Why so complicated, you might ask. Well, there are different reasons and seasons why we taco. There's breakfast, lunch, dinner, late-night. There's tacos for bringing to work, tacos for catering a theme party, and tacos just because. There are tacos with meat, without meat, on flour, on corn, and everything in between. When you ask me what the best taco is, I kind of feel like this girl:
Today, we're going to taco bout breakfast tacos.
I think a ranking system is overly simplistic and unfair. So I'm going to offer you a few places where you can get excellent breakfast tacos. By no means is this an exhaustive list and I'm sure there will be some contention with it, but let's face it, we have different palettes.
One more thing: tacos are more than just a filling inside of a folded tortilla. Tacos are about sharing an experience with your community - be it family, your best friends, or the waitress that just brought you two bean and cheese on flour and a cup of coffee.
Really, breakfast is broken up in two categories: weekday and weekend. Weekdays are for picking up something quick on your way to work. That means that your favorite is likely to be based on being near your home or near your office, Weekends are for calling the family together to have a much more leisured experience.
For weekdays, I have at least two of these spots on my favorites list. I ask Siri to call one as I enter my vehicle so that my tacos are ready when I walk in their door.
Taqueria Datapoint
4063 Medical Dr. (210-615-3644) and 1702 W. Gramercy Pl.(210-733-1323)
You'll find soft tortillas and perfect fillings on all the standards (bean/cheese, chorizo/egg, potato/egg, etc.) Though it faces Gramercy, that location is really on Fredericksburg and offers a drive-thru. The Medical Dr. location can get quite busy, so if you want to pick them up, it's best to call in. Bonus: a 3-taco special (no mix) for $3.75. (The fact that I know it's $4.06 w/tax should tell you how often I frequent this place.)
Old Danny's Cocina
250 W. Old Hwy 90 (210-598-5673)
A little spot on the Westside with a drive-up window. They offer a two-taco/one drink special that's usually cheaper than a gallon of gas and much more fulfilling. Try the papa ranchera - you won't regret it.
Fina's Kitchen
914 W. Hildebrand (210-735-2524)
You can't miss the orange building and you shouldn't because Fina's has dollar tacos. That's right, dollar tacos! It's a small list of standard fare, but nevertheless you'll find good quality at an excellent price.
Weekend tacos are more of a Tejano brunch experience. Weekdays I might be more into bean/cheese, chorizo/egg, potato/egg, or my favorite - chorizo/bean, but weekends are all about machacado, chicharron, and of course, barbacoa (and Big Red).
La Bandera Molino
2619 N. Zarzamora (210-434-0631)
This place screams San Anto in the best way possible - without doing anything but being itself. There are Christmas decorations still up from several Christmases past, bumper stickers from failed political campaigns long forgotten, and all the smells of a Westside kitchen. Order a taco at the counter from a visible menu with an array of choices and then sit and absorb the atmosphere.
Los Angeles Tortilleria
300 N. Zarzamora (210-435-2400)
You can smell fresh corn tortillas from the parking lot so busy that an attendant guides you to your spot. People come here just for barbacoa, so there's often a line out the door for that. Avoid the line and grab a seat and you can have the same barbacoa without all the frustration. Whether you're old school rancho or adventurous hipster, try the barbacoa de borrego, a selection not found at many other places. And before you leave. grab some pan dulce to take to your abuelita so she'll forgive you for not inviting her to breakfast. Maybe.
Tommy's Restaurant
6702 San Pedro (210-822-6702), 8823 Wurzbach Rd. (210-558-9777), 1205 Nogalitos (210-223-9841)
Tommy's Cafe
107 S. Flores (210-222-9944) Note: this location is closed on Saturday and Sunday.
If you believe there can't be good tacos on the Northside, I have two questions for you: why'd you move there and why haven't you been to Tommy's? They specialize in the South Texas favorite - barbacoa and Big Red, but don't be afraid to try anything else on their exhaustive taco list.
Garcia's Mexican Food
842 Fredericksburg Rd. (210-735-5686)
If you're thinking, man, I'm tired of barbacoa all the time, keep that thought in your inside voice (lest you be slapped upside the head) and come here for a brisket taco wrapped in one of the best flour tortillas you'll ever taste.
Like I said earlier, this is not a ranking. These are places you ought to know in this town if you're on a taco quest or just plain hungry. Have fun trying them out or visiting them again. Then send me some feedback, so we can tacoboutit.
