Austin is obsessed with queso, a creamy dip that is traditionally made up of melted cheese and chili peppers, served with a basket of tortilla chips as an appetizer or alongside a combo plate. You can find it at practically every Tex-Mex restaurant around Austin. Although melted cheese remains consistent as the base of the dip, each restaurant puts their own spin by choosing the combo of chiles and peppers to add for the spice element or adding a meat component to make the dip more hearty. So, it’s beneficial to explore multiple Tex-Mex spots throughout your time in Austin and find the one that is your absolute favorite.
Just like the history of Tex-Mex, the history of chile con queso (which translates to cheese with chili pepper) is complicated. It’s a result of the diffusion of Mexican and American culture that occurred after the U.S’s acquisition of Texas in the late 1880s with influences from Native Americans who originally occupied the land. However, the popularization of queso can be traced to a group of women known as the “chili queens” who sold dishes such as chile con carne to a diverse audience of tourists and locals in San Antonio. These tourists played a vital role in bringing queso to a wider national audience by spreading the gospel of queso to their hometowns.
While San Antonio had the chili queens serving delicious Mexican food, Austin’s Tex-Mex industry began with women who lived along Guadalupe Street who would make tamales and Mexican candies to sell along Congress Avenue. The women’s small businesses displayed a strong demand for Mexican food in Austin. This demand resulted in the Tex-Mex industry taking off in 40s and 50s as families had more disposable incomes, allowing queso to become more accessible to Austin residents.
Growing up as a Mexican-American Austinite, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to dunk crispy chips into the warm gooey cheese dip. So in the fall semester of my freshman year at University of Texas Austin, I was surprised to learn that some of my friends from out of state and other regions of Texas had never tried queso. They were familiar with nacho cheese, like the kind you’d find at Taco Bell or in the concession stand of a sports game. While nacho cheese is close, it’s extremely processed, way too yellow, and not the kind of queso you’d find in Austin. I have such fond memories of watching my mom make queso by melting Velveeta cheese in the Crockpot for family parties, so it was exciting to see my friends try a food that was really special to me and watch them go from skeptical to really enjoying it.
In addition to being a tasty appetizer, queso is important to me because it has always been something that brought my family together. It has become a tradition to order it before a meal when we dine at Tex-Mex restaurants. As we dig into the queso, our mood is instantly uplifted as our hunger dies down enough to wait patiently for the food and truly appreciate each other’s company. Also my family is filled with picky eaters, so it is nice to have one menu item we can all agree on.
Austin Tex-Mex restaurants understand the importance of family and bringing people together, because many began as family run businesses and relied on community support for growth. For example, when COVID forced El Patio to close, a “new generation of family members” stepped in to help out to revive El Patio. These restaurants have grown with the city and have gained loyal fan bases. However, it’s more important now than ever to support local Tex-Mex restaurants as the city continues to be gentrified.
Upon trying a new Tex-Mex restaurant, I can’t help but analyze the queso. Are there any toppings on it? Spice level? Type of cheese? Consistency? These characteristics are what make each dip distinct. I don’t believe in ranking quesos, each one serves its own role, and will satisfy different paletes. Below, I’ve listed four Austin restaurants that showcase various types of queso. These are places that both a queso conscious and newbie would be sure to find a dip to their liking.
Kerbey Lane
2606 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78705
Kerbey Lane is Austin’s family-owned restaurant known for it’s all-day breakfast menu with iconic pancakes, Tex-Mex influenced meals, and classic American comfort foods. This place was my absolute favorite back when I was vegetarian, because Kerbey Lane’s menu is extremely versatile for those who follow a specific eating style. Not to mention, Kerbey Lane is just as obsessed with queso as the rest of us. There is even a “I love queso” mural at the Kerbey Lane location on Guadalupe street near UT. The restaurant offers a cashew- based vegan queso option along with their classic version. The classic queso star ingredients are American cheese, organic whole milk, onions, tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, and cilantro.
El Patio has been serving the Austin community classic Tex-Mex food since 1954. Like Kerbey Lane, the restaurant has its roots in being a family-owned restaurant until the pandemic forced the restaurant to reopen under new management. El Patio prides itself on sourcing quality ingredients, homemade shells and salsa, and hand-rolled enchiladas. El Patio’s queso has the traditional flavor profile of queso that you would find at most Tex-Mex restaurants that stick to the basics of yellow processed cheese, butter, and whole milk. Nonetheless, this is the kind of queso that brings me comfort. It’s not the taste that is exclusive to El Patio, but it is the restaurant itself, where the memories were made, that reminds me of family and friends, that makes El Patio’s queso special.
El Patio
2938 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78705
El Patio has been serving the Austin community classic Tex-Mex food since 1954. Like Kerbey Lane, the restaurant has its roots in being a family-owned restaurant until the pandemic forced the restaurant to reopen under new management. El Patio prides itself on sourcing quality ingredients, homemade shells and salsa, and hand-rolled enchiladas. El Patio’s queso has the traditional flavor profile of queso that you would find at most Tex-Mex restaurants that stick to the basics of yellow processed cheese, butter, and whole milk. Nonetheless, this is the kind of queso that brings me comfort. It’s not the taste that is exclusive to El Patio, but it is the restaurant itself, where the memories were made, that reminds me of family and friends, that makes El Patio’s queso special.
Torchy’s Tacos
2801 Guadalupe St St 5-b, Austin, TX 78705
Torchy’s Tacos was a star in Austin’s food truck scene and now has over 75 locations throughout Texas. Like Kerbey Lane and El Patio, Torchy’s values sourcing “top-notch ingredients.” Torchy’s signature queso is a green chile queso. The queso is topped with guacamole, diablo sauce, and cotija cheese. In comparison to the other quesos mentioned in this article this queso is definitely for those who like a little spice. The mascot is an adorable baby devil, after all.
Matt’s El Rancho
2613 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
Matt and Janie Martinez opened Matt’s El Rancho in 1952 in downtown Austin. The remains an Austin favorite Tex-Mex restaurant and is still family-owned. Matt’s El Rancho is known for their take on queso: the Bob Armstrong Dip. The queso was named after Texas Commissioner Bob Armstrong, a long time fan of the restaurant, who asked Mr. Martinez for something off the menu, and Matt brought out their original queso with the addition of ground meat, sour cream, and guacamole.