Rant: That famous taco spot in Austin is not worth the wait anymore

I finally made it down to Torchy's Tacos on South Congress last month after hearing about it for years. Everyone online still talks about their queso and the Democrat or the Trailer Park like it's the best thing since sliced bread. But I got there at 10:30 in the morning and waited 45 minutes for a table. The tacos were fine, sure, but nothing blew me away. The shell was kind of soggy on the Democrat and the chicken in the Trailer Park was dry. I asked a local at the counter and he said the hype peaked around 2018 after the Food Network feature. Now it's basically a tourist trap with average food and a line out the door. Has anyone else seen a hyped-up spot fall off like this, or am I just being picky?

3 comments

3 Comments

danielm803d ago

MAN, tell me about it! I went to Torchy's last year for the first time and felt exactly the same way. Waited almost an hour for a table and the queso was just okay, not this life changing stuff everyone hypes up. I swear the Democrat taco I got had a shell that fell apart before I even took a bite. I genuinely think the quality has dropped since they got SO big and now it's just a line full of tourists and people who don't know any better. I'd rather hit up a random taco truck five blocks away for half the price and twice the flavor.

emmaking3d ago

Wait, are we sure Torchy's was ever actually good or did we just convince ourselves it was?

hannahcraig3d ago

Gotta disagree with you on this one. I still hit up the Torchy's on Barton Springs whenever I'm in town and their queso is legit, I think you just had bad luck with the kitchen that day. The Democrat taco with the refried beans and pico is my go to and I've never had a soggy shell there. Sounds like you caught them on an off morning or maybe the South Congress location is just busier and rushier.