Habanero Cafe

"This little daytime Dawson Tex-Mex restaurant has all the staples (fajitas, quesadillas, enchiladas) but the specialties are truly boss. The El Patron huevos rancheros come with two fried eggs smothered in ranchero sauce, all next to a pile of fajitas and steaming refried beans. This place is a classic casita-style restaurant, with bright red chairs, ornamental iron works, and a line to pay at the front complete with last minute little treats." - Erin Russell, Nadia Chaudhury

"The beloved Dawson family-owned Mexican restaurant has many affordable options on its daytime menu, including $4 tacos, $7 tortas and gorditas, plus breakfast plates and enchiladas for around $12. Takeout orders can be placed in person and there is indoor dining." - Erin Russell, Nadia Chaudhury

"Habanero is home to some of the best fajitas in town, and that alone makes it worth a visit at any time of the day. Get them ranchera style and they’ll arrive extra spicy and tossed in with some charred jalapeños, onions, and tomatoes. It’s been around since the ’90s, in that time amassing a following of old-school Austinites, new transplants to the area, and soon, probably you. Show up during prime breakfast or lunch hours on the weekends, and you’ll inevitably find a wait. It’s worth it." - nicolai mccrary

"Matt’s El Rancho and El Alma have flashier real estate, but Habanero is South Austin’s Mexican MVP. It’s cramped and fast-paced in an appealing way, with a down-home charm that makes you hope the food will be great. Fortunately, it is. Show up anytime—they’re only open for breakfast and lunch, though—and you’ll sense that half the crowd are longtime regulars who can recite the menu. It’s a diner-sized list focused mostly on dishes like fajitas, burritos, migas, and huevos rancheros, any of which can be topped with housemade salsas. " - matthew jacobs, nicolai mccrary

"This family-run Mexican/Tex-Mex diner has been serving breakfast and lunch in South Austin for over 25 years, and like moonlight towers or grackles or burnt orange, it’s just part of the city’s landscape. It’s hard to imagine Austin without it. If you go during a prime breakfast hour, especially on the weekends, there will be a wait. It’s worth it, especially for the killer fajitas or the huevos gringos—the most perfect (and unique and absurd) breakfast combo plate in which over-easy eggs get covered in queso, and then served with carne guisada, refried beans, fries, and tortillas for good measure. " - nicolai mccrary, matthew jacobs, raphael brion