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    Penelope's Cafe

    3.9 (19 reviews)

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    Chilaquiles Verdes w/Brisket
    Stephanie M.

    My boyfriend and I were looking to try a new breakfast spot and in our search came across Penelope's Cafe. We are so happy we found this lovely restaurant! We were greeted by lovely and friendly staff that seated us right away. For parking you can park next door at El Meson and prior to being seated they have an iPad where you can enter your license plate for complimentary parking. Don't forget or you might get towed. We started with a Golden Hour Latte and a Lemongrass Blue Tea. Both were good, but the Golden Hour Latte...OMG is so delicious! I'm ordering this every single time from now on. For food we shared a Bacon Egg and Cheese Taco and the Chilaquiles Verdes with Brisket. We also asked for extra salsa which they brought plenty of. The red salsa has a great flavor to it. We were so impressed by the generous portions and flavor. Just wow the brisket is so tender and they serve plenty. Between the two of us we couldn't finish everything. We asked for a Togo box and the owner came back with a box with an extra salsa and a few more potatoes. I really appreciated the sweet gesture to include a little extra for us. It's the little things :) the restaurant is very colorful and inviting. I felt right at home. On top of the wonderful food and staff their prices are quite reasonable. I think we just found our new favorite breakfast spot. I'll be coming back very soon and often!

    Indoor seating
    Stacey R.

    The golden hour latte was so good! One of the best I've had! Not turmeric, butter- Golden butter, brown sugar and miso, amazing! The breakfast tacos were big & filling. Two was more than enough, and the tortillas... made in house, of course! The corn tortillas are superb, the salsa is fresh and Marisela and her staff are so friendly and warm! Gotta grab something sweet to go- my new favorite neighborhood spot! Check out how cute her ceramic ware is!!

    Anali D.

    The experience was horrible, for starters when we ordered our drinks our 3 cokes were super flat so we let our waiter know and we just settled for water , our chilaquiles were also very salty and the eggs were very overcooked. When leaving , they wanted to charge us the 3 cokes that we sent back after taking a sip of them and they also charged us an extra $17 just for being a party over 4. Everything was very overpriced for the quality of food they present. I expressed to the manager upon leaving that my experience was very unpleasant and he gave me a "who cares" attitude. I feel like my time and money was wasted here, I would never recommend this place to anyone.

    Pancake with fresh strawberries
    Julia P.

    Found this place while I was on a walk. The pancakes are amazing, definitely recommend trying them. The bacon and egg taco was good but nothing out of the ordinary. I'm from the RGV, so this taco coming from Austin wasn't too bad. The service was top notch but this could be because I was the only One in the building. Lovely music and atmosphere, great spot to check out for brunch.

    An area set aside for free samples , very appreciated

    It is a super nice restaurant and they have free food samples which is different . It would be a great place for a football game or soccer game on their outside patio. The service was great and the food was very well perp .

    Concha croissant French toast

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    4 months ago

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    5 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    1 month ago

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    4 months ago

    Really nice place I love it food is good service is nice ambiance is cool I can recommend it to all my family and friends

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    2 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    3 months ago

    Filled with the kindest people and the best concha ever! so so lovely. So happy to have places like Penelope's

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    8 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    4 months ago

    Ambiance, food, and service is fantastic. Penelope's is a must! Don't miss out! I love the lunch and dinner restaurant, El Meson, too!

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    10 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    El Alma - Chips salsa and queso

    El Alma

    4.1(1.4k reviews)
    1.1 miBouldin Creek, 78704 (South Austin)
    $$

    Duck enchiladas with mole sauce were awesome! Chips and salsa were homemade and delicious. Tacos…read moregreat and yummy margaritas. We had a wonderful server too. Ambiance very laid back but cute.

    That rush hour traffic in Austin is lethal. If it starts raining too, oh buddy, what a nightmare…read more Eventually you'll make it to your destination and if it's half as good as El Alma, it'll be a sigh of relief. I've driven by El Alma many times being in the Austin area, but I never went until last Thursday, and after surviving a brief monsoon, I was glad to get a few drinks and eat some good TexMex with my large party just before a wedding. The best way to describe El Alma is that it is TexMex that is Austinified. Everything feels a little more unique and special than your classic TexMex options. I started off with a Mezcal Margarita that put a little hair on my chest and got me going. My group ordered two of their Nachitos, which were these nice nachos. For my main entrée, I got 3 Al Pastor tacos on corn with a side of their rice and beans. Their pastor was served with pineapples, onions, and cilantro with limes on the side. They were great and I immediately crushed them all. I thought their rice and beans were pretty good as well and a step above the typical TexMex rice and beans. The server was pretty attentive throughout our whole visit, and I honestly have no complaints about what they had to offer. Pricing on the meal and drinks was pretty standard for Austin, and I didn't think anything really took me out of the experience. On top of that, for being in Barton Springs, there is quite a bit of parking. I would love to come back at some point in the future and hang out on their rooftop bar because that seems like a lot of fun. Shoutout to El Alma for being a TexMex oasis saving me from the MoPac traffic. RIYL: TexMex, but better than your average

    Photos
    El Alma - Busy on a Tuesday

    Busy on a Tuesday

    El Alma - Queso blanco

    Queso blanco

    El Alma - Mezcal Margarita

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    Mezcal Margarita

    Suerte - Chips and guacamole

    Suerte

    4.3(1.4k reviews)
    2.9 miEast Austin
    $$$

    had the Agua chiles , the quesadilla, the sweet potato's and there tacos !! Highly recommend…read moregetting a couple of plates ! The food was great and the service was as well. I would highly recommended a visit! The fish was fresh , the drinks were good and the desert was amazing !

    We came to Suerte for a date night. We don't eat out very often because honestly, most of the food…read morewe get out, we can make ourselves at home but better. Every single dish at Suerte was completely worth it. The family-style ordering was great because my partner and I got to delight in each dish together. The portions were clearly intentionally sized: nothing too big, but also nothing too small. And each bite had us both sitting and often closing our eyes to fully experience the food. We spent just as much time not talking as we did talking. The food did a lot of talking for us And when we were talking, it was either to one another, or to our server, Jake. Lemme tell ya, knocked it out of the park. His timing was on point. He never hovered, and he practically appeared out of nowhere when our need for him arose. I literally said to him at one point: "your timing is impeccable!" He was delightful, funny, knowledgeable, and very easy to converse with. Our visit would have been wonderful with the food alone, but Jake made the experience particularly memorable. Thank y'all - especially Jake and the chefs - for such a wonderful (and rare for us) date night.

    Photos
    Suerte - Cool vibe

    Cool vibe

    Suerte - Tlayuda de Hongos

    Tlayuda de Hongos

    Suerte - Tlayuda de Hongos (mushrooms)

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    Tlayuda de Hongos (mushrooms)

    Licha's Cantina - Tacos

    Licha's Cantina

    4.1(844 reviews)
    2.6 miEast Austin
    $$

    Another fun place in Austin! Great Mexican food, great and…read morefast service and the mood here was so cozy and inviting- we really enjoyed our food here. So we were thinking of tacos or Mexican food and my daughter suggested this spot as she had come here with some friends and really enjoyed their sopecitos. I had never had a sopecito! What is that! So we had to try... We were lucky to arrive at the right time (9 pm!) where we got their last table!! Make reservations or something because this is another one of those places that fills up! So- we were taken care of immediately: chips and some very hot salsas were set on the table while we chose. They menu is in QR code format, but we asked and got paper menus as well. Well I got the chicken sopecitos , my daughter got the pork ones and my partner got the meat tacos. Everything was delicious, the food arrived promptly, the portion size was perfect and bountiful and everything was super enjoyable. I really enjoyed trying some New Mexican favorites. Next time I will try some other delicacies since I always get tacos tacos burritos or quesadillas: time for some new items on the menu! Enjoy!

    Could have been much better. Many of their dishes are very…read moresweet, instead of savory. Salsa was the best thing. Music was so loud in the back room areas that you could not even have a conversation with others at your table. When I asked to have the music turned down, I was ignored. Dishes were on the pricer side. We won't be back.

    Photos
    Licha's Cantina - Inside view

    Inside view

    Licha's Cantina - Cochinita Pibil

    Cochinita Pibil

    Licha's Cantina - Side seating area

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    Side seating area

    Fonda San Miguel - Tacos Al pastor, Cadillac margarita and numero uno margarita

    Fonda San Miguel

    4.1(1.4k reviews)
    5.5 miRosedale, Allandale
    $$$

    We had the best server! Could only get a5:45 reservation so we wanted to ease in to dinner, and our…read moreserver made it happen. We had a drink, delicious prickly pear margarita! He brought warm chips and salsa...he gave great recommendations and we ordered a second drink... We told him when we wanted the food and it arrived soon after, and could not have been more delicious! Duck special with green mole, and chicken enchiladas suizas. So delicious all around! Love the decor. Beautiful light fixtures, warm Mexican vibe throughout...

    Fonda San Miguel never disappoints! We visited on Cinco de Mayo with another couple, and as…read moreexpected, the place was packed--but we were pleasantly surprised to find a table fairly quickly on a first-come, first-served basis. We started with their famous house Margaritas with Tajín, and they were absolutely delicious--and definitely strong in the best way. My boyfriend and I shared the Ceviche Las Brisas, which was incredibly fresh with generous, perfectly cut pieces of fresh white fish from the Gulf of Mexico. For our main dish, we split the vegetable Enchiladas de Mole Poblano, served with rice and black refried beans. I wish the enchiladas had more vegetables. Everything on the plate was outstanding, and I truly think they have the best mole in town--rich, complex, and unforgettable. We were also celebrating a friend's birthday, and the staff made it extra special by surprising her with a complimentary Tres Leches cake, which was just as amazing as everything else we had. Great food, lively atmosphere, and wonderful service--Fonda San Miguel continues to be one of our favorite spots. We can't wait to go back!

    Photos
    Fonda San Miguel - Bar

    Bar

    Fonda San Miguel - Cochinita Pibil

    Cochinita Pibil

    Fonda San Miguel - Frozen guava margarita

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    Frozen guava margarita

    Penelope's Cafe - mexican - Updated May 2026

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