As the coronavirus pandemic news worsens in Texas, the food industry is reeling, with restaurants ordered to close their dining rooms across the state. Among these businesses, of course, are Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants and taquerias essential to Texas life and our bellies. They’re all hurting and dealing with the crisis as best they can to get us the food we love, scrambling to shift operations to curbside pickup, drive-through, and even delivery. Some restaurant owners have been forced to lay off workers, and some, especially at midrange and fine-dining establishments, have made the difficult choice to close temporarily.
Taco trucks, which are a staple in Austin, and some pop-ups, which are an exciting element of the Texas taco life, aren’t as affected by restrictions as other businesses because of their walk-up model. This helps keep some small businesses running and keeps people fed with the ultimate quick, healthy, and portable food. This is how tacos began: a simple street food meant to sustain workers and the urban masses. This is just one of the many ways tacos are a force for good.
It’s more important than ever to support restaurants and food businesses that continue to operate. Here is a list, by city and region, of what some taquerias and Mexican restaurants are doing.
Austin
ATX Cocina has reopened for pickup and delivery. Menu options include to-go margaritas.
Cuantos Tacos, which closed temporarily, is reopen beginning Tuesday, March 24. Hours might change, but for now the schedule will be 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.
Eldorado Café is offering curbside pickup for orders made by phone or online, and delivery via Favor.
Fonda San Miguel is offering curbside pickup for an abbreviated menu. They’d appreciate it if you also order a bottle of booze to go, which Texas restaurants can now sell you—as long as you order food, too—thanks to a waiver issue by Governor Greg Abbott.
Joe’s Bakery & Coffee Shop is selling paper towels, toilet paper, and bleach alongside its famous breakfast tacos. You can order from your car.
Kesos Tacos is offering food to-go and via delivery and curbside pickup.
Mi Madre’s Restaurant is offering its menu for pickup and delivery. Call the restaurant for to-go orders. Delivery is available via DoorDash. Gift certificates are available for purchase at their online store.
Nixta Taqueria has set up an online ordering system for tacos, alcohol, nonalcoholic beverages, and gift cards.
Tacodeli has closed its dining rooms at all of its Texas locations. Its online ordering system remains operational, and the chain has established curbside pickup. Austin stores and the Sylvan Thirty and Walnut Hill Lane locations in Dallas are open until 8 p.m. 8 p.m.!
Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ is open for pickup and delivery, with an online ordering option to skip the line.
Vaquero Taquero has set up preorders for window pickup. Delivery is available via their own truck.
Veracruz All Natural after a brief shut down, the beloved taco operation opened three locations Monday, April 13.
Dallas
Chilangos Tacos is operating on a takeout and curbside pickup basis only.
Del Sur Tacos temporarily closed its Oak Cliff location but the original McKinney spot has curbside pickup up-and-running
Desperados is accepting phone calls for takeout and curbside pickup.
El Come Taco is open for delivery and pickup via phone or messages made through its Facebook and Instagram pages has temporarily closed.
El Padrino, a decades-old family-owned taqueria in the Oak Cliff neighborhood, has started a GoFundMe campaign.
José is offering curbside service and delivery.
Las Almas Rotas, a mezcal bar with a small kitchen, closed temporarily but is now serving food to-go online through its Square site and regular website, though operating hours have changed.
Locura, a new elotes specialist, is open for call-in and pickup.
Resident Taqueria is accepting to-go orders by phone and online and offers its full-menu through Uber Eats.
Revolver Taco Lounge has furloughed its staff, closed its private reservation-only dining space, Purepecha Room, and its front-room taqueria, but is offering pickup from its taco window. All orders must be made ahead at 214-272-7163.
Taco y Vino is offering server industry members a box of six tacos with a bottle of cava or rosé for $30. The Bishop Arts District restaurant has its full menu available for curbside pickup. That includes bottles of wine.
Taco Stop is accepting phoned-in preorders delivered to your car and food delivery service via Uber Eats, Grubhub, and DoorDash. It is also offering its Stopboxes mealkits with tortillas, choice of filling, and all the fixings.
Taqueria Taxco is takeout and delivery via Uber Eats, Grubhub, and DoorDash.
Trompo has canceled brunch and adjusted its operating hours to 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. All food is 20 percent off through March 30.
Urban Taco is operating via curbside pickup. Fort Worth-based boutique Centre has also prepaid for eight hundred taco meal kits, available for pickup. Call the restaurant at 214-823-4723 for a time slot. They have also adjusted their operating hours. They are now open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
El Paso
Burritos Crisostomo in El Paso still has its drive-thrus open.
L&J Café is open for pickup. First responders receive a twenty percent discount on their orders.
The 4119 N. Mesa location of Lucy’s Restaurant remains open and is offering curbside pickup and delivery from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 915-544-3922 to hook yourself up with a plate of great Tacos Antonia.
Tacoholics is open for pickup and delivery via Uber Eats. The taqueria hasn’t had to let go of any employees, and, as of Friday, April 17, according to a Facebook update, is rolling out a new menu!
Taco-Shop, is offering curbside pickup and to-go ordering.
Taqueria La Pila is selling several to-go family packs, including options with thirty flautas and two dozen cheese enchiladas, for $25. Call 915-858-0922 to place your order.
Fort Worth
Tex-Mex standard-bearer Joe T. Garcia’s is offering to-go orders and curbside pickup. The same goes for its sister restaurant Esperanza’s and its two locations.
La Pantera Tacos y Mas, the nightshift taqueria at Panther City BBQ, has closed, but some of its tacos are available for curbside pick until 4 p.m. for the rest of the week.
Magdalena’s Supper Club is offering dinner packs, which include salads, main courses, soups, a la carte side dishes, and taco fillings by the pound, via delivery or curbside pickup. No-fee delivery within Dallas–Fort Worth is available Thursday to Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. Curbside pickup is available Thursday and Friday noon to 7 p.m. and Saturday noon to 3 p.m. Call 817-740-8085 or 817-296-8215 or email [email-hidden] to order.
Mariachi’s Dine-In is offering service industry workers a free box of four tacos and an elote. There is a limit of one box per person and a fifty box maximum daily. Delivery is available through Uber Eats. The restaurant has also set up a Venmo account for virtual tips, all of which goes to staff.
Houston
Belly of the Beast is selling $25 taco family packs for four to five people. Filling options include birria de res, pork belly carnitas, pollo en mole, and pollo rojo. All orders come with rice, refried chickpeas, onions, cilantro, salsa, and handmade corn tortillas. Order online or by phone (346-351-1153) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. Family packs are available for curbside pick up. All orders over $10 include a free kid’s meal.
Cochinita & Co at Politan Row food hall is offering a to-go menu. Orders must be made in advance.
H-Town Restaurant Group has temporarily closed its Oaxacan-inspired high-end restaurant Xochi. However, as it’s posted on Instagram, sister restaurants Hugo’s and Backstreet Café “remain open for delivery via delivery apps, and for curbside pick-up. For pick-up orders of $50 or more, get a $20 gift card!”
La Esquina Food Truck is open and offering free delivery through Uber Eats.
La Macro taco truck is only taking to-go orders. It recently posted that customers are required to wear masks.
The Original Ninfa’s on Navigation and its Uptown location are offering curbside pickup and delivery via DoorDash and Grubhub. For to-go from the Uptown restaurant, call 346-335-2404. For to-go orders from the Navagation outpost, call 713-228-1175.
San Antonio
Comadre Panaderia pop-up will be at the Market at Crosby on Saturday, March 21—with strict rules announced in an Instagram post, including no cash allowed. The menu includes creatively flavored conchas, strawberry milk tres leches cake, empanadas, tortillas, and sourdough starter. They can also deliver to your home.
El Remedio Mariscos y Taqueria food truck is only accepting phone-in orders for pickup. However, they recently posted that the trailer will be closed March 20-25. They’re working setting up accounts with Uber Eats and Grubhub.
H-E-B has added prepared meals from La Gloria and Rosario’s to its San Antonio stores.
La Panaderia has got your carb fix with online ordering.
Los Barrios Family Restaurants is open for dine-in (for no more than fifty diners), takeout, and curbside pickup through March 22.
Ray’s Drive Inn continues to serve its puffy tacos as a, well, drive-in, gloved carhops and all.
Ro-Ho Pork & Bread has online ordering available for pickup and delivery.
Sanitary Tortilla Company (est. 1925) in San Antonio is now delivering its nixtamalized corn tortillas and barbacoa via Uber Eats.
Elsewhere
Atomic Taco Cafe in Aurora is open for takeout until 2 p.m.
La Cosecha Mexican Table in New Braunfels has implemented strict sanitation protocols and is offering family-style to-go options.
El Fogón Tacos & Beer in Brownsville is offering pickup and delivery.
El Pato Mexican Food, the regional chain established in 1974, continues to operate its drive-thrus and also offers curbside service.
Hecho en Queso, a truck in Temple, is offering preorders and prepayment for pickup. They are also available for catering. Hecho en Queso has already served in Salado and Belton.
Montes Burritos in Aledo is selling its namesake items, wrapped in from-scratch flour tortillas, via pickup and drive-thru.
The Original Casa Mañana restaurant in Wichita Falls is open for pickup. The local institution is closed Sundays.
Taco Suave, a walk-up taqueria in Waxahachie, has seen a dip in business but an increase in to-go orders. Delivery is available via Grubhub.
Taqueria El Zarape in South Texas is open for drive-thru and curbside service.
Postponed Events
Taco Fest: Music y Mas was originally planned to go down April 4 in San Antonio. The event has been postponed, but a new date has not yet been announced.
Taco Libre Dallas (full disclosure: I previously curated this festival for five years) has been postponed. The original date was April 25. The new date is November 7.
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