Las Palapas Mexican Cafe
On my recent trip to San Antonio, we were all geared up to go out for “the best tacos in the country” at local eatery, Taco Taco. However, thanks to some investigative journalism on my part beforehand, we discovered that since earning their distinction back in 2008, they owner sold the restaurant and left town, taking her recipes with her. In her wake, the current owners have turned what was once the toast of the town into a disgusting, unkempt, hole in the wall staffed by people who have apparently never heard of customer service or the health code. One shining review stated “out of the six people in our party, five became violently ill after eating at Taco Taco”. So rather than playing Taco Roulette, I convinced everybody (though after those reviews, they didn’t need much convincing) to go some place, any place, else. My mother suggested her perennial favorite Mexican restaurant, Las Palapas, or Ploppies as she calls it.
Las Palapas is a small San Antonio chain and this location was situated just off the Austin Highway, a short drive from my mom’s house. We were seated immediately and it struck me that, aside from two elderly couples and an employee eating his lunch, we were all alone in this rather large dining room. My mother said that this is the exception and usually the place is hopping, though she never has to wait for a seat. We were seated at a booth in the corner by las bañas.
The waiter was extremely friendly and attentive, but not annoyingly so. We ordered the Macho Botana appetizer platter and we each ordered an entrée. I had the tacos al pastor, Jenny had taco salad, Aaron had an enormous “Macho Style” burrito, and my mom had her usual, the Al Carbon salad.
The Macho Botana platter came with nachos (which in San Antonio apparently means single tortilla chips, each covered with the usual toppings to our heaps of nachos we get up here), flautas, quesadillas, and a San Antonio staple simply called “queso”. The “queso”, which is always surrounded by quotation marks on any menu upon which it can be found, is essentially Velveeta melted with Rotel diced tomatoes & green chilies, and apparently the recipe must never vary if it’s to be called “queso”.
The tacos al pastor were tasty, but lacked the depth of flavor that defines the dish. As a side note, I found truly remarkable, albeit nuclear hot, tacos al pastor on a later outing to the more upscale Paloma Blanca. What I really enjoyed, and found at every Mexican place we went to in San Antonio, were the charro beans. Spicy baked beans in a broth with smoky bacon, tomatoes, onions, and peppers. These were so good, and the second best I had down there (the best were, once again, Palmoa Blanco).
Aaron’s “Macho Style” burrito was a beast, filled with perfectly seasoned beans and rice, plenty of Monterrey Jack cheese, veggies, guacamole, and amazingly tender strips of steak. I have never seen a burrito this big, outside of some kind of Man vs. Food challenge. Ever the competitive eater in training, Aaron finished it in its entirety, after helping me devour the appetizer platter.
Jenny thoroughly enjoyed her taco salad, the leftovers of which held up surprisingly well a day or two later.
My mom loved her Al Carbon salad, a Tex-Mex cobb salad with avocados, fajita beef, chicken, cheddar cheese, beans, queso fresco, and diced tomatoes on a bed of shredded lettuce, as it is her go-to dish at Las Palapas. We washed all this food down with incredibly generous glasses of sweet tea, which the waiter was always quick to refill.
For what it is; a chain Tex-Mex family restaurant, Las Palapas is an excellent place. The food is solid Tex-Mex cuisine, the service is exemplarily, and the prices are so low that I momentarily considered moving to, and growing morbidly obese in San Antonio, thanks in large part to San Antonio’s very own Las Palapas.