Nixta Taqueria – Austin, Texas

Man cannot live on barbecue alone–not even in Austin, Texas where the world’s very best barbecue is to be found.  To limit one’s self to barbecue–as transformative as it may be–is to deprive yourself of some of the best Mexican food and best fried chicken in the known world.  Though the primary purpose of my week-long visit to the City of the Violet Crown was to visit Michelin starred barbecue restaurants, to have done so have been “going deep,”  exploring just one segment of the Central Texas culinary Utopia.  “Going wide” meant exploring options beyond barbecue–options such as some of the aforementioned Mexican food joints for which Austin is renowned.

At the very top of my list was Nixta Taqueria which was ranked tenth among the 50 best tacos in Texas.  That compilation was put together by Texas Monthly’s “Taco Editor” Jose Ralat who “traversed the state from the Rio Grande Valley to the Panhandle to find the most superb tacos and taquerias.”  Along the way, he discovered that “More than ever, chefs, cooks, and taqueros—often Mexican immigrants or first-generation Mexican Americans—are crafting nostalgic dishes from their blended cultures and incorporating native Texan ingredients.”  He calls the movement “New Tejano.”

Nixta opened its doors in October, 2019.  From its 12th Street location, you can espy some of the towering skyscrapers that grace Austin’s skyline though you’re still far away from the buzzing streets that teem with energy.  Nixta, as you may have surmised, is a diminutive term for “nixtamalization,” the traditional maize preparation process in which dried kernels are cooked and steeped in an alkaline solution, usually water and food-grade lime (calcium hydroxide).  After that, the maize is drained and rinsed to remove the outer kernel cover  and milled to produce dough that forms the base of numerous food products, including tortillas and tamales.  The name fits!

Contrary to the swanky modernity of downtown Austin’s elite edifices, Nixta almost looks as if was picked up in Mexico and moved lock, stock and barrel to Texas.  It’s got that ramshackle look about it that I find very charming–and very authentic.  Nixta isn’t just one structure.  To its immediate west is an outdoor space shielded from weather by thick plastic.  To its immediate east is a semi-covered patio, the highlight of which is a mural depicting a Mayan diety sporting a headdress made with corn.  The mural illustrates just how important corn was to the Mayans and their descendents.  Immediately behind Nixta is Comadre Panadería, a heralded bakery (which was closed when I visited).  The entire complex isn’t weird.  It’s very, very Austin.

From its inception Nixta Taqueria has earned accolades for its maíz-centric focus. Their heirloom red, white and green corn are sourced from the local area.  Nixta was founded by Chef Edgar Rico and Sara Mardanbigi. Rico is from California’s Central Valley, where he developed a love for produce and using local ingredients. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (the real CIA) and has cooked professionally under some of the world’s best chefs.  Chef Rico staged (an unpaid internship test when a cook or chef works briefly for free (or to gain a position) in another chef’s kitchen to learn and be exposed to new techniques and cuisines) at Pujol, consistently rated one of the best restaurants in the world and in 2019, named “Best Restaurant in North America.”

Three years after launching Nixta, Chef Rico earned James Beard Foundation recognition as the country’s “best emerging chef.”  He also earned accolades from Food & Wine as the nation’s “best new chef” while TIME Magazine named him among the world’s emerging influencers on its  “100Next list.”  He’s earned every conceivable accolade possible from Eater Austin as well as other local publications.  In 2024, the dynamic chef earned “young chef” recognition from Michelin while Nixta attained a coveted “Bib Gourmand,” a special award for “best value for the money” restaurants.  Only 3,298 restaurants across the world have earned that distinction.

In 2025, Nixta Taqueria joined the ranks of Austin’s Green Star recipients, recognized for their commitment to environmentally conscious gastronomy. The foundation of their acclaimed tacos is a dedication to the ancient Mexican practice of nixtamalization, using heirloom corn sourced from a fifth-generation family of farmers in Oaxaca. This focus on traditional methods and responsible sourcing is key to their sustainability efforts. The taqueria, which also holds a Bib Gourmand award for great value, further minimizes its environmental footprint by maintaining an onsite garden to supply the restaurant and local community fridges with fresh produce. Make a reservation to try the new tasting menu.

While tacos may be what helped put Nixta on the culinary cartographer’s maps, my visit was more holistic.  Nixta serves a tasting menu, a sort of “masa omakase.”  Nixta Taqueria may be a counter-service restaurant with expansive open patios, but their masa omakase is a way to stretch their creativity and offer a unique tasting experience.  The masa omakase is available Thursday through Saturday (reservations are a must) with seatings at 6 pm and 8 pm. The 6-course menu is $85 per person with options of a $45 non-alcoholic drink pairing or a $60 wine pairing.  The omakase service highlights Chef Rico’s family history from Mexico to the United States.  Expect one of the culinary highlights of your life!

Chef Rico and his bride were on vacation on the day of my visit.  For respect of Austin’s traffic, I arrived half-an-hour early for the 6PM seating.  Max apologized for the chef’s absence, telling me about the chef’s shining personality being readily apparent as he guides guests through their experience.  Max did a superb job himself, capably answering all my questions and guiding me through the experience.  The dining room was about half-full though enthusiastic chatter and appreciative utterances made it seem more crowded.  As each of the six courses were delivered, guests received a detailed explanation of each dish’s provenance and composition.  We were also afforded the opportunity to order “a lil’ extra,” some of the “best hits” from the regular menu.

Rather than avail myself of the “sin-alcohol” pairing, I ordered the seasonal agua fresca, a Jamaica with ginger and lime beverage as good as any agua fresca I’ve had.  During my foray into Texas barbecue, I’ve enjoyed more Big Red than I would in an entire year in New Mexico.  There’s just something about Big Red and barbecue…just as there’s something about aguas fresca with Mexican food.  It made me wish for a balmy, energy-sapping Austin summer day.

First to be delivered to our table was a corn fritter made with burnt corn husk powder and served with a house-cultured agave butter.  Max advised me to tear the fritter in half with my hands then to slather on the agave butter.  The fritter had just the right balance of sweet and savory notes and unlike similar fritters I’ve had, remained moist and soft.  The agave butter took my enjoyment up a notch or six.  The very little butter left on my dish, I scooped up with my finger and devoured it lasciviously.  What a wonderful start to a superb tasting menu!

Hamachi, also known as Japanese amberjack is a type of yellowtail fish often used in sushi and sashimi.  It was a surprise to find it on the masa omakase.  As with sashimi, the hamachi is raw (crudo).  It sits decoratively in a lagoon of fresa (strawberry) aguachile, cilantro oil and smoked trout roe.  Served on a smaller plate is a squid ink tostada (actually made with yellow corn masa died black with the squid ink).  The hamachi has a rich, buttery flavor with notes that are both slightly sweet and delicate.  The Mr. Hyde to the hamachi’s Dr. Jeckyl is the fresa aguachile where the influence of strawberry aguachile lends a pleasant piquancy.  It’s not overly sweet nor is it too piquant to enjoy.  This dish is a winner.  It’s Japanese sushi meets Mexican ingenuity.

Tamales and frijoles are two of my favorite foods in the world.  Pair the two and you’ll make of me a friend forever.  Add complex flavors and inventive ingredients and I’ll be your slave.  Nixta’s tamal de frijol may translate to “bean tamale,” but there’s much more going on here.  For instance, there’s the sikil p’aak (A moderately chunky purée of ground pumpkin seeds, tomato purée, chiles, herbs, and onion) with Anasazi beans (one of the first crops to be cultivated in North America, farmed in Mexico more than 7,000 years ago).  Atop the tamal is a serpentine layer of feta cheese.  The beauty and complexity of this tamal is unrivaled by any I’ve had.  It’s absolutely magnificent!

Perhaps seeing how quickly I dispatched of my agua fresca, Max ferried over a pais de maiz (essentially a corn margarita) made with corn syrup, coconut corn milk, Slow Luck tequila, Ritual Tequila and citrus salt).  I suspect the “NA” designation next to the pairings menu stands for “non-alcoholic.”  I certainly wouldn’t want to be impaired while driving in Texas where laws are much more strictly enforced than in the Land of Enchantment.  The only influence this refreshing iced beverage had was in making me want another.

In a 2022 episode of the Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil, host Phil Rosenthal described Nixta’s duck carnitas taco as “one of the best duck dishes of any kind, just happens to be in a gorgeous taco.”   Before the last two courses of the evening are served, those diners savvy (and hungry) enough to have ordered from the “a lil’ extra” menu received the dish they ordered.  Max didn’t need to work too hard to convince me to have the duck carnitas (duck confit, salsa ruda, watermelon radish, onions, cilantro).  Though more demonstrative than me, my enthusiasm was on par with Phil Rosenthal’s.  This was simply the best duck carnitas taco I’ve ever had.  The succulent duck was shredded into tender tendrils made to taste even more “ducky” by being prepared confit.

The final savory course of the evening was smoked beef belly.  Beef belly comes from the same part of the cow as short ribs.  While short ribs are revered, beef belly is often ground into hamburger meat.  That’s a gross misuse of a truly delicious part of a bovine.  In fact, beef belly is very flavorful and tender.  It’s  well-marbled with fat, contributing to its rich taste and texture.  Nixta smokes the beef belly in mesquite and applies a sweet-piquant cherry pequin glaze.  It’s served with a creamy, tangy combination of guacamole and tomatillo…a salsa so good I was tempted to lick the dish in which it was served.  A yellow and blue corn tortilla is served on the plate so you can construct a taco within that tortilla.  Try the smoked beef belly both ways–within the tortilla and outside of it.  You can’t go wrong.

The dessert was a choco panna cotta (chocolate masa cake, vanilla panna cotta, toasted almonds, kumquats) in a lagoon of champurrado (a chocolate-based atole, a warm and thick Mexican beverage).  As with most desserts I like, it wasn’t overly sweet.  Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this dish was the pronounced influence of star anise as a contrasting element to the kumquat.  Kumquats tend to be citrusy, with a sweet, tart and tangy flavor profile that made an interesting counterbalance to the chocolate masa cake and vanilla panna cotta.

In the aforementioned episode of Somebody Feed Phil, Phil Rosenthal sat down with the “Taco Mafia,” a group of friends who own taco businesses in Austin.  He asked the group “how much Tex is in the Mex?” Rico rightfully schooled him: “Tex-Mex for all of us is a thing that we kind of try and stay away from,” and notes that “all of us are Americans, you know? But we’re also Mexicans, so we’re trying to pay homage” through their food.  Kudos to the Mexican mafia and all other purveyors of Mexican cuisine in Austin.  If Nixta is any indication of the quality of Mexican food in Austin, I may have to move here.

Nixta Taqueria
2512 E 12th Street
Austin, Texas
(512) 551-3855
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 21 February 2025
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$$$ (Tasting Menu)
BEST BET: Corn Fritter, Hamachi, Tamal de Frijol, Cho-Cho-Yote, Smoked Beef Belly, Choco Panna Cotta, Duck Carnitas, Pais de Maiz
REVIEW #1454