El Burro: New Fresh and Casual Mexican in Lamar Union

Editor's note 7/12/2017: El Burro closed in early July. {That didn't last long!}

I met a friend last month at the new El Burro, sibling to VOX Table, both in Lamar Union at 1100 South Lamar Blvd. Having just opened earlier this winter, I was curious to try it and hopefully include them in my guide to the Best Mexican Food in Austin, and they did not disappoint! Plus they recently started a happy hour program, which will certainly encourage my return.

We sat outside on the patio, which did have heaters (and hopefully those will turn into misters as the weather heats up), and fortunately since we were on the driveway side, the noise from the Lamar Blvd. traffic wasn't too bad. Also fun to people watch at this new, hip complex.

I started with a lovely sangria and my friend a classic margarita.

Okay, admittedly it's been a month since I was there, and I didn't write down what my friend had, but I think this is the carnitas taco plate with green salsa. She was rather pleased with it!

Mine is definitely the al pastor! Decent corn tortillas, very nice flavor and tenderness to the pork. I almost always feel that al pastor tacos should have a teeny bit more pineapple than what they come with, but the pickled onions were a nice addition. Now the menu calls this avocado salsa, but it was certainly more of a sauce than salsa. But I would still order them again!

The El Burro website mentions free valet parking, and also has an online ordering feature that's coming soon. So whether you are planning on dining in or getting food to go, you've got options on how to get your El Burro fix!

Sazon: Interior Mexican

I used to go to Sazón (1816 South Lamar) with relative frequency, as it's not too far from my house and I've always enjoyed their interior Mexican cuisine. But it had been about 2 years (or more?) since I had been -- shame on me! Their on site parking got a little tougher in recent times, and apparently that has stymied me from dining there along with the onslaught of traffic on South Lamar. But Sazón is still standing in the face of over-development along this corridor.

Around 1:15 pm on a recent weekday, I met a friend for lunch, and I had my pick of parking spots, not to mention tables inside. (I hope we were just fortunate to miss the lunch rush, and not they're not hurting for business.) There were only two other tables with patrons, and I was promptly greeted by the waitress/hostess, and settled in at a lovely painted tiled table to wait for my friend who arrived just a few minutes later. The chips were tasty and they brought two little bowls of salsa, one for each of us.

I ordered the Ensalada Mexicana, which clearly was made fresh. The spinach looked like it just came out of the bag, and had almonds, tortilla strips, ancho chile, and a nice vinaigrette that I remember liking, but now I can't remember what the flavor profile was.

And I got the tacos al pastor, because the sweet and savory pork is always a favorite! These are fairly small, but they were perfect to go with the salad, and these also tasted good and fresh. Crispy bits of pork with little bits of pineapple on a corn tortilla.

I also ordered a Crema de Elote (creamy corn chowder) to take home for dinner with half of the salad. My friend also ordered a salad and a bowl of the caldo, their version of chicken and rice soup. I didn't try it, but she said it was great. The crema de elote was creamy, sweet, and not overly rich.

In the past, I have been very pleased with their mole negra de Oaxaca and the cochinita pibil, both traditional interior Mexican dishes. Sazón is also one of the few places I know locally that serves huitlacoche (corn smut... yes, smut -- look it up!), which they put in empanadas. They do have enchiladas, but these are not your greasy Tex-Mex type.

So if you're looking for good interior food, and can grab a parking spot, stop by for breakfast, lunch or dinner! I've actually never been there for breakfast, so I'll have to check that out. I also remember their margarita at happy hour being decent. I've linked to their Facebook page, but normally they have a website at www.sazonaustin.com which shows their menu, but the page is currently not functioning. Their Yelp page does have a link to their menu though. Sazón has nice atmosphere, including a outdoor patio on the Lamar side; the food is not fussy or trendy, just good and fresh as it should be.