Pollos Asados Los Norteños is a street-food stop in East Side, San Antonio.
Pollos Asados Los Norteños on the east side grills whole chickens over mesquite; order one with grilled onions and tortillas, and go early as the queue grows.
Tip: Order a whole chicken with the grilled onions and tortillas. The queue can be long; go early on weekends.
Address: 4642 Rigsby Ave, San Antonio, TX 78222
Tellez Tamales & Barbacoa is a West Side weekend ritual, where you buy barbacoa by the pound and tamales by the dozen to take home, paired with a Big Red.
Try: Weekend barbacoa and tamales
Tip: Go on a weekend morning for the barbacoa by the pound; buy tamales by the dozen to take home. Pair with Big Red.
Ray's Drive Inn on the West Side has claimed the original puffy taco since 1956, the deep-fried puffed-masa shell that San Antonio gave the world.
Try: The original puffy taco
Tip: The puffy taco is the only order; eat it fast while the shell is crisp. A West Side institution, not a tourist stop.
Henry's Puffy Tacos on the West Side is the Lopez family counter for the namesake puffy taco, served hot and crisp with rice and beans; eat it before it sits.
Try: Puffy tacos
Tip: Order a plate of puffy tacos with rice and beans. The shells come hot and crisp; do not let them sit.
El Milagrito Cafe on East Woodlawn is the oldest restaurant on the St Mary's Strip, with a chorizo-and-egg puffy taco that has built a quiet cult following.
Try: Chorizo-and-egg puffy tacos
Tip: The chorizo-and-egg puffy taco is the cult order. A small family-run room; come on a weekday morning to skip the wait.
Carnitas Don Raúl on West Jones is a husband-and-wife counter for Michoacán-style carnitas, rooted in a 1991 Morelia family operation and featured on Netflix.
Try: Michoacán-style carnitas tacos
Tip: Order the carnitas by the pound with fresh tortillas and the house salsa. A quick weekend lunch on the way out of downtown.
Rolando's Super Tacos on West Hildebrand built its name on El Gigante, an enormous breakfast taco with your pick of five fillings, a stomach-test of a taco.
Try: El Gigante breakfast taco
Tip: El Gigante is the gimmick and a full meal in one taco. Order at the counter and add a cup of beans.
