Frito Pie appears as a signature dish in 1 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Frito pie · Austin
Texas chili and cheese ladled into a slit-open bag of Fritos corn chips, eaten with a plastic fork. Originated as a school-cafeteria and BBQ-stand snack and remains a state-fair staple.
Frito pie was invented in Texas in the 1930s after Fritos hit the market in 1932 from San Antonio's Frito Company. The 'pie in a bag' format came from the Texas State Fair concession stands in the 1950s. The Austin version takes a small bag of Fritos, slits the side, ladles in Texas-style chili (no beans for purists), tops with shredded cheddar and onions, and hands it back. Stubb's, Salt Lick and several BBQ stops keep it on the snack menu; some Austin Tex-Mex rooms run a queso-and-chili variant.
Where to eat in Austin:
- Stubb's Bar-B-Q
- Salt Lick BBQ
- Magnolia Cafe