Owner Simon Madera opened Taco Flats in 2014 after placing a call to the original owner of Hector’s Taco Flats, which closed in the ’80s. The restaurant has grown to include six locations across Austin and offers catering services.
As Austin continues to change and grow, Madera said Taco Flats remains connected to its roots.
“We’re a small company that started with one location on Burnet Road,” Madera said. “We reincarnated the Taco Flats brand from the ’70s because we felt very Austin, and we feel like we still are Austin. We’re one of the groups that believes in preserving buildings and not going into super bright, shiny facilities.”
The menu continues to feature classic tacos like the Pirata, which includes grilled jack cheese, refried black beans, grilled beef fajita, grilled onion and cilantro; and the Gringa, featuring spit roasted pork, onion, grilled jack cheese, pineapple and cilantro.
The restaurant's dedication to quality ingredients has resonated with Austinites, contributing to its enduring popularity.
“Still to this day we make our tortillas from scratch, we don’t freeze our food and we don’t own microwaves,” Madera said. “We still have the same principles we adopted early on.”
This philosophy extends to Taco Flats’ drink menu as well.
“Our margaritas are made with hand-squeezed citrus,” Madera said. “Our frozen [margarita] is made in-house. It’s not just a generic mix.”
Popular drinks include:
- Margarita Casera: pueblo viejo blanco, orange liqueur, jalapeño agave and lime
- Spicy Frozen Margarita: pueblo viejo blanco, triple sec, jalapeño agave and lime
- Martini de Mexico: carabuena blanco, naranja, lime, orange juice and orange-olive brine bitters
- Oaxacan Wipeout: rosaluna espadin, pineapple, lime, cinnamon-habanero, oaxacan bitters and absinthe
“A lot of young dads would bring their kids to watch sports and hang with us and now these kids are in high school and some of them work for us,” Madera said.
Madera said the Taco Flats team didn’t set out to preserve Austin history, but many of its locations occupy spaces with rich histories, contributing to the unique atmosphere and character of each establishment.
“That’s why we think we’re what’s right for this town,” Madera said. “It’s losing that charm. It’s losing a lot of local mom and pops and we want to be part of the solution.”
Experience what makes Taco Flats an Austin staple at one of its six locations:
- Clarksville, 1110 W. Lynn St., Austin
- Burnet, 5520 Burnet Road, Ste. 101, Austin
- Lakeway, 900 Ranch Road 620, Ste. c104, Lakeway
- Riata, 12221 Riata Trace Parkway, Ste. 100, Austin
- La Holly, 2500 E. 6th St., Austin
- Q2 Stadium, 10414 McKalla Place, Austin
The above story was produced by Multi Platform Journalist Mary Katherine Shapiro with Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.
