Austin, Texas is the nation’s music capital and a quirky hippie haven in the most unlikely of southern states. It’s a university town with an energetic and edgy young population that loves to push the cultural envelope.
It was in this fun and creative Texas capitol that founder Mike Rypka opened the first Torchy’s Tacos out of a humble food trailer he towed around with a red Vespa. Torchy’s Tacos serves some of the most extravagant Texas street food you’ll ever taste.
They put a Tex Mex twist on Mexico’s most famous culinary contribution – the taco – and have become so popular that there are now close to 100 Torchy’s locations.
Since Torchy’s is all about creativity and ingenuity, their menu constantly changes. Signature tacos that you may have loved could disappear next month.
There’s no need to worry, though, because you can still order them. My list of Torchy’s Tacos’ secret menu items offers a wonderful variety of inventive and delicious tacos for you to try.
Check out the best tacos on Torchy’s secret menu below! These tacos feature unique toppings, sauces, and more.
The Trailer Park Hillbilly Style Taco
Even Torchy’s recognizes their past creations by providing a list of secret menu items on their official website.
At the top of that list lies the Trailer Park Hillbilly Style Taco, a conglomeration of meaty, cheesy, and fried goodness.
The Trailer Park Hillbilly Style Taco is a flour tortilla packed with battered and fried chicken, chorizo, chopped bacon, green chiles, green chile queso, grated cheddar jack cheese, pico de gallo, and poblano sauce.
What fried chicken, bacon, chorizo, and cheese have to do with Hillbillies and trailer parks is anyone’s guess, but it’s so delicious, you can call it whatever you like.
The Matador
If you’re familiar with Spanish culture, the Matador is the daring individual that faces an angry bull in historic bullfighting rings, taunting him with a theatrical game of cat and mouse.
The Matador taco has decidedly beat the bull in this case, turning him into a succulent slab of brisket.
Texas is known for its smoked brisket, so the Matador is both an ode to Texas and beef. This meaty taco contains
- Chopped brisket
- Grilled jalapenos
- Grated jack cheese
- Pickled red onions
- Avocado
- Sour cream
- Cilantro
- Tomatillo sauce
Everything gets wrapped inside a crisp corn tortilla, then cloaked with a soft flour tortilla. Wow!
Ace of Spades Taco
Named for Motorhead’s most popular hit, the Ace of Spades Taco has certainly achieved rockstar status.
This protein and spice-packed taco will give you the energy and satisfaction to headbang your way through the rest of your day.
The Ace of Spades Taco requires a double flour tortilla to hold all its meaty and cheesy contents.
It comes packed to the brim with jalapeno cheddar sausage, smoked brisket, green, chile queso, cotija cheese, cheddar jack cheese, a fried egg, sour cream, cilantro, and a heavy dousing of spicy diablo sauce.
Green Chile Pork Missionary Style Taco
Mexico is known for its multiple chilies and their uses – both fresh and dried.
Green chiles, however, are American-born and tamer in nature for the more sensitive northern palate. If you like the flavor but can’t handle the heat, green chilies are a great option.
The Green Chile Pork Missionary Style Taco combines hatch green chiles with pork carnitas to meld traditional Mexican preparation with homegrown American chiles.
Green chile pork carnitas are topped with guacamole, pickled onions, grated jack cheese, cilantro, and spicy chipotle sauce on a crispy corn tortilla wrapped in a flour tortilla.
Mad Cow Taco
Judging by the name, this taco is for beef lovers. Don’t worry, though, the cows used to make these tacos offer fresh, clean, and delectable meat.
The only thing that might make you mad is that it’s no longer a permanent fixture on the menu.
If you’re a fajita fan, the Mad Cow Taco will surely become your favorite. It’s also a simpler taco with fewer ingredients, letting the high-quality fajita meat take center stage.
The Mad Cow Taco consists of sizzling steak fajita meat, grilled corn-off-the-cob, cilantro, and shredded jack cheese drizzled with chipotle sauce on a flour tortilla.
Jack of Clubs Taco
Tacos are as versatile as sandwiches, and you can enjoy them as dinner just as easily as you can start your day with them.
The Jack of Clubs Taco is a breakfast taco that is as bright and flavorful as the morning sun.
It’s also packed full of hearty proteins from both the animal and vegetable varieties to fuel your day.
The Jack of Clubs Taco starts your day with a flour tortilla filled with crispy breakfast potatoes, a fried egg, black beans, crispy corn tortilla strips, cilantro, grated cheddar jack cheese, sour cream, and a diablo sauce drizzle.
The Hipster
While Austin was once the groovy hippie capital of Texas, it’s since become “hipster heaven.”
To honor the transition, Torchy’s Tacos came up with The Hipster – a taco that’ll make you feel too cool for school.
Just like hipsters, this taco is a contemporary fusion of California, Mexico, and a bit of the deep South.
The Hipster is a flour tortilla taco with panko-breaded and fried tuna filet, chopped bacon, green chilies, black beans, cilantro, cotija cheese, and creamy avocado sauce.
The tuna and avocado combination is reminiscent of a California roll while the bacon and green chilies give it a signature Texas flavor.
Alabama Shake Taco
If you want a true taste of the Deep South, the Alabama Shake Taco will transport you to a Mississippi delta juke joint.
A true fusion of Mexico and the deep South cooking tradition, the Alabama Shake Taco is like a southern fish fry in taco form.
The Alabama Shake taco features a cornmeal-crusted and fried filet of catfish topped with peppadew peppers, poblano slaw, cilantro, cotija cheese, and avocado sauce, served with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
This delightful blend of southern and Mexican flavors was a signature taco at Torchy’s until recently but remains one of their most requested secret menu items.
Naughty Santa Taco
Perhaps the greens, reds, and pinks of this surf and turf taco’s ingredients earned it this Christmas-related name.
That said, you can get it any time of year whether you’re naughty or nice.
The Naughty Santa is a flour tortilla with grilled shrimp, chorizo, pickled onions, avocado slices, jack cheese, cilantro, and poblano sauce.
Chorizo and shrimp is a delicious flavor pairing as the brininess of the shrimp just adds more seasoning to the spicy chorizo. If you want a bit more crunch, you could throw in some chopped bacon.