Mendez Cafe is a tex-mex budget eat in South Side, San Antonio.
Mendez Cafe has sold cheap, generous carne guisada tacos since 1986, a South Side breakfast counter where a couple of dollars buys tender beef in peppery gravy.
Tip: The carne guisada taco is the cheap order to make. Small and busy, so expect a short morning wait.
Address: 201 Bartholomew Ave, San Antonio, TX 78211
Maria's Cafe on the South Side does breakfast tacos all week and weekend menudo, the cheap local cure; cash keeps the line moving on busy mornings.
Try: Breakfast tacos and weekend menudo
Tip: Weekend menudo is the cheap local cure; breakfast tacos all week. Cash keeps the line moving.
2M Smokehouse on the South Side serves Tejano-accented barbecue; order by the quarter pound and add the cheap sides to keep a BBQ lunch under twenty dollars.
Try: BBQ by the quarter pound
Tip: Order by the quarter pound and add the cheap Tejano sides to keep a BBQ lunch under twenty dollars. Go early; it sells out.
Tlahco Mexican Kitchen on the north side runs breakfast all day, so chilaquiles and tacos stay cheap into the afternoon, with good value for the portion size.
Try: All-day breakfast tacos and chilaquiles
Tip: Breakfast runs all day, so chilaquiles and tacos stay cheap into the afternoon. Good value for the portion size.
Maria's Cafe on the South Side does breakfast tacos all week and weekend menudo, the cheap local cure; cash keeps the line moving on busy mornings.
Try: Breakfast tacos and weekend menudo
Tip: Weekend menudo is the cheap local cure; breakfast tacos all week. Cash keeps the line moving.
2M Smokehouse on the South Side serves Tejano-accented barbecue; order by the quarter pound and add the cheap sides to keep a BBQ lunch under twenty dollars.
Try: BBQ by the quarter pound
Tip: Order by the quarter pound and add the cheap Tejano sides to keep a BBQ lunch under twenty dollars. Go early; it sells out.
La Villita Cafe in the historic arts village downtown keeps brisket-and-egg breakfast tacos and Tex-Mex plates cheap, a rare budget bite near the River Walk.
Try: Brisket-and-egg breakfast tacos
Tip: A cheap breakfast taco a short walk from the River Walk. The brisket-and-egg taco is the order.
Ray's Drive Inn on the West Side serves the original puffy taco for a few dollars, a cheap West Side institution where the deep-fried masa shell delivers.
Try: Original puffy taco, a few dollars
Tip: A couple of puffy tacos make a cheap, filling lunch. Cash and card both work at the drive-in counter.
Blanco Cafe is a no-frills Tobin Hill Tex-Mex diner where the carne guisada plate is the cheap, filling order; cash is welcome and the prices stay low.
Try: Carne guisada plate under ten dollars
Tip: The carne guisada plate is the cheap, filling order. Cash is welcome and the prices stay low.
