U&R Review: Casa Gracias

Urban's Take: Casa Gracias shouldn't have been a surprise, being a Mexican food place in Austin, but it was! The humble exterior belies the awesome Tex-Mex waiting for you within. The comparison that was made throughout the meal was that it was Austin's version of El Fenix, my faithful standby for traditional Tex Mex in Dallas.

The restaurant was clean and the service was friendly and really fast. The chips were good, not great, and the salsa was a little too tomato saucey. Adam and I both ordered enchilada combo plates that came with tacos- and I liked that they brought the taco out before the enchiladas. It made the meal less overwhelming and easier to digest.
The cheese enchiladas I had were some of the best I've had in a long time. They absolutely rank right up there with El Fenix. Some places make their enchiladas with too much grease and so they get soggy really quickly, leaving you with a flat tube of cheese. But Casa Gracias' enchiladas were far from flat. I would have liked more cheese and chili con carne sauce atop mine, but that's a small complaint.

I should also add that their tortillas were very similar to Taco Cabana's in consistency and taste- therefore, they were awesome. (Awesome enough that I was willing to take the below picture with one, even though I knew I looked gross after being outside at the UT/OSU football game in a million degree weather all day. Yeah... that awesome.)

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to Casa Gracias and I would definitely go again... that is, as long as I wasn't going to the South Lamar Alamo Drafthouse nearby. Because then I would eat there, watch a movie, and enjoy the greatest popcorn and milkshakes on earth.

Urban's Rating: Soo good
Rucker's Take: I should admit that Casa Gracias was not even on our list of Mexican food restaurants to eat that night. First was Matt's El Rancho, a GREAT Mexican food restaurant in Austin (Dallas as well, in the Lakewood shopping center). After Matt's had what looked like a 2-hour-long wait, Urban & I decided we would shop around for a different Mexican restaurant, which, in Austin took all of 2 minutes.

We stumbled upon Casa Gracias, a humble Mexican restaurant which seemed inviting in nature and authentic in cuisine. After all, how could you not feel welcome in a restaurant that's name translates into "Thank You House."

I was just as satisfied with my meal experience as Sam was. I too liked that the taco was brought out prior to the rest of the meal. It sort of primed my stomach and said, "Hey dude, get ready cuz there's lots more delicious Mexican food on the way."
There was an ample amount of shredded cheese on my taco, which is ALWAYS a plus. A restaurant that isn't stingy with cheese=a restaurant that cares about its customers.

I will say that Sam and I were a little turned off by seeing our salsa refilled from a drink pitcher- meaning they have a pitcher of salsa that they walk around with to refill empty salsa cups. This was something we quickly got over though after realizing that the pitcher had no effect on the salsa's consistency or taste.

It was just weird, you know? Like wine in a box- just doesn't seem right.

I ordered my combo plate with one cheese enchilada and one beef enchilada (for 50 cents extra), and let me tell you: it was worth it. I never like when you can see actual pools of grease on your plate from the enchiladas so I was especially happy that this was not the case at Casa Gracias. I liked the cheese used in the enchilada; it wasn't at all Velveeta-y which is not something I like in restaurant enchiladas (Velveeta is acceptable in homemade instances). The beef enchiladas contained finely ground beef and good, spicy flavor that I love. Both enchiladas were hunger-satisfying without giving you that over-stuffed feeling of "OH MY GOSH- I'LL NEVER EAT FOOD AGAIN."
Overall the experience at Casa Gracias was one of satisfaction. Because of the quick service and great food, I would definitely return and recommend you eat there.

After all, at Casa Gracias, "Mi casa es su casa."

Rucker's Rating: Soo Good


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