The puffy taco is a San Antonio invention: fresh masa pressed thin and dropped into hot oil so the shell puffs and crisps into a light, blistered pocket. It is filled with seasoned picadillo or beans and cheese, then topped with lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheese. Eaten fast, before the shell softens.
The puffy taco emerged on San Antonio's West Side in the mid-20th century. Ray Lopez opened Ray's Drive Inn in 1956 and trademarked the Original Puffy Taco, while his brother Henry opened Henry's Puffy Tacos on West Woodlawn, and the two family operations have traded claims to the dish ever since. The puffy taco is now so identified with the city that the local minor-league baseball team's mascot is a running puffy taco.
3 editor picks for Puffy taco in San Antonio, ranked by editorial score. All San Antonio signature dishes · Puffy taco across every city.
Ray's Drive Inn ★ 4.2
west-side · 822 SW 19th St, San Antonio, TX 78207
Ray's Drive Inn on the West Side has claimed the original puffy taco since Ray Lopez opened it in 1956, home of the deep-fried puffed-masa shell.
Henry's Puffy Tacos ★ 4.1
west-side · 3202 W Woodlawn Ave, San Antonio, TX 78228
Henry's Puffy Tacos on West Woodlawn is the family rival to Ray's in the puffy-taco story, serving the crisp puffed-masa shell as a plate with rice and beans.
Nicha's Comida Mexicana ★ 4.0
north-side · 5059 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78229