Tamale House East

Tamale House is an Austin institution that’s existed in various forms and locations since 1958 - it’s been in its current home on East 6th Street since 2012. The charming Mexican tile-centric decor, full bar, and the mini fridge packed with salsas make Tamale House one of our favorite Tex-Mex spots in town. There’s even live music on weekend mornings - which can either be a positive or a negative, depending on your level of hangover.

The soul of Tamale House is the breakfast menu, filled with dishes like chilaquiles and huevos rancheros. They also make some of the best breakfast tacos in Austin, all on homemade fluffy flour tortillas. Even the potatoes in the breakfast tacos are better at Tamale House - here they’re cooked separately, to give them a texture all their own. A standout is the phenomenal chipotle migas taco, with scrambled eggs and crispy corn tortilla chips that get tossed in queso with a smoky chipotle salsa. It’s a rare chilaquiles-adjacent evolution of migas, and something you never see.

photo credit: Nicolai McCrary