Torchy’s Tacos has been keeping Austinites fed since 2004. Back then, they had little more than a trailer and some taco fixings. Now, Torchy’s has opened locations in both Dallas and Houston, and is literally slinging tacos with its famous Taco Cannon.
But despite statewide success, Torchy's is still keeping secrets.
Earlier this month, Torchy’s announced a “Sacred Menu” featuring seven secret menu items to satiate its army of Texas tacophiles. The only catch, however, was that they truly were secret. Torchy’s listed their new offerings on its Tumblr page – only to take each one of the descriptions down after a day. Then the Austin page of Reddit struck.
Reddit user deathtocedars compiled a list of the secret tacos in efforts to evangelize for Torchy’s sacred menu. So without further ado, here’s the list:
- Missionary-Style Green Chili Pork: carnitas, pickled onions, guacamole, jack cheese and cilantro, topped with chipotle sauce and wrapped in a flour and corn two-tortilla tandem.
- Jack of Clubs: fried egg and grilled potatoes with black beans, tortilla strips and cheese; all topped with cilantro, sour cream and Torchy’s Diablo sauce.
- The Hipster: panko-breaded fried tuna, with bacon, green chilies, and black beans; topped with cilantro and cotija cheese, and served on a flour tortilla with avocado sauce.
- The Mad Cow: skirt steak with black beans and corn; topped with jack cheese, cilantro and ranch.
- Trailer Park Hillbilly Style: Torchy’s gauche standby is made even trashier with chorizo and chopped bacon atop the usual fried chicken tender with green chilies, queso and ranch, served on a flour tortilla.
- Ace of Spades: Jalapeno sausage link and grilled brisket topped with a fried egg, green chile queso, cotija cheese, sour cream, more cheese and Diablo sauce, served on a flour tortilla
- The Matador: Chopped brisket and grilled jalapeno topped with pickled onions, jack cheese, avocado, sour cream and cilantro with tomatillo sauce on a corn tortilla.
NPR recently delved into the secret menu phenomenon: "Especially in this economy," it wrote, "restaurants want to set themselves apart. And in order to do so, they have to connect with customers." And for restaurants, dishing out a little insider knowledge can go a long way.
The tacos can be found at any Torchy’s location, but don’t tell them we sent you. They are considered armed and flavorful. Below, the taco cannon blasts off at Fun Fun Fun Fest.
