“Damn Good”

When rumors began to spread that the holy grail of tacos was coming to Lubbock, all Tech college students rejoiced. Torchy’s Tacos is known for being “damn good,” and after trying the namesake for myself it only confirmed how delicious it truly is.

The chain started in Austin and has grown to 21 locations. The Lubbock location on 9th Street took over where the old Blue Monkey bar and grill location was. I personally love that building space. With the restaurant being fairly spacious and the wrap around outdoor patio it’s going to be a hot spot for future game days and summer weather.

For the people who have not tried Torchy’s, it’s definitely an experience. I’ll say it, I like it better than Fuzzy’s Tacos. I think it’s going to be interesting to see how Fuzzy’s does because the two locations are within close proximity to one another.

Yesterday I went to Torchy’s with my boyfriend, Will, around 4:30 in the afternoon for a late lunch/early dinner. The line at that point wasn’t too bad. It was a definite line, but it was worth waiting for. No more than five minutes passed by and at least 10 more people came bustling through the door.

The crossroads taco and the democrat taco.

Green chile queso.

As Will and I went up to order our food I decided I wanted a chicken fajita taco(grilled chicken with grilled onions and peppers with cheese and pico de gallo) and a “crossroads” taco (smoked beef brisket with grilled onions, jalapenos, cilantro, jack cheese and avocado). He ordered a crossroads as well and a green chile pork taco (pork carnitas simmered green chilies and topped with queso fresco, cilantro, and onions). We also got an order of chips and their famous green chile queso. Warning: NOM WORTHY.

We found a table without having to wait. Within minutes of sitting down a waiter brought us what we thought were our tacos. It turned out they got the crossroads tacos with the chips and queso correctly, but they didn’t give us my chicken fajita taco or Will’s chile pork taco. Instead we got two orders of the “democrat” taco (shredded beef barbacoa with avocado, queso fresco, cilantro, onions with tomatillo salsa).

By this point the line was wrapped around the entire location and the restaurant was a mad house. By the time we decided we were each missing a taco we individually ordered the waiter was gone. Needless to say, we just decided to try the democrat. It turned out to be good as well.

Based on this experience, I’m convinced Torchy’s doesn’t have one bad thing on their menu. Will and I didn’t even get our full order and I was still insanely satisfied with all of the combinations of mexican street taco flavor. Torchy’s only downfall is that its tacos are pricer than Fuzzy’s. Most of them stay in the $3 to $5 range and they’re worth every penny. Torchy’s breakfast tacos are a little cheaper and tend to stay within the $2-3 range.

I would recommend Torchy’s Tacos to anyone. It was delicious and filling. I suggest going in the middle of the afternoon – – otherwise prepare yourself to wait in line regardless of what time you think is suitable for a meal.