AUSTIN RESTAURANT REVIEW: Nixta Taqueria
Austin has always been lil' bro to Houston on a number of levels, from sports to fine arts to – most prominently – cuisine (if you're wondering where Dallas fits into this analogy... it's not even in the same family). While I certainly wasn't doing a lot of fine dining back in my University of Texas days (you'd hardly catch me straying far from the Jester City Limits/J2/Cypress Bend holy trinity when I lived on campus back then), I still recall thinking that the city's food offerings paled in comparison to my hometown. However, things there seem to be significantly improving of late. In fact, when the initial Texas Michelin Guide was unveiled last year, Austin actually had one more starred restaurant than Houston (this remains preposterous, but when you adjust for the somewhat frivolous barbecue stars, the latter still reigned supreme).
On my last visit to ATX, I had an unbelievable dinner at Hestia, honestly one of my favorite post-COVID meals, and where I discovered my beloved Fred Jerbis (#fred, real ones know). Sadly, that was just a month or so before I started this site, so I never got to write about that incredible experience. This time around I was looking for something a bit more casual, as well as dog-friendly since Rooney was making her Austin debut. One name that kept popping up on lists of good patios in Austin was Nixta Taqueria, which for some reason seemed vaguely familiar to me. It turns out this spot, which already had a Bib Gourmand from 2024, was awarded a Michelin Green star during the 2025 ceremony which I, alongside probably no more than a dozen other psychos, watched online.
Green stars recognize restaurants for sustainability, in addition to culinary excellence. Often these places go out of their way to source local and seasonal ingredients, work with eco-friendly producers, or even grow their own produce. I've only had the opportunity to check out two of these establishments before (Caruso's in Santa Barbara and Don Julio in Buenos Aires), but both were tremendous, and obviously working to take care of the planet is a noble cause. Somewhat irritatingly to the organization nut in me, Green stars are no longer a searchable parameter on the Michelin Guide app, and are featured less prominently on individual restaurant profiles (though I don't think they are fully going away, as some have erroneously reported), but I'll try not to cry about it.
Nixta is located in a quiet neighborhood in East Austin, nestled rather unassumingly amongst small single-family homes on East 12th Street. It has some very traditional aspects (they make their own masa/tortillas using heirloom corn from Mexico), along with some modernized and unconventional elements. I'd heard tell of long queues, and there was what appeared to be a pretty substantial snaking area set up for lines, though on this mild December evening it was fairly empty. There is an indoor area where they host tasting menu dinners, but most of the action seemed to be outdoors, with some picnic tables set up near their onsite garden, as well as a large heated tent. Once you order from the counter, you're given a number and runners bring out food to your table, shockingly quickly I might add.
Normally I wouldn't comment much on the Chips N' Dips (one of the two "antojitos", essentially appetizers, the other being a Kale Salad which I predictably did not order), but the salsa morita was absolutely otherworldly. Made from morita chiles, which are smoked and dried red jalapeño peppers, this salsa had an incredible balance of smokiness and delightful fruitiness, with a lovely wallop of heat. I'm not kidding when I say I could have drank this stuff straight, it was that divine, and may be the best salsa I've ever had (and there have been many). It was served with interestingly multicolored tortilla chips, alongside the other dip, a solid duck fat refried beans, which will pop up again later.
The Bean & Cheese Taco was a very simple dish (literally described this way on the menu), with just queso panela and the aforementioned duck fat refried beans atop one of their signature half and half colored corn tortillas. The mild, spongy block of fresh cow's milk cheese worked well against the richness of the frijoles and the excellent tortilla. In a world of increasingly complicated tacos, it was nice to know that a very basic one can still shine when the elements are done properly.
One of the biggest highlights was the Duck Carnitas Taco, which substitutes duck confit for the usual pork carnitas. A very healthy portion of juicy fowl was accentuated with watermelon radish, shaved white onions, cilantro, and salsa cruda (basically pico de gallo). This had a really nice savory duck flavor, offset by some acidity and freshness from the various vegetable garnishes. My only (minor) complaint is that the meat was so moist that the taco ate a bit soggy by the end. Still delicious though!
For some reason, the enchilada potosina tacos came with two smaller tortillas per order, as opposed to everything else on the menu. These were a play on the eponymous enchiladas from San Luis Potosí, and consisted of a potato & chorizo purée, more of the duck fat refried beans, shredded cabbage, roasted potosina salsa (a tomatillo-based concoction), and queso enchilado. There was a lot going on here, and while there were some tasty elements, I felt that the purée plus the beans and the cheese all kind of melded together into a slightly unappealing mushy texture that wasn't quite offset enough by the valiant efforts of the cabbage. I might skip this one next time.
Switching from soft to hard tortillas, next up was the Tuna Tostada. I'm on the record as loving these, from Mexico City to Houston, and even created at home with the help of Costco's surprisingly excellent spicy ahi tuna poke that you can easily turn into a meal with some tostadas, avocados, and pickled red onions. Nixta's interpretation included yellowfin tuna cured in citrus & tamari, avocado, chipotle aioli, microgreens, and furikake. They really went all out on this one: the fish was full of umami and bright lime flavor, plus the smoky, savory, and fatty accoutrements made for a delectable bite.
While the majority of the menu is centered around tacos y tostadas, there are daily specials as well, and I did get a chance to try the entree on offer, which was a Roasted Grouper Marisquera. This deep red-brown soup had roasted snowy grouper, an ancho and guajillo lobster broth, avocado, chives, and radishes harvested from their backyard bounty. The broth was profoundly earthy and smoky from those iconic Mexican chiles, and the fish was tender and flaky, easily eaten with a spoon despite the large pieces. A great change of pace from the handhelds.
Before finishing, I must note the startling amount of wine on the menu, nearly 40 bottles, which just felt very bizarre for a taco shop. There are a handful of beers and non-alcoholic drinks as well (fortunately for my Untappd homies there was a local Meanwhile Brewing hazy IPA that I hadn't yet tried), but clearly they decided to go ham on the sheesh for some reason. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I was very pleased with this choice for a laid-back but seriously enjoyable taqueria that served as my one dinner during this trip to Austin. While it's not taking Hestia's spot on my Beyond Houston guide, it's absolutely worth a stop if you're spending some time in central Texas. And feel free to bring your pup!
NEXT UP: A downtown spot that defies genre to the point where they just gave up and called it "Houston-inspired".