Texas shares a border with Mexico, so it’s no surprise you can find many choices when it comes to Mexican cuisine without leaving the state. Especially in Austin, where creativity abounds, there are loads of restaurants that offer unique experiences beyond Tex-Mex.  Anything other than the usual tacos and enchiladas was once described as “interior Mexican.” But many chefs have now ventured farther south to explore Mexico’s dazzling culinary diversity.

In the modern Mueller neighborhood, once the site of Austin’s airport, the straw palapas and inviting outdoor space is reminiscent of one of Mexico’s largest port cities. This is because the owners of Vera Cruz Fonda, sisters Reyna and Maritza Vazquez, were born and raised in Vera Cruz. I had the pleasure of speaking with them to find out more about their homegrown restaurant, which opened in April 2023. Many people, myself included, were eagerly awaiting the opening as their food trailer, Vera Cruz All Natural, had been a popular go-to spot for tacos. Reyna and Maritza still run 6 food trailers in various locations in Austin. These sisters obviously have worked hard to get to where they are today as business owners.

Reyna told me that way back in 1989 she came to Austin and waited tables. She had a dream then to eventually open her own restaurant as she grew up with her sister helping their mother run a little fonda out of her house. A fonda in Mexico is a small, family-run restaurant where the owners do everything, from cleaning and shopping for ingredients to cooking the food. As the years went by, Reyna and Maritza started their own business with a food trailer in 2008.
 

The dream of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant finally came to fruition when they were offered the space in Mueller. I’ve tried some of their most popular dishes and they are worth the hype, including the Mojarra Frita (deep fried whole fish laid on chipotle salsa, served with rice, pico de gallo and avocado); Camarones Enchipotlados (head-on shrimp sautéed in butter, garlic and chipotle salsa, served with rice and avocado); and Cochinito Pibil (pork marinated in orange juice & achiote, served with red onion escabeche, refried black beans, rice and fried sweet plantains) and their ceviche (it’s a very hefty serving and so delicious!). Friday and Saturday evenings are their busiest nights, but Sunday brunch is also quite bustling.
 

To go from Vera Cruz to the Yucatán peninsula you go to the aesthetically appealing Nômadé in a trendy South Austin neighborhood.  As you enter the outdoor seating space through cream-colored curtains, the dark wooden floors and bright green pothos tumbling from white planters immediately transport you to a high-end resort on the coast of Quintana Roo. The vibe is relaxed, yet exquisite at dusk for happy hour and dinner with candles on the tables. And the food is incredible, as confirmed by the fact that in less than a year it has already been named number 4 Best New Restaurant in The South by Yelp and in the Top 15 Restaurants in Austin by Fodor’s Travel. 

One of their top selling botanas, or appetizers, is the Duck Panucho, which is an incredibly savory duck confit stuffed into a crispy tortilla, smothered in mole negro. Next, I sampled two different crudos: the Scallop Crudo with coconut leche de tigre with a hint of orange, cilantro and topped with tajin and the tart, but melt-in-your-mouth Hamachi Ceviche. Both were equally enjoyable. A main dish I enjoyed was the Enmoladas Verdes, which contained a perfectly balanced cochinito pibil wrapped in blue corn tortillas topped with queso requeson, crema and pepita. 

What I found to be endearing through my conversation with Summer, a lead manager of the restaurant, was how committed owner/chef Jay Huang and head chef Z. (Selina) Gutierrez are to provide a high-quality experience for all. Summer revealed that she has celiac disease (cannot eat gluten or wheat products) and that the owners wanted to ensure that people like her and others with food sensitivities and allergies could still enjoy everything on their menu. Chef Gutierrez, along with the entire cooking staff, also creatively works around, but never sacrifices flavor in the gluten-free and seed oil-free dishes. Summer says, “The dairy can also easily be substituted/omitted if requested by our customers. We do whatever it takes to make everyone’s experience memorable.”

 
I returned to Nômadé for brunch, which offers very reasonably priced choices, when the energy is exuberant and bright. There were many tables filled with friends celebrating and groups of moms enjoying dazzling drinks, like the Jamaica Fizz (Condesa Clasica Gin, Flor de Jamaica, Daytripper Grapefruit, and lime). I met afterwards with Huang and Gutierrez to speak about how they’ve made Nômadé such a successful restaurant. Gutierrez came to Austin from Los Angeles, her family hailing from Vera Cruz like the Vazquez sisters. “I definitely have infused some of the flavors and ideas from my family in many of our dishes,” Gutierrez told me.

Huang has visited Tulum many times and had just returned from Tulum when we spoke. He said he plans to visit Mérida next to get more ideas for the menu. The two of them exuded enthusiasm and care for everything they do, from sourcing the ingredients to presentation. Huang invited me back for a private event sponsored by the Mexican Shrimp Council later in the week. The Mexican Shrimp Council is the biggest group of importers, producers and processors managed and supported by the National Fisheries Institute.

Lastly, for an accessible and fun dining experience, there’s Nixta Taqueria. I went on a Friday evening and I’m glad I arrived before sunset, because the line gets long with eager diners. It’s casual and laid back, with a nice outdoor space, including several gardens. As I was there in October, they had a beautiful Día de los Muertos altar with colorful ofrendas on display.

Edgar Rico, the owner and chef, comes from California's Central Valley and is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America (the other CIA) in New York. But it was during his culinary journey across Mexico, when he stopped and staged at the exemplary Pujol in Mexico City, and later his time learning secrets from Oaxacan abuelitas that really sharpened his creative ideas for Nixta.

Most importantly is his deep connection to maíz, which you can see from the large mural of Centeotl, the Aztec god of maize that brightly decorates the wall behind the bar at this easy-going and delicious taqueria. The menu and mood are definitely an authentic reflection of his vision of food, along with his wife and co-owner, Sara Mardanbigi.

The place itself is tucked into a corner of East 12th that sends out an East Austin vibe with evidence of its former incarnations as convenience store and tattoo parlor. The bars on the windows remain, but the brightly painted exterior is awash in exuberant pinks and blues. The food is bursting with as much flavor as the colors on the walls. I enjoyed the Enchilada Potosina, a dish specific to the Mexican region from which some of Rico’s family still live: La Huasteca in San Luis Potosí. It’s hearty and full of both textures and flavors. And it’s definitely not something you’ll find at Taco Bell. The shredded red cabbage with a potato and chorizo pureé that sits atop a bed of refried beans with duck fat is truly satisfying. There’s plenty of more typical taco choices, all easy on the wallet, but if you feel like splurging, I recommend the Squash Flautas, which was my personal favorite, with a unique salsa macha verde that was so savory.

It's easy to feel like you’ve traveled throughout Mexico by stopping by one or all of these three fantastically unique culinary spots in Austin.