Taco Taco sits at the corner of Hildebrand and McCullough in an old Steak and Egg that morphed into Panchito’s before it moved over into its much larger McCullough location.
Though I’d been to the small (seats 40) restaurant many, many times when it was Panchito’s, I’d never been to Taco Taco. After reading review upon review about how wonderful it was, I met a friend there for breakfast.
The owner, Helen Velesiotis, has been in business since 1998. She said that things really exploded in 2005 when Bon Appétit credited Taco Taco with serving the best tacos in America. The Food Network’s Guy Fieri is also a believer. Plus, Taco Taco has been named “best breakfast tacos” in the Express-News’ Readers’ Choice Awards too many times to count.
With all of the hype, I was a little worried that I’d be disappointed. I wasn’t. Velesiotis, a native of Greece, must have been Mexican in a past life.
I ordered a huevos rancheros plate and my dining companion ordered a plate of migas, served with refried beans and potatoes. She also ordered sides of barbacoa and guacamole. Both of our plates came with extra flour tortillas. In truth, we could have ordered one plate and split it. Taco Taco’s servings are generous, to say the least. (Its website quotes an unnamed source as saying, “Yes, you can get breakfast tacos on every corner in this town, but we still go back to this corner for bigger than your head tacos…”) Our food was yummy.
Taco Taco is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. for breakfast and lunch. Its menu is extensive. Helen saw me snapping photos, and asked why. I told her that I wrote a blog on San Antonio. She eyed what we were eating and said, “But you didn’t try our potato and egg tacos or our chilaquiles tacos.” Before we knew it, they appeared on our table. We were already full to bursting, but we had to try them, and they were delicious.
Just when we thought we were all clear, a plate of sopapillas arrived. Eating them was a religious experience. Helen said, “It’s all about the dough.” As someone who grew up on baklava, Helen knows flaky dough.
When we left Taco Taco, a line of people was waiting to get in. I’d wait in line, too, for another plate of Helen’s sopapillas.
Denise Barkis Richter, Ph.D., author of “San Antonio’s Passport to Fun,” has been blogging about San Antonio since June of 2010. Follow her at facebook.com/SanAntonioTourist so that you’ll never miss a post. Her love affair with the Alamo City began at Hemisfair in 1968. She moved to San Antonio in 1979 as an 18-year-old college student, and San Antonio has been her home ever since. Denise completed certification to become a professional tour guide in 2019. Please contact her at sanantoniotourist at gmail dot com if you’d like for her to curate a fabulous San Antonio experience for you!
I’ve driven by that place eleventy billion times and never stopped. Next time? I’m stopping for sure! Thanks, Denise. 🙂
Thanks for reading/commenting, Colleen! You’ll LOVE Taco Taco. Be sure to save room for the sopapillas. HEAVEN. Cheers, Denise
Me, too. I pass by it all the time. I’ll start with the breakfast tacos!
Mariana, You’ll love it! Hope you had a grand summer. See you on Monday! Cheers, Denise
Thanks for this review! We are always over there and I have always wondered about that place! Now I will dream of sopapillas until I get there.
Veronica, I’m still dreaming of the sopapillas! Enjoy. Thanks for reading/commenting! Cheers, Denise
We are always looking for new places to try in San Antonio! And we love Mexican food. I will be sure to try it next time we’re looking for a place to go.
Jessica, Thanks for reading/commenting! Here’s a link to an alpha-ordered index of my San Antonio Tourist posts from June 2010 through June 2012: http://sanantoniotourist.wordpress.com/2012/06/30/fun-things-to-do-and-see-in-san-antonio/ Enjoy! Cheers, Denise
i LOVE that place! It’s always busy but worth the wait! I love all the pics on your scroller-they look great!
Laura, It’s divine, isn’t it?! We should meet for breakfast one day soon. Thanks for reading/commenting! Cheers, Denise
I would love that! I will have much more time when school starts!
I (heart) Taco Taco & Helen. It’s the only place I’ll buy my breakfast Tacos. She doesn’t use lard.
I’m so happy to have finally tried it! And, Helen is a love. Thanks for reading/commenting! Cheers, Denise
We love Taco Taco Cafe, it is the best in San Antonio easily. I’ve had tacos at a lot of places but none are consistently as wonderful. Tried to go today but their credit card machine was down do I had sub-par tacos elsewhere. Meh.
Great write up. Love the history of the store particularly!
Doug, Thanks for checking in! Sorry you had to have sub-par tacos elsewhere. Not a good way to start the day. Hope their cc machine is up and running soon! Cheers, Denise
Gosh. I would have passed on by if not for your commentary, Denise. You introduced me to Taco Garage last year. Next year, I’ll have to add Taco Taco to my gustatory delights!
Susan, We’ll definitely have to go to Taco Taco the next time you’re in town! It’ll be my treat…belated birthday tacos. 🙂 Cheers, Denise
Great post! We love this place… one of our faves!
Thanks, Anna! Loved meeting you last night at the River of Lights preview. We’ll have to meet again for a taco feast. Cheers, Denise
Needed to eat this morning, so checked out this site to find a good breakfast taco in town (I live near Ft Worth). Denise is a great source of dependable information for those of us that love to discover new places!
Per her advice,I proceeded straight to Taco Taco and ordered two breakfast tacos. I was not disappointed. As soon as my plate arrived, I was thrilled to see fluffy eggs! This is one of my pet peeves where I live, no one seems to want to take the time to properly cook the eggs. They are either dry and browned or a big leathery lump.
The tacos tasted great, were cooked with care and presented nicely on the plate.
I will be back for the sopapillas!
Thanks Denise. I think YOU are a San Antonio treasure!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed Taco Taco! What’s not to like about fluffy eggs?!?! (And fluffy tortillas! Theirs are divine.) Ft. Worth isn’t THAT far from San Antonio, so head this way when you need a fix. Thanks for writing/commenting! Cheers, Denise