one of the few things that sucks about traveling is falling in love with a place and knowing that you won’t be able to visit it frequently because it’s over a thousand miles away. unfortunately, this is the case for a few places i went to during my visit to austin from miami.
for context, this was my first time visiting texas in general and i knew that it was a bit “different” from the rest of the state, so i wanted to take advantage of what it had to offer in terms of its crazy flavor profiles and top tier restaurants.
pic 1: comadre panaderia. the first thing i did on my first actual day was going here before my friend went to work. i ended up going to the place a second time before i went back home. their pink cake was extremely moist and had a flavor reminiscent to cornbread, with a pink frosting that was light. the second time i went the cakes were slightly cold and that made them so much better in my opinion. on my second visit, i was gifted a polvorón that had pecans and it had a flavor very reminiscent to a cereal i had when i was a kid but i can’t recall. delicious and i was genuinely debating if i should’ve bought a few to take back home to mom. ultimately i decided not to because they would’ve probably exploded in my suitcase. $$$ place for what it is but extremely fresh and i wish i could go back for the cake alone
pic 2: mercado sin nombre. on the day that i went, i slept in and i was running behind on my itinerary. i tried going to paperboy but it was the second time that there was a one-hour wait, so i got pissed and went to the next thing on my list. the line was a bit long but nothing that i couldn’t wait for. anyways, i ordered the biscuit sandwich and the “nada coke float”, while my friend got the masa twinkie. starting with the sandwich, it was very solid; not much to say but that the chicken patty was good and i would’ve smashed a few more in succession. the nada coke float was an interesting experience. wanted to add: not sure if i messed it up but i switched out the cold brew for decaf. i’ve never had a float and i thought this would be a good experience. it wasn’t really a float but it had a unique interaction of flavors between the coffee, the citrus-y anglaise (i think it was lime), and the coke-flavored syrup they put. it didn’t really move me THAT much so i wouldn’t really order it again, but it was worth trying. in hindsight, i wish i would’ve tried the atole cortado because it looked and sounded gas. let me know if y’all have tried it. the star of the show was clearly the masa twinkie. they were out of the chocolate variation but from the one bite i had, it was worth it. the cake was on par with the pink cake from comadre panaderia in terms of moistness and it had a light touch of bright citrus in the cream that topped it. the twinkie was 10/10 in terms of flavor but too small
pic 3: taqueria de diez. pic was just a volcán de pastor. went here for a late night dinner on friday and my friend and i thought we were accidentally stumbling into a club because of the music. behind the door was a DF-style taco place. of course i’ve had better in mexico (when i went) and even prefer a spot near where i live here in florida, but the pastor was great. they had a real trompo running, good music, and the service was quick. we ended up coming here the next day (also at midnight) and almost went on monday until we realized they weee closed. really good and out of the three mexican joints i visited (the other two being the cuantos tacos food truck and las cazuelas in cesar chavez; both good), this was the best by far
pic 4: house of three gorges. this could really turn y’all against me but i wasn’t moved whatsoever and to be honest, i haven’t been let down by a place this bad ever. before i got to austin, my friend and i were discussing going to the austin-houston game and i researched food near the area. i found out that this place was ranked eleventh in a recent list of all austin places and i’m not sure i agree. before heading to the game, we stopped and i got the jumping fish and the dry stir fried chicken, while my friend got the spicy wonton soup and the cumin beef. my friend ordered perfectly as both of his choices were solid; he couldn’t keep up with the spice of the beef but it packed an incredible punch of flavors and wasn’t really spicy. sadly, what i was told was their best item, the “jumping fish”, was painfully mid. i’ve never had this issue with any meal ever but the fish was cooked to absolute perfection, but the broth was disgustingly salty. whenever i would get a scoop of fish with just a bit of broth, it was perfect. but i don’t think i’ve ever had such a salty meal in any restaurant ever. i can’t describe it but my mouth was literally numb and sweet from the crazy amount of sodium in that. maybe i wasn’t supposed to drink the broth alone? or maybe it was a one-time thing? i dunno, but never again. similarly, the name of the chicken was not wrong. really good flavor but painfully dry, not a fan. overall, this was the worst food joint i visited during my time in austin and maybe i’ll have to give it a 2nd chance if i ever visit
i wrote a bunch so sorry for that but i do want to say that i loved the food here. i was snooping around the sub for a while and saw something about people complaining about the food scene, so i felt like sharing about my good experiences and any potential recommendations for locals who haven’t gone to these spots or tourists like me (get that damn pink cake). it has a lot to offer and for a smaller big city, it was great. i really want to go back soon and hopefully i can continue to try some more places. thanks for reading
by SupremeBootyGod305
Dining and Cooking