Paul V.
Yelp
I touched down in Austin with about three hours to burn, and I decided then and there that I would spend those hours visiting three of the highest rated taco spots in East Austin before writing a three way heads up review, so let's get this party started.
Tacos Guerrero vs. Granny's Tacos vs. La Sabroza
Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere?
All three of these taco spots were trucks, with Tacos Guerrero being the largest and Granny's Tacos the smallest. That's not really relevant as all three spots also had nearby picnic tables for local diners, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless that all three were dealing with the same kitchen parameters within which to whip up their wares. Granny's took the cake as far as a quaint atmosphere went with a super friendly server to boot, but all three of these spots were perfectly fine.
Tacos Guerrero: Star (1)
Granny's Tacos: Star (1)
La Sabroza: Star (1)
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
When the heck did street tacos in Austin become so much more expensive than LA? To be fair these are larger tacos, but I was pretty surprised at paying between $2.00 and $3.00 for a single taco. The prices shook out per the below, and La Sabroza had notably smaller tacos compared to the competition:
Tacos Guerrero: $2.00 for breakfast, $2.50 for lunch
Granny's Tacos: $3.00 for lunch
La Sabroza: $2.00 for lunch
Granny's were more expensive, but they ended up being the largest, and the best.
Tacos Guerrero: Star (2)
Granny's Tacos: Star (2)
La Sabroza: Star (2)
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
It's here that the grown-ups separated themselves from the children if you will. La Sabroza had some pretty weak offerings in my mind, with mediocre meats (asada had very little taste) that were slightly overcooked. Tacos Guerrero had good tacos for both breakfast and lunch with ingredients that were nice and cooked together, but both fell woefully short of Granny's, which were exceptional.
My pastor lunch taco at Granny's was marvelous, with a fresh lightly toasted tortilla, wonderfully flavorful pastor, and some nice peripherals like freshly chopped cilantro and just a smidge of pico that brought everything together with their excellent salsas. Wonderful.
Tacos Guerrero: Single Star (3)
Granny's Tacos: Two Stars (4)
La Sabroza: No Stars (2)
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
Granny's? Yes. La Sabroza or Tacos Guerrero? Not so much.
Tacos Guerrero: No Star (3)
Granny's Tacos: Star (5)
La Sabroza: No Star (2)