hornian
1,000+ Posts
In fact, I'd go so far as to call it the best TexMex in Austin (although not technically in the city limits). I've been meaning to make this post for some time, but better late than never.
The place is Los Pinos, it's on the corner of Hudson Bend Road and Beacon Drive, in a building that has been 4 different establishments in the 5 years I've been going out to the lake regularly. This is the first one to make it through the winter, and it should have.
I have yet to have a bad thing on the menu. Everything from the ceviche to the carne guisada was excellent. The portions are huge, and the prices reasonable ($7-$10 for most entrees). The also have a very good seafood part of their menu, including fish enchiladas which were outstanding. And the icing on the cake is their tortillas - honest to god homemade tortillas. Hands down, the best tortillas you'll find in Austin, both corn and flour. Oh, and they have a full bar with good drink specials and strong drinks.
The service is top notch, and the owner is about the friendliest guy you cold ever meet. It is a family run mexican restaurant, the kind you find down in San Antonio but no as much here in Austin. We went in recently on a Wednesday night with a party of 10 right at 9 - when their sign says they close at 9pm on Wednesday and they were pretty packed already. Did they turn us away? No, they welcomed us and gave us even better service than usual, and asked us to come back again with more people.
The sad thing is that uninformed masses keep on driving down Hudson Bend Road to Carlos n Charlie's and pay way too much for mediocre (on a a good day) food, when there is a diamond in the rough sitting right there. However, they've won over the locals (the only way they made it through the winter) and I hope to see them flourish, if for no other reason than the fact that I selfishly want to continue eating there.
So in conclusion, if you're out at Lake Travis, I highly recommend checking this place out.
The place is Los Pinos, it's on the corner of Hudson Bend Road and Beacon Drive, in a building that has been 4 different establishments in the 5 years I've been going out to the lake regularly. This is the first one to make it through the winter, and it should have.
I have yet to have a bad thing on the menu. Everything from the ceviche to the carne guisada was excellent. The portions are huge, and the prices reasonable ($7-$10 for most entrees). The also have a very good seafood part of their menu, including fish enchiladas which were outstanding. And the icing on the cake is their tortillas - honest to god homemade tortillas. Hands down, the best tortillas you'll find in Austin, both corn and flour. Oh, and they have a full bar with good drink specials and strong drinks.
The service is top notch, and the owner is about the friendliest guy you cold ever meet. It is a family run mexican restaurant, the kind you find down in San Antonio but no as much here in Austin. We went in recently on a Wednesday night with a party of 10 right at 9 - when their sign says they close at 9pm on Wednesday and they were pretty packed already. Did they turn us away? No, they welcomed us and gave us even better service than usual, and asked us to come back again with more people.
The sad thing is that uninformed masses keep on driving down Hudson Bend Road to Carlos n Charlie's and pay way too much for mediocre (on a a good day) food, when there is a diamond in the rough sitting right there. However, they've won over the locals (the only way they made it through the winter) and I hope to see them flourish, if for no other reason than the fact that I selfishly want to continue eating there.
So in conclusion, if you're out at Lake Travis, I highly recommend checking this place out.
