This Dallas Pop-up Is Making Some of the Best Tamales in Texas
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. He is the author of American Tacos: A History & Guide. Ralat has written for Eater, Imbibe, Dallas Observer, D Magazine, Vice, Cowboys & Indians magazine, Gravy, and other national and regional online and print media outlets. Ralat is also a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and serves on the advisory board of Foodways Texas. In 2022, he won a James Beard award for his Tex-Mexplainer column.
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.
Plus: an absurd device that promises to make eating a burrito easier, and Taco Bell's jalapeño pinot noir.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Nine tips for sampling the state's taco scene without jeopardizing your health or anyone else’s.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Plus: a cheesy dish that's half pizza, half quesadilla.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Alma’s Paleteria stands out for its emphasis on fresh, natural ingredients.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Plus, our recipe for the celebratory dish.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Plus: a new Mexican sushi option in San Antonio, Lubbock's best breakfast tacos, and tacos versus pumpkin spice.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Including cookies and beer.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
For decades, many Texans accepted racist stereotypes that Mexican food was unsafe. Businesses had to emphasize their cleanliness to survive.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
More and more Texas chefs are reconnecting with their roots by making artisan tortillas from scratch.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Plus: actor Danny Trejo urges struggling restaurant owners to “stay strong.”
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The flautas ahogadas at Tacoholics are bathed in salsa verde, drizzled with a zippy crema, and sprinkled with queso asadero.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
It’s time to think beyond beer and margaritas, says Suerte wine director Celia Pellegrini.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
One of the nation’s only Mexican-Chamorro fusion restaurants, C Rojo’s serves tacos brimming with mangoes, pineapples, and even coconut.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Plus: a bizarre Trump campaign ad accuses Democrats of "taking away tacos."
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The truffle of Mexico, this culinary delicacy—sometimes called "black gold"—is treasured by taqueros and chefs.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Three words: tequila almond croissant.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Taco y Vino’s homage to the Taco Bell classic, in which a crispy shell is wrapped in a soft tortilla, is comfort food at its finest.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
And sometimes that’s all you want in a burger.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
At EaDeaux's Cajun Cocina, the tacos come filled with gumbo, etouffee, or boudin.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
We won't judge.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.