16 Great Tacos in Austin

Veracruz All-Natural

Nopales, chorizo, and potato

Sometimes you simply defer to the cook. On a morning visit to the Manchaca location of Veracuz All-Natural, we paused when deciding what to pair with the nopales. The kind woman behind the counter grinned, then finished the order on our behalf with her favorite ingredients. She mixed the cactus with spicy chorizo and then set them on a bed of mostly crisp, chunky potatoes. The starchy potato base helpfully soaked in both the chorizo’s grease and spices and provided an earthy heft to highlight the nopales. We’d have never thought to order this particular combination, yet the results were tough to refute. There are three house-made salsas here, but our favorite is the humble roja served in a molcajete (Veracruz elevates it by doing new batches throughout the day both adding in generous portions of creamy diced avocado). For those looking for a more traditional or familiar taco to order, the migas is also a slam dunk.

4208 Manchaca Rd. (512-629-8238). Open daily 7 a.m.–midnight.