Austin hosts two of Texas' best taco joints

MySA reported on May 23 that two Austin taquerias — Comadre Panadería and Paprika ATX — were included on Texas Monthly’s new list of “The 25 Best New (Or Improved!) Taquerias in Texas.” The Austin selections appeared in a statewide roundup by Texas Monthly taco editor José R. Ralat, a James Beard Award-winning writer who said he and a team of tasters visited nearly 200 taquerias for the mid-cycle update. Texas Monthly said the list was published in its June 2026 issue and followed its 2024 “Best Tacos in Texas” package. MySA said one of the Austin spots, Comadre Panadería, was founded by San Antonio native Mariela Camacho. ### Which Austin taquerias made the list? Austin’s two entries were Comadre Panadería and Paprika ATX, according to MySA’s report on the Texas Monthly ranking. MySA said the two were named among the best taco spots in the Central Texas region, alongside four San Antonio taquerias: Aguazul, Anacacho Coffee & Cantina, Tacos on the Street and Waca. (mysanantonio.com) Texas Monthly described the 2026 package as “The 25 Best New (Or Improved!) Taquerias in Texas” and said the selections were presented in alphabetical order by location, with 10 honorable mentions. The magazine said qualifying taquerias had to open, reopen or expand their menus between August 2024 and March 2026. ### Who is behind Comadre Panadería? (mysanantonio.com) Mariela Camacho founded Comadre Panadería in East Austin, and MySA identified her as a San Antonio native. MySA said the bakery is best known for pan dulce but noted that Ralat highlighted its newer breakfast tacos in the Texas Monthly list. Ralat singled out Comadre’s bean and cheese taco and its nopales, egg and cheese taco, according to MySA. (texasmonthly.com) The article also said he praised the bakery’s “Taco de Piña,” which MySA described as a sweet puff pastry filled with pineapple jam. MySA listed Comadre’s address as 1204 Cedar Ave. in Austin. ### What did Texas Monthly highlight at Paprika ATX? (mysanantonio.com) Paprika ATX was founded in 2019 as a food truck by husband-and-wife team Margarito and Hayden Pérez, MySA reported. The outlet said the business is now a restaurant and is best known for pork trompo tacos sold on Saturdays. Ralat also recommended Paprika’s carnitas and suadero tacos, according to MySA. (mysanantonio.com) The report said he described the carnitas as cooked in traditional cauldrons known as cazos and said the suadero is simmered in beef tallow before being served with salsa macha in a special taco. ### How broad was Texas Monthly’s 2026 taco survey? (mysanantonio.com) Texas Monthly said Ralat and his team covered more than 10,500 miles and visited nearly 200 taquerias for the 2026 list. The magazine said the project was intended as a midterm report between its larger four-year statewide taco rankings. The magazine also said taqueria owners were contending with higher food prices and a more cautious dining public. (mysanantonio.com) In the introduction to the package, Ralat wrote that the featured businesses showed “ganas” — which he described as guts, desire, determination and hard work. ### Where does Austin sit in the wider Texas taco map? (texasmonthly.com) San Antonio placed four taquerias on the same Texas Monthly list, while Austin had two, according to MySA and other pickup reports of the ranking. That put the two cities among the most visible metros in the statewide roundup, even though the list covered taquerias across Texas. (texasmonthly.com) Texas Monthly said the 2026 package was a mid-cycle update to its November 2024 “Best Tacos in Texas” effort. Readers looking for the full statewide list can find it in Texas Monthly’s June 2026 issue, while MySA’s May 23 report includes the Austin selections and Ralat’s menu recommendations for Comadre Panadería and Paprika ATX. (texasmonthly.com) (mysanantonio.com)