There are all sorts of regional breakfasts -- New York's got bagels, New Orleans loves beignets, and Houston has McDonalds hamburgers. And double hamburgers on Sundays! Thanks to Austin's large Hispanic population and insatiable appetite for anything wrapped in a tortilla, our city devours breakfast tacos day and night. To help guide you through the aluminum-wrapped morass, we charted a must-try, day-long course through some of East Austin's most iconic and delicious breakfast taco joints
8:00a: On your way to East Austin, stop off at the one Westside place on our list: Taco Joint, whose buttery homemade tortillas are slathered with gooey American cheese and served greasy as a late-'70s John Travolta
8:30a: Head across Manor Rd to Mi Madre's for a gut-stuffing chorizo-egg-cheese from a family that's been slinging tacos for 25yrs. Make sure to get all the cheese off that foil
9:00a: At this point, your stomach will be flying its first flags of resistance. Ignore them and jaywalk across Manor to hipster-haven Thunderbird Coffee, which slings locally roasted/internationally lauded Cuvee Coffee, plus satiation from local dynasty Tacodeli, which supplies nearly all the coffee shops in town. The tacos are likely to run out by mid-morning, so you might have to fight for a Jess Special (organic migas w/ avocado) or a Vaquero (roasted poblanos, red peppers, corn, and Jack)
11:00a: After thumbing through the Austin Chronicle and The Onion, then sidestepping a discussion with a bearded cyclist about the merits of Alejandro Jodorowsky's later work, down a Topo Chico mineral water for digestion's sake. Head South on Chestnut all the way to Pleasant Valley and take a right on Cesar Chavez
11:15a: In addition to being a taco Mecca, CC is also littered with party stores advertising pinatas and moonbounces. Jump on that thing for a few minutes to re-adjust your stomach for what you're about to eat: Juan in a Million's signature Don Juan Taco -- a massive 1lb monster of bacon, potato, egg, and cheese
12:00p: After receiving the firmest handshake in town from the restaurant's gregarious owner, depart from Juan in a Million. Head South a few blocks to the Heywood Hotel for a quick nap. Seriously, do it
1:30p: Wake up, realize you're napping in hotels because you ate too many tacos, and stumble across the street to Veracruz All Natural for migas (tortilla chips, jalapenos, tomato, onion) on homemade tortillas and a Mexico Lindo smoothie with lime juice, melon, apple & grape
2:15: Hit up the Eastside location of Tamale House, which's run by a family that's been mixing potato and egg since the '70s. Definitely ask for the off-menu ranchero sauce
2:45p: Head North to 7th St to Joe's Bakery for even more migas and a sugary Mexican dessert to wash it down
3:45p: Weave your wave back to Cesar Chavez to Cenote for another dose of Cuvee and a taco cradling house-cured bacon from Flying Pigs Farm
4:30p: Cross the street to Farewell Books and read until you're able to move again
6:00p: Make your way back to Manor Rd and El Chilito for a Charlie's Special (egg, chorizo, potato, tomato, onion, serrano). You'll have to bring your own Tiger Blood, but they do have delicious sangria. So there's that
7:30p: Walk a few blocks further East to the unassuming Taco-Mex window. If you happen to have a jar on you, they'll fill it with their creamy jalapeno salsa for just a few bucks
8:00p: Pass out with the satisfaction that you've eaten enough to feed a small army, and still would've had enough left over to feed a very large navy.
