Along South First Street lies Taqueria Arandas. I thought it would be just another Mexican food place, but I was dead wrong.

As you sit down, you will be greeted by a nice woman holding some homemade tortilla chips and flavorful salsa. They will also hand out a menu with a nice variety of plates to choose from.

Around Austin, Arandas operates five restaurants. The one I went to was on South First Street, known for its amazing authentic interior Mexican food.

After the waitress came around with chips, they got our drink orders. I of course got Jaritos Mandarin “Orange Jaritos is a soft rink based out of Mexico City with 14 different flavorsthat ship six thousand bottles across the border every minute. I love Jarritos because it has a unique flavor compared to Fanta and Sunkist.

Just a couple minutes after drink service, our food arrived. My dad got a plate with steak, rice, beans and veggies, known as his ‘usual’. He has been coming to this location for forty years, ever since he lived in Austin.

My mom got what looks to be a taco sandwich, but really it’s a Gordita, which she loved. It consists of veggies, beef and beans. Before she regularly ordered this, she wasn’t a huge fan of this place, but this dish changed her mind. A gordita is basically a dish stuffed with cheese, meat and veggies. The direct translation of “gordita” is “chubby” in Spanish.
 

I got two bean and cheese tacos, which were amazing. The soft flour tortillas really are the best part of the meal. I only got two because they are really filling and sit perfectly on some Jarritos and a ton of chips.

The total was just $30, for all three of us. In the description of this restaurant, it says “taco truck fares”, which turned out to be really accurate. I would absolutely recommend this place if you’re looking for a cheap and good Mexican Restaurant. I rate this restaurant five out of five stars.