Taco of the Week: Vegan Baja “Fish” Taco at Mariachi’s Dine-In
The gas station taqueria in Fort Worth offers impressive vegan options, including this standout taco built around a fried banana blossom.
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.
The gas station taqueria in Fort Worth offers impressive vegan options, including this standout taco built around a fried banana blossom.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The family-owned Weslaco restaurant pays homage to the owners' Mexican hometown with this delicious meat-filled sandwich.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
This Austin taco shop proves that a great taco takes time.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
This Houston-area pop-up is adding a Tejano twist to a Mexican preparation trending on the West Coast.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Nopales, cocoa powder, squid ink, and beets are just some of the ingredients that can bring a new dimension to tortillas.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
This eatery, in the Texas Panhandle town of Childress, does fried tacos right.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
At this Rio Grande Valley taqueria, starting with dessert might be the best way to kick off a meal of creative tacos.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The San Antonio outpost of a beloved Michoacán restaurant serves pork exactly like what you’ll find at the original in Mexico.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
At this mainstay, a flaky flour tortilla is the foundation of a smoked brisket breakfast taco—or, rather, a mariachi—that's one of the best in the state.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Houston and North Texas see the most closures as the chain shuts down underperforming stores.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
After a national spotlight was cast on Emilia Flores’s coat donation program, an expletive-drenched letter arrives at her taqueria.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
This small El Paso restaurant offers a sense of home and a connection to the past in a most creative way.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Jorge Rojo, chef-owner of Ro-Ho Pork & Bread in San Antonio, left the practice of law behind for the crusty exterior and cushion-soft interior of the birote sourdough bread typical of his hometown, Guadalajara in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The 46-year-old’s early study in baking was of the practical,
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The San Antonio stalwart, known for its creative Tex-Mex tacos, evokes a long-gone Texas Monthly favorite with this offering.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
In addition to my tacos of the week, these dishes from both sides of the border stand out.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The migas taco might be all the rage, but this open-face tortilla delight is the secret star of the North Austin location.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The expert beef preparation was a nice surprise at this Breckenridge breakfast-and-lunch spot.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
How to wear your love for tacos on your sleeve, your feet, or even on a fanny pack.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Poblanos, cauliflower, kale, and other delights have the starring role in these inventive offerings.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
A Waxahachie institution serves a great version of the South Texas specialty.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
An Austin bar and record shop is cranking out wonderful additions to the city’s tortilla scene.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The recently opened Tex-Mex restaurant from chef Omar Flores has a few surprises among the classic offerings. One in particular is a must-try.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
A tradition of the indigenous Otomí people of Mexico is growing in popularity north of the border.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The fried treat scarcely found outside San Antonio isn’t officially on the menu, but it’s worth inquiring about.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The El Paso native and celebrity chef is coming home in support of his new memoir, ‘Where I Come From.’
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Zavala’s Barbecue’s weekday morning alter ego makes a signature taco even better than the joint’s original.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The tortillas de harina at this Brownsville restaurant are amazing, but just one is more than enough.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
A brief history of the costra, a Mexico City delight that's finally gaining traction across the state.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
At his weekly pop-up in Houston, Eddie Ortiz serves tender brisket wrapped in a shell of griddled cheese.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
As Roberto Espinosa and Eric Wilkerson mark the Austin institution's milestone anniversary this week, they look back on how it all began.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
If ever an island paradise were represented in a single dish, this taqueria special might be it.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
I might have come in last place, but I learned a lot while walking in the woods of San Antonio during El Taco Loco.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
A northern Mexican specialty gets a Mexico City twist in Central Texas.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
This Tarrant County taco pop-up treats its vegetarian options as seriously as its meat offerings.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Purists, be prepared to have your minds changed by the Fort Worth pizzeria.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
The new Dallas taqueria serves this not-so-usual taco de guisado.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece connect tacos with community issues in their new show on Robert Rodriguez's El Rey Network.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
I ate my way from San Antonio to Dallas in one (very filling) day. Here are some of the highlights of my taco travels.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
You can cut meat from the bone before you eat, but it’s better to go all in with this San Antonio staple.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Blasphemy? Far from it. Allow me to fill you in.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Restaurants that make tortillas in-house have to get it right, like the new Dai Due Taqueria in Austin.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
They’re rolled, they’re fried, and they’re delicious. And they deserve your respect.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
Let the vast universe of succulent cuts, chewy entrails, and cooking techniques be a mystery to you no more.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
A devotee’s long-awaited taco crawl through Mexico City.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
A border taco run that finds there is more to the city than Chico’s Tacos.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.
A taco tour of Dallas and Fort Worth, from Big D’s Oak Cliff and the Bishop Arts District neighborhoods to Cowtown’s Northside and West 7th strip.
José R. Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food.