Why Texans Can Expect to Pay More for Corn Tortillas This Summer
Plus, Rusty Taco expands to San Antonio and Mother's Day specials abound.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly's taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. He is the author of American Tacos: A History & Guide. José has written for Eater, Imbibe, Dallas Observer, D Magazine, Vice, Cowboys & Indians magazine, Gravy, and other national and regional online and print media outlets. José is also a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and serves on the advisory board of Foodways Texas.
Plus, Rusty Taco expands to San Antonio and Mother's Day specials abound.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
This niche of the food industry is still male dominated, but women have always done the real work behind the scenes.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Plus: a Houston traveler tries to smuggle drugs in a taco, iguana tacos come to El Paso, and French tacos are trés chic.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
This Dallas food trailer is still finding its footing, but it’s mastered the huarache—a sandal-shaped masa dough piled high with a range of delicious toppings.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
El Perrito celebrates the flavors of Texas’s oft-forgotten westernmost city.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
These breakfast cousins are often mistaken for each other. But they have some fundamental (and delectable) differences.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Plus: Pickle margaritas, concha burgers, and a few lines of taco poetry.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Some of Torres Mochas’ best dishes aren’t listed on the menu.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
This Oaxacan delicacy is starting to swarm across Texas.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
It might sound like just another PR stunt—but for Picos, which was recently targeted by anti-immigrant threats, the holiday is a celebration of resilience.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Owner-pitmaster Arnulfo “Trey” Sánchez III uses the weeknight to experiment and express Mexican and Tejano history.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
As the birria boom sweeps the state, these three versions—all served with the customary consommé for dipping—stand out from the rest.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
It's just a silly concept. Plus: Americans are eating 13 percent more tacos, and birria has arrived in Montreal.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
They fear that the end of the mask mandate and the influx of spring break crowds is a recipe for danger.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
It usually doesn’t have chocolate, and it doesn’t require 36 ingredients. Texas chefs are putting their own local, seasonal spin on the classic dish.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Plus: Aaron Franklin's steak taco recipe, Wichita's booming taco scene, and a strange new addition to Taco Bell's menu.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Taco trucks mobilized to feed hungry Texans during the storm, and now they could use your support. Here are nine tips for first-timers.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Plus: heart-shaped taco boxes for Valentine’s Day, breakfast tacos with grits, and a new Topo Chico flavor.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Thanks to thoughtful experimentation and carefully crafted hybrid dishes, cultural appreciation has become the hallmark of contemporary Texas food.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
El Salvador’s national dish shines at Santos Tacos in Crowley (make sure to try the tacos, too).
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
John Hernandez's Casa Masa carries on the traditions he learned in his grandmother’s kitchen.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The Asian nation's food is on the rise in Texas. A recent pop-up collaboration shows how Tex-Mex is giving it a helping hand.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Food & Wine says so, and we agree. Plus: openings and closings around Texas.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Walk-up sales have helped keep restaurants afloat in the pandemic—and they're likely to long outlast it.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
You might have to wait an hour to try this hearty, comforting broth, but it's worth it.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Plus: the Houston Heights gets a new taco stand and Midland gets a Baja-style eatery.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The unusual salsa has become the state’s must-have Mexican condiment.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Plus, Texas tacos hit best of 2020 lists, Houston gets two new taco joints, and Gal Gadot tries Taco Bell.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Steamed for up to an hour in woven baskets, these tacos are a Mexico City favorite.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Plus: mapping Houston's best tamales and resurrecting old favorites from Taco Bell.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
From the classic (Matamoros-style tacos) to the adventurous (birria wontons, anyone?), these are the best dishes I sampled this year.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
We set the record straight and offer several favorite options to fill your belly while fueling up your tank.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
We tried dozens of them and compiled this definitive ranking.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Don’t know a comal from a molcajete? We break it down (and share an easy recipe for discada, a northern Mexican grilled meat dish).
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Plus: the only thing better than an ugly Christmas sweater is a taco-themed ugly Christmas sweater.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Your guide to the many types of tacos around the state, where to find them, and how to enjoy them!
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
A roundup of the city's best offerings, from beefy burritos to modernist cuisine.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The Dallas restaurant is a shrine to the owner’s love of lucha libre and his native Guadalajara.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
This gem of a restaurant in El Paso keeps tortilla traditions alive.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Nicole Blaque stands out in San Antonio with her one-of-a-kind Jamaican tacos.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Dallas's Regino “Gino” Rojas stands out in Texas for his wildly creative food and his willingness to take risks (who says you can’t open a new restaurant concept during a pandemic?).
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
San Antonio's Alejandro Paredes helped changed the scene by focusing on one kind of taco.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The Austin trailer is one of the few Texas trucks that sell legitimate Mexico City–style street tacos.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Stuttering is finally in the spotlight, thanks to Joe Biden’s campaign and the announcement of a groundbreaking new University of Texas research center. But it’s always been part of my life.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Plus, we raise our eyebrows at Ina Garten's enchilada recipe.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Chef Alex Padilla skipped lunch one day, then nodded off. The result is an enormous, one-of-a-kind Tex-Mex burger.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Two new Dallas concepts expertly combine Asian and Mexican flavors and methods, and a new concept from the chefs at Mixtli, in San Antonio, will soon do the same.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Taco Cabana has gone too far.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Ancient, colonial, and contemporary traditions are woven together in Dia de Los Muertos—and baked into the holiday's signature bread.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The Mexico City dish remains rare in Texas, but it's starting to take off in Austin.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.