Austin Breakfast Tacos: The Story of the Most Important Taco of the Day Review

Austin's reputation for being the culinary engine driving the breakfast taco movement has been growing for a long time. Every year, thousands visit Austin for the annual South By Southwest festivals, and one of the first rites of passage as a tourist is learning about the convenient access to breakfast tacos. Our mornings are not built on donuts or muffins, but these tortilla wrapped wonders served with piping hot coffee.

If you have ever wanted to clue into what the big deal is about breakfast tacos in Austin, this little 192-page book by Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece captures it all. Austin Breakfast Tacos interviews 46 different sources, from restaurant owners to Austin's celebrity bloggers and food personalities, smoking out their views about their favorite kinds of tacos, as well as their cherished recipes.

The end result means the book is a little chaotic and piecemeal, much like the assembly of a really good breakfast taco. It also would have been helpful if Austin Breakfast Tacos had indexes of the people interviewed, or at least of all the taco recipes. As it is, readers will need to thumb through and remember interesting recipes and conversations.

A Taco for Your Thoughts?

What's the best way to get a general idea on the best tacos? Ask a lot of different people. Rayo and Neece did their homework, extracting taco-related opinions and wisdom from dozens of Austinites.

Reading though everyone's points it becomes pretty evident that taco culture is important to a lot of people. How does Catherine Robb, the granddaughter of LBJ and Lady Bird Johnson, like her breakfast tacos? What are Austin American Statesman tech writer Omar Gallego's favorite taco joints? Does the Soup Peddler have a good salsa recipe?

One of the best entires comes from Austin band Grupo Fantasma's Celeste and Adrian Quesada, who spell out their entire morning breakfast routine featuring vegetarian breakfast tacos and hot coffee. After their explanation, they emphasize, "the foundation (for all tacos) is always the holy trinity of: PAPA, HUEVO y FRIJOL"

Amen!

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Jarod Neece happily advocates the many pleasures of breakfast tacos through his self-styled taco journalism movement. Along with Mando Rayo, they use their powers to "bring taco love to the people."