Marias Taco Xpress
Located on South Lamar, hidden off to the side, Maria’s Taco Xpress is very intriguing on the outside, with its multi colored Christmas lights, mermaidish looking statue above the entrance, and eclectic paint, but adorable paint job. In fact, we ended up there for that exact reason: we were driving up the road trying to find any decent place that didn’t require reservations or a two hour wait, saw pretty lights and a sign that said Taco Xpress and figured we couldn’t really go wrong. Upon parking we quickly realized we had accidentally found “the” Taco Xpress that had
recently been on the Food Network (Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) and couldn’t wait to try the much bragged about Mexican fare. The inside was just as cute and welcoming as the outside with a mix of tables and chairs and many posters and signs throughout. The order at the counter and seat yourself process keeps things simple and all about the food, which is super affordable, prepared very quickly, and presented in massive portions that require a doggie bag. We tried the infamous al pastor pork plate and the just as tasty enchiladas and were instantly in love. Everything from the homemade warm tortillas down to the rice and beans and salsa was very tasty and no doubt prepared from traditional, down home recipes. No doubt we had stumbled upon one of the best hidden treasures that Austin has to offer.Hayes Carll at The Saxon Pub
Part two of our untraditional and super fun Valentine’s night out was the ever awesome Hayes Carll at The Saxon Pub. Apparently seeing Hayes on v-day was very popular and we’re lucky that we even got in to the show, but thanks to Hayes’ kind manager we got in and were able to enjoy the show from a nice spot next to the bar. I don’t know what else to say about Hayes, but I do recommend that everyone see him at least once live once. Most of his songs are about drinking, drugs or sex, and can pretty easily be related to by most adults. The tunes are also fairly easy to sway and sing along to. As usual he ended the show (pre-encore) with crowd favorite “Down the Road Tonight,” a fun fast tune that always makes me happy.The Saxon Pub (on South Lamar) is a long standing Austin favorite for live music. Its one of the older spots and definitely has a lot of character, and is definitely a great spot for live shows. If, like me, you’re partial to dive bars and low key comfortable bars you will no doubt like Saxon Pub. With a capacity of only 135, it fills up quickly, but if you can get there early enough to grab a table you’re golden. Its dimly lit, old looking, and occasionally smells of stale beer, but the atmosphere is very comfortable, the bartenders and regulars are friendly, and the acoustics and bands that come through are great. On non music nights you can also play pool in the back.
