las manitas

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A piping hot plate of well prepared huevos rancheros is definitely one of my favourite vacation breakfasts. For some reason, travelling makes me perpetually hungry and a healthy serving of eggs, beans, tortillas and salsa is one successful way of keeping my hunger at bay right up until, well....lunch time (oink). Las Manitas (meaning the hands) does them well, serving them up with their own fresh handmade tortillas and a mighty fine twangy tomato salsa (though the potatoes were lame and could've / should've been switched out for rice). Referred to by Austin locals as a 'cultural institution', this is a restaurant that is not into fancy.... just good, tasty and traditional Tex-Mex fare served up in generous portions that are affordable and satiating.

Enter through Las Manitas front doors on Congress Avenue and dine in its bustling kitchy interior or continue on towards the back of the restaurant, passing through its large working kitchen and out to a colourful exterior courtyard. Lunches are crowded and line-ups the norm, frequented by workers from surrounding downtown offices as well as employees and government officials from the nearby State Capitol Building. Menu items include migas (eggs scrambled with corn tortillas), chalupas (crispy corn tortillas covered with beans, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes), enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas and crispy tacos.

The nearby State Capitol Building, as illustrated by children for an 'Art City' project at the AMOA. Ironically, the capitol city of Austin is a decidedly democratic city, in sharp contrast to the very republican state of Texas.