Guero’s Taco Bar, in Austin, Texas, is one place you might want to hang if you are in search of famous people visiting Austin. It’s central location to the downtown area and to the trendy South Congress retail and condo district, makes this a popular water hole for people like Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Quentin Taratino, and Bill Clinton. Guero’s Taco Bar is close to many of the music and film venues used by the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) in March each year. When he is in town, Bill Clinton usually orders his favorite, El Presidente, a combination plate including one chicken taco, one beef taco, a tamale, and guacamole.
I first went to Guero’s in 1986, when they opened in a tiny location with 10 tables in a sleepy neighborhood of South Austin. At that time, it was self-serve and the best place to get Sunday morning breakfast within walking distance of our house. In 1995, they moved into an old feed and seed building on South Congress. There are still really good things to say about Guero’s, although they may have grown too big and too popular to keep up the five-star reputation they had in the old days. I still think it is a fun place to go if you want to sit outside on the patio, sip on the excellent margaritas, and listen to live music from different local artists. Every Thursday, the locals have a street fair of arts and crafts in the grassy area right next to Guero’s that they also sometimes use to cater private parties.
As far as food goes, Guero’s is best known for their self-serve salsa bar and their fish tacos. Both are very good. My favorite thing to eat at Guero’s is the tacos al pastor plate ($7.69). My exact order is pork tacos al pastor, with cheese, with avocado, on homemade corn tortillas, with refried beans and rice. The cook uses gooey white Mexican cheese, and their homemade corn and flour tortillas are to die for. They also make a really good queso flameado appetizer ($6.10) with the gooey cheese, mushrooms, and beef or chicken fajita meat. The tortilla soup ($4.29) is about as good as it gets.
Guero’s Taco Bar also has a nice selection of vegetarian dishes like spinach and mushroom enchiladas ($9.15) and grilled veggie alambre ($8.40). The alambre is mixed vegetables on a bed of rice, with black beans, avocado, and homemade tortillas. The kid’s menu is reasonably priced and includes the usual favorites for little ones. If you are not completely stuffed from your crunchy chips with 6 varieties of salsa, your appetizers and your meal, Guero’s makes a pretty mean Classic Vanilla Flan for dessert ($2.59).
Sunday mornings are always a nice treat at Guero’s. They serve very good breakfast tacos ($1.79), Migas ($4.95), Huevos Rancheros ($3.85), and a Gringo Omlette ($4.95). I like to order the Café Guero’s ($4.95) with my breakfast that has either Kahlua or Drambuie in it. Guero’s also serves up fresh squeezed orange juice, fresh squeezed lemonade ($3.10 for lg), and smoothies ($3.30) with any meal. To add to the pleasure, there is live music on the patio, and several newspapers spread around to check out other local happenings while you dine.
What makes Guero’s a popular water hole is their long selection of drinks from the Cantina area. They have a very good selection of import and domestic beer, including a local favorite, Shiner Bock, brewed near Austin. Their specialty drinks ($5.00-$7.00) include over a dozen varieties of margaritas, wine coolers, and fresh juice drinks. If you are celebrating a special occasion or just partying really hard, you can order up any one of Guero’s 22 Cointreau floaters ($5.25-$6.50). You might want to try the Tres Generaciones ($5.75) if you are have having a family birthday party or celebrating a wedding anniversary in one of the large special events rooms used for private parties.
The décor in Guero’s is very interesting and now considered historic, sporting autographed pictures of famous people and old photographs of local areas. There are also photographs from the Mexican Revolution on the walls. It is loud, crowded, and the service is very slow at times. The owners are very friendly, but sometimes the wait staff is in pretty bad moods. This may be because they are burned out on too many people, in too small of a room, drinking too many drinks. We tend to get impatient when we want another one of those Hornito Perfectos (Sauza Hornitos, Cointreau, and fresh squeezed lime juice; made with 100% Blue Agave.)
Despite the shortcomings, I still frequent Guero’s Taco Bar if I want to party hardy, enjoy the great outdoor weather on the patio, or star gaze in search of famous people.
Guero’s Taco Bar is located at 1412 South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas. (512) 447-7688
