One morning we get a late start for breakfast. I couldn’t get out of the soft bed at the chill Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Austin, TX. I thought sleeping in was the highlight of my day but no that was put on pause.
We drove a quick 5 minute drive over to Joe’s Bakery & Coffee Shop. We pulled into an already packed parking lot, surprisingly we were able to find a space. Daniel walked inside to add our names to the waitlist. He came back with, “Its a 25 minute wait.” We sat, waited in the car while listening to some music. We weren’t the only ones going in late for breakfast. I noticed one guy who was smart. He called ahead his order. It looked like he ordered tacos to go. Not too long after a couple of songs into our playlist, Daniel gets a text and excitedly said, “Our table is ready!” We walk quickly inside, greet the hostess and go to our quaint table.
On the inside the cooks have something special. All around you can see on display the sense of family pride. Adjacent to our table against the wall, were framed family photographs proudly hung. The music played loudly as customers enjoyed their meals. I started to understand the popularity as I looked around at everyone there. People came to Joe’s Bakery & Coffee Shop for one purpose, the food! The food is nostalgic. If you grew up with abuelitas or Tías that spent countless hours in the kitchen making homemade tortillas for breakfast tacos or menudo then you already know. Everyone comes for the homemade food that your abuelita or Tía use to make. It’s that kind of place.
As always Daniel had a plan of what he wanted to order, I on the other hand was, SHOCKER, undecided. Right away, Daniel orders two tacos, one Barbacoa and one Chorizo and egg, also a plate of huevos rancheros. I quickly scanned over the menu and migas a la Mexicana caught my eye and I went with it without reading what was listed on the plate, I regret that part. I’ll tell you about that later. 🙄 I make a quick stop to the restroom. As I walk through the packed restaurant, I notice a waiter bringing bowls to a table. When I saw it I regretted what I ordered….MENUDO!! Not many places I trust with this Mexican staple. I retreat back to our table and see our waitress. I asked what sizes the Menudo comes in. She said, “el menudo viene en dos tamiños”. She gestured with her hands a small bowl and a much larger bowl. I asked for the small bowl. Had I taken my time figure out what I wanted I would have only ordered menudo. Menudo is a Mexican soup in reddish brown color with distinct spices. In the menudo there are pieces of cooked tripe (cows intestines) and hominy. You typically add cilantro, lots of lime and chopped onions for topping. I love adding a ton of lime in mine. It usually comes super temperature hot. I was introduced to Menudo at an early age and loved it since day one. I am particularly picky and know which are amazing and have had disgusting ones.
My much needed coffee came with a lot of little cups of cream. The coffee was great and hit the caffeine spot. Daniel’s Barbacoa taco and Chorizo taco slid in. The tortillas were made to perfection. The thickness and cooked color with the brown spots from the comal were just picture perfect. The tacos were delicious because of the tortillas. It could have been spread with just plain butter and nothing in it.
Daniel’s plate of huevos rancheros looked homemade. The plate came with savory refried beans, double fried bacon and some sliced potatoes. Honestly the potatoes weren’t needed. It could come without it but that’s just me.
My Migas a la Mexicana was actually a surprise to me. I normally don’t add yellow cheese all over on top. Had I read carefully, I would’ve requested no cheese. The migas were so well made I felt like the cheese for me made it more Tex-Mex which was nice. I tried to peel the cheese off the migas like a sticker. I was somewhat successful in doing that.
The Menudo didn’t disappoint, I was so happy when I took the first spoonful. If you’ve seen the Pixar movie Ratatouille, you’ll remember the scene when the critic begins to eat the dish and he gets a flashback to his childhood. Joes bakery & coffee shop, did that for me. This is why I regretted not taking the time to read the menu carefully. I would’ve had a bigger bowl of menudo. Oh well, next time!
Before we left, Daniel took some time to talk to the owners daughter who is also the hostess and manager. Daniel wanted to know who is the longest working person on their staff. Maggie Flores started at the age of 18. She decided to go work at an airport. The owner of Joes asked for her to come back and she’s been there for 60 years.
Another fun fact we learned was Joes was on CBS news. The owners daughter got a call from a customer from California, New York and Georgia saying if they knew they were on the news, this brought in a lot more people into their business. By the taste of the food, Joes will be in business for a long time.
