El Chilito Reviews

Good tacos in a cool part of town. Nice variety from which to choose. Outdoor seating for a nice day.

We stayed in Austin for 3 days, not too far from this place. We stumbled across it for breakfast tacos and went there every day of our stay. Good selection of tacos and burritos, good coffee, outside seating, quick service.

As a traveler, I love places like El Chilito. A little off the beaten path; lacks pretention - probably a local favorite - but serves really delicious food. We chose a variety of tacos and agua fresca (new discovery!) and sat out on the shaded picnic benches. Total satisfaction for a very low price.

Great for a quick bite. Too many taco places are trendy and overpriced. This is more authentic but funky and delicious!

We came here twice for breakfast tacos and discovered a new drink.....horchata and expresso, called Oho Rojo. Nice.

Another very good restaurant on Manor Rd. Very good food. Good variety. Pricing is not bad, especially considering it is in Austin.

Back in the day El Chilito's was one of the few places in town to get an interesting taco fairly cheaply and sit outside to enjoy the good weather. Now it seems there is a taco place on every street corner. I still like to come here though. The taco's are fresh and there is still an interesting variety. I usually get a salad these days with various toppings- it's fresh and tasty. They also have soups- with a vegan option. There are plenty of picnic benches and it's nice to have a covered patio (with fans) as well as uncovered option. They also have a coffee bar so you can even grab a latte!

Some of the least tasty breakfast tacos ever. I got the one with veggies and eggs and another with the chorizo. Only the chorizo had any flavor. And no salsa!

This is a relaxed neighborhood restaurant where folks may show up in their pajama shorts, accompanied by their dogs and have a breakfast taco to start the day. I am partial to beef barbacoa tacos since I much more like lamb but the later are more interior Mexico. In any case, the tacos are generous, meet is tender, juicy and totally worth it. I had the barbacoa soup as well which is very good. Austinites have a fixation with chipotle peppers so I was not surprised that El Chilito uses it for this soup though guajillo and ancho peppers are available in town. The only disappointment is the salsa provided with the tacos. Needs much improvement and a morita pepper kick. Overall, the staff is very friendly and the atmosphere relaxed. I am sure to come back even if I am not in the neighborhood.

Surprised at so many negative reviews for one of Austin's best taco stands (must be eastside hipsters trying to ward off the crowds). It's got a pretty unbeatable combination of atmosphere (super chill), taste, and price. I like the Tinga De Pollo & Pescado Entortillado tacos best. Go with Corn (I only do here). They're tasty & double-wrapped, and you can make 2 tacos into 4...messy but more psychologically satisfying. Yeah, the salsa isn't for everyone. I don't love it, don't hate it. But they make amends with cheap beer. Ignore the negative reviews. I know Mexican, and this is solid & less overpriced than 99% of Austin's Mex & TexMex offerings. This town overprices the crap out of Mexican.

El Chilito is the child of El Chile, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants located a block or so down the street. A sister restaurant El Alma is really great. A third, Alcomar, is pretty good in the food department, but the menu confuses me. El Chilito is a sort of an elaborate bricks and mortar food truck. It is a nice location and has a pleasant outdoor eating area. The clientele is eclectic to say the least - good people watching. The menu is mostly tacos with some extras. I don't quite understand the lack of finesse here. The cochinita pibil taco lacked any depth of flavor and was slightly greasy. It sure lacked the promise of its description on the menu. The outstanding flavor was the tangy pickled onions. The pollo asada taco was even more disappointing and tasted too processed. In light of so much competition from restaurants, food trucks and even gas stations, El Chilito needs to pick up its game to live up to the other restaurants in the family.

Was reccomended this place by a friend. Sad to say we were disappointed. If you like stewed meats you will prob like this place but it fell flat for me. Torchys blows this place away. Didn’t look appetizing either.

Stopped by for late breakfast on a weekday morning. Excellent service and food. Ate on the picnic tables with the dog secured to the leg of the bench. We both had good eats. Must try.

I really loved the tacos I ordered. They were full of flavor and the tortillas tasted homemade. The rice was fantastic-very fresh, but the beans were just okay. The cashier was friendly and the atmosphere is very Austin-y. I always tell people how yummy the food is!

Convenient local taco shop for breakfast/lunch crowd. They even have happy hours for later. Seating is outside on plain bench/tables, half in front by the cars, with cover offered by table umbrellas, the other half in a covered patio with fans -- that's important if you want to minimize insect engagement when eating. I stop by for breakfast tacos every now and again but to be honest, it's hit and miss. Some mornings the tacos are better than others, you can never be sure of a consistent product. They have one window for ordering, one for pick up. Today I ordered two migas tacos and a coffee. It was quiet when I parked so I had the order window to myself, but the delays getting any attention from within meant I had a few customers behind me when I ordered. The food and drinks appear out the other window at the front. When your order is ready they place it out the other window and shout out your name. With passing traffic you might have to check a couple of times to determine if it's yours. I've been there when orders never get picked up, I guess some people get tired waiting. Today the tacos were ok, loosely wrapped, extremely moist, with the cheese loaded up on one end rather than throughout. The provided sauce was limited in taste and quantity. On the plus side they were hot but not particularly tasty. The coffee was ok. I've had better tacos here so maybe it was a bad day but the slow service and rough accommodations don't really help when you pay the same price here for a sit down breakfast a block away at Mi Madres, where the food is consistently better. For those driving by, this place is alright. For those visiting Austin, it's probably considered a cool spot but how many more of those do we need here? I'd like to love this place but the inconsistent product and the sloppy service leaves too much to be desired.

I love the Eastside breakfast taco and the hot sauce. The staff are friendly and service is fast, but made to order.

After getting up much to early on a day off, we picked up a variety of burritos for breakfast. Everything we tried, we loved. It was very flavorful and I found myself partial to the Tex-Mex Carne Guisada burrito. Though not on the breakfast, it was a delicious way to get things going. I'm not a fan of rice in my burritos, but in this case, it was no problem. There's a funky Austin coolness as well that I really like. This is definitely my go to place for breakfast when i'm visiting Austin.

Great price! Good food! Great greenhouse kinda outdoor seating. Portion sizes are not too big. But liked it!

Quick cheap tacos and great agua frescas...if you can fight your way through the hipsters. ;-)

This review is way overdue. My family and I have been enjoying delicious tacos here for years. Both the Manor road and Burnet road locations. The tacos are delicious and I could probably drink the salsa it is so good. What do they put in their beans to make them so tasty?? My favorite is the pescado burrito with a fresh lemonade. The service is always fun and friendly and they make a point of remembering you and what you like. The atmosphere is quirky and fun. Breakfast lunch and dinner tacos!

After living in Austin for over a month, this place is still my favorite taco stand. They offer many classic tacos (barbacoa, al Pastor, etc) that are very flavorful. I especially love the camarón taco. They also have a refreshing frozen sangria that is worth a try on a hot day.

Carne Guisada burrito was great! Big. Good price! Hot sauce to add yourself brought the taste up another notch!

Needed some fast food today so stopped here - it was a great choice. Between two of use we tried 5 different types and they were all great.

A cool little Tex Mex just east of campus that has delicious Pescado burritos (crispy cornmeal dusted tilapia topped with baja slaw and jalapeño aioli) and Salina tacos (black bean, avocado and jack cheese). The burrito was smaller than a chain type burrito but just as filling but didn't leave me feeling stuff. Plenty of outside seating to soak up the sun or you can sit in their covered patio area.

El Chilito offers a good option for a quick breakfast. The options include standard American filings as well as several more authentic to Mexico. For Austin, the price is on the high side.

Great tacos, quick service

Outstanding food ! We ate here for lunch and would highly recommend this cute tasty restaurant. I We all enjoyed our food especially their guacamole & tacos .....so delicious, fresh and reasonable. Seating is casual outdoors and they do serve alcohol (we ordered beer).Service was fast too !

I stopped in early on the way to my trainers location and grabbed a Carne Asada Taco and a small coffee. The Taco was decent with the meat cooked medium rare and paired with some grilled onions. In total the Taco and Coffee were ~ $7.50 which is an average value in my mind.

We go here every weekend! Love it. Really creative tacos and amazing sauces. Nice dog friendly patio. The tomatillo taco is a must have.

El Chilito is pretty cool. They do tacos, burritos and sides, as well as coffee and drinks. There's lots if seating and parking and it's right near the University. The tacos are good; we particularly liked the Jamon Mex breakfast taco and the Pork Taco with Tomatillo sauce. The Mexican got chocolate is yum too. The house salsa is this hot brown chilli salsa. It's really great and they were super generous and gave us way more than we needed.

This place is not exactly hidden but it felt like it was filled with all calls on a Sunday around noon. There is no indoor seating but the service is quick and there is several outdoor tables to sit at. We tried three different tacos which was a nice lunch for two of us. The pork and pineapple was the most tasty but it had a few pieces of canned pineapple that were from the woody stem. This would be a problem with a higher scale restaurant but easy to handle it these prices and setting.

This was a great discovery upon moving into my neighborhood. It is a great spot, dog friendly, and the food is consistently good. I have yet to go wrong on anything I have ordered. They get their food out to you quickly, are friendly, and the food is reasonably priced, something you don't find everywhere here in town.

I just happened to be lucky to be in the area at lunch time and could not pass on a taco at El Chilito. This is a very popular neighborhood spot any day of the week but on Sunday morning, you can see neighbors crossing the street in their pajamas to grab a breakfast taco and enjoy it the good company of their dog. I can't get tired of having barbacoa soup. Yes, it is salty but it usually is. Pollo asado, nopalito salad, rajas, delicious! Good manu, super laid back al fresco atmosphere. I just wish salsa was always provided room temperature. It is clearly kept refrigerated and makes my taco cold.

This should be among your stops. Its worth the drive! Had the puffy tacos and the Tex-Mex Guisada. Whoa! Who needs BBQ when you could be eating here! These are definitely the best tacos in east Austin!

Great tacos, I just wish fewer people knew about it. I liked going up on Sunday morning and waiting for less than 3 minutes. Yuppies off the East Side! (oops, too late)

We eat at the new location on East 7th Street. Very happy this place opened in the previous Church's Chicken location. The staff is super friendly and the food very good. There are good veg options (black beans and rice are veg). Easy place for a good breakfast or daytime taco.

Picture this: 85 degrees, sunny, comfy tables in the shade of an overhang, 2 frosty top-shelf Margueritas, delicious smoky taco chip dip(made there), grilled camarones with pico de gallo. Did I forget the fresh corn tortillas? Just perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. Definitely worth the detour! Only my feet in the sand would complete this idyllic picture!

Grabbed a pork taco and americano on the rocks. Great viewing and gorgeous sunshine. The road provides endless amusement

You order outside and eat outside. The spot is clean, staff friendly, and menu delicious. Loved that they had Topo Chico, always a plus. Only negative for me was parking. Def would go again - on a not so hot day!

This place has very tasty tacos and the drinks are great. It's an awesome place to get tacos to go, but if you are looking for a place to sit down during the 6 months of hellish tempatures, this isn't where you want to be. I wish they had an inside, but again, great tacos if you are on the go.

A fine taco. Delicious agua fresca.

This place is just up the road from a family members apartment. As a result, we went here as the default eating place. Truly outstanding Agua Frescas! Watermelon my favorite, had it each and every time. Always fantastic. The tacos were pretty good and very inexpensive. Outside seating on picnic tables. As a result we went at night for the most part. Way too hot during the day. Every taco was good, never got sick. Just looks dated, as do most Austin eateries to me. Like stuck in the 1950's, but in a rundown way. I like Austin food, rarely disappointed. But the food places make me think where does the money go from all the customers. This is one of my favorite places tho, anyway.

Stopped by for a quick lunch. I thought the food was very good, fast service, friendly staff and large portions. Because of the portion size of the lunch platter, I could probably share this with my wife next time we stop by.

By far, these were the best enchiladas I have ever enjoyed. The black bean topping was unique and delicious. I was visiting Austin from Florida and will absolutely return to this restaurant again.

we enjoyed a good dinner with the kids. In fact, they all wanted seconds and then some. The food is fresh and the preparation is fast.

Breakfast taco heaven. I had the Cherrywood taco with farm eggs, potatoes, bacon, avocado and cheese. Great menu selection and fast service. The coffee was spot on too.

ok burritos terrible salsa.

My wife and I stayed in the area and went to El Chilito's on a whim while walking one day. It's a kind of a stand- you order food at one window and pick it up at another and then sit at the park-style tables and benches. They have some covered for those particularly hot days. We both got tacos, which were tasty and fresh. The star of our lunch was the queso, though. It was super cheesy with a hint of spice, and had some great mushrooms in it. I would recommend this place just for the queso!

This was my first visit to El Chilito. I ordered a Tex-Mex Guisada taco, Carne Asada taco, and a Barbacoa taco all with corn tortillas. All 3 were very tasty. There was quite a bit of meat in each one. The meats were tender and delicious. The prices are reasonable and the service was fast & friendly. This was a tasty and filling meal. They don't have sweet tea though, big surprise :(

Best tacos in Austin.

I'm not wild about the puffy tacos or the guisado tacos, but the barbacoa soup is INSANE! The beef in the barbacoa soup is tender and savory. I'm addicted.