side because without it, it’s kinda bland.
–BAJA SHRIMP: Love that they don’t skimp on the amount of shrimp. Ask for extra chipotle sauce!
–QUESO: Seriously some of the best queso I’ve ever had at a restaurant. Green chile queso topped with guacamole queso fresco, cilanto, and their diablo hot sauce. GET IT!

I’ve been to Torchy’s in Austin and in Houston, but the size of this San Antonio location, is the biggest and baddest! It’s so big that they have a separate area for a bar and televisions (that airs Spurs!!!)
I wouldn’t say Torchy’s Tacos is the most authentic Mexican cuisine. And I wouldn’t say that Torchy’s Tacos is the cheapest (tacos rolling in at $ 3.75 to $ 4 each). But I can’t deny that I love this place. My favorite tacos are the Brushfire (chicken with mango and SPICY) and the Fried Avocado (explanatory). You can never go wrong with the Green Chili Queso!
The only thing I hated was that we waited SO LONG for our food. Almost 40 minutes and it was a random Tuesday!!!

Went here last weekend for breakfast. Got the migas taco, a coffee and the street corn. The husband got the ranch hand taco and a coke.
I wish I loved what I tried a whole lot the first time, but it tasted a little like Austin hipster food.
Then why might you ask do I still give it four stars and not 3?
The service was awesome. We got a booth (yay! I love booths.) The décor was nice. We got «Mexican» breakfast on a Sunday. Ha. That’s funny, I called it Mexican food. Anyway… The street corn was the bomb. The street corn wasn’t authentic, but still nonetheless awesome and I’d get it again. Although the taco itself tasted a bit hipstery, the menu looked promising and I’m looking forward to trying many more things on the menu. Yummmm… Drool. (Still have thoughts of street corn dancing in my head…)

Torchy’s tacos is like that ex girlfriend you can’t quite remember if she was as awesome as you thought she was or if its because you forgot all the bad stuff. Some of the things they do wonderfully while some of their selections leave much to be desired. I love their chips and queso because it’s full of flavor has a little bit of spice and they give you enough to serve two to three people.
The trailer park taco is probably my favorite because it gives you some of that queso in your taco and has fried chicken, how can you beat that? I’ve tried plenty of the other ones and for me none are as good as this one. I especially dislike the couple of breakfast tacos that I tried here, we’re known for our breakfast tacos in San Antonio and these are a joke. I’m all about flavor and these were lacking in the taste department and offered me nothing unique or different.
I tried the salmon taco and it was forgettable & I love fish tacos. It was yet again lacking in the flavor department. They’re soft drinks are mostly made from pure sugar cane and that was much appreciated and all of the ones I tried were very very good. Service is usually mediocre so there is much room for improvement there but no one was rude by any means, more just indifferent.
People who tell me they think this is the best taco place in town I feel like need to venture out a bit more and try more tacos. These are pretty good when executed right but extremely overrated otherwise. Still far from the best in town. I will say that they will stay in my rotation so I get a chance to try some of the other things I still have not sampled, but my past experiences make me think this place will never get above 4 stars if they step up their game. Hopefully for them, I’m wrong.

Good tacos, so-​so service.
Went to Torchy’s on a chilly Sunday for a late breakfast and it was very tasty. We sat at the bar and our order was taken quickly and the food came pretty fast after that. I was very pleased with the food. The bar where we were sitting has an inside section and an outside section. The outside section was enclosed with large pull down, outdoor windows, so it wasn’t cold. The problem was that the wait staff were in the inside section and stopped coming to the other side to check on us. Once we got our food, I felt we were on our own. There were 2 different people who waited on us, but I had to get up and go find someone when I wanted more to drink or anything else (this happened more than once). They were very nice, but they seemed to have forgotten about us.
Anyway, I will come back and try this place again because the tacos were delicious. I just hope we get better service next time.