Local news and fun, every day 6am.
Featured
austonia newsletter
Most viewed

Machete with beef fajita at Machetes Doña Leova food truck on North Lamar. (Sonia Garcia/Austonia)
As new food trends reach Austin, it seems that the bigger the better, and machetes are not an exception.
Stretching as long as 2 feet, a machete is essentially a deliciously huge quesadilla wrapped in a long sheet of corn masa and filled with cheese, different types of meat and various toppings. The size and appearance of the dish resemble its namesake, a machete blade.
Since the 1960s, machetes have been a popular dish in Mexico City. Luckily for us Texans, the giant quesadillas have reached the Austin food scene and are perfectly large enough to share with friends.
Here is where you can try machetes in Austin.
Machetes Doña Leova, 10600 N. Lamar Blvd.
Don't let this huge machete intimidate you. Machetes Doña Leova has all the proteins and toppings available to make the best flavorful machete. With pastor, beef, chicken, shrimp, vegetables and many other traditional Mexican meats, Austinites can try an authentic machete right on home turf. The food truck also offers tacos, burritos, quesadillas and gorditas if you're not up for the massive food challenge.
Authenticos Michoacanos, 4329 S. Congress Ave.
Authenticos Michoacanos is another location in Austin where you can find the traditional Mexico City dish of machetes. The food truck offers several different types of proteins such as beef, pork, chicken, suadero, pork carnitas, chorizo, campechano, tripa and chicharron. You can fill up your belly with delicious machetes, or other traditional staple foods such as tacos, gorditas, quesadillas all with fresh ingredients.
Casita Nicole Antojitos Mexicanos, 9618 Menchaca Road
Another food truck in the Austin machetes game, Casita Nicole Antojitos Mexicanos has over 18 ingredients to make machetes perfect for you. You have the option to order a mini version or the real deal, which is a 2 foot long machete. From fish and shrimp, to chicharrones and vegetables, the food truck has all the ingredients to make a machete for any food lover and more. You can also find Mexican burgers, burritos, sandwiches and more at Casita Nicole Antojitos Mexicanos.
Aparicio’s Cafe, 9310 Georgian Dr.
As far as giant food dishes go, Aparicio's has you covered. The food truck offers traditional machetes, but as most Austin places do, brings a fun and different twist to tradition. Aparicio's has seven different types of machetes: carne asada, pastor and pineapple, carnivore, pizza, hot Cheeto, barbecue chicken and philly cheese. The uniquely made machetes are original in size and filling in nature, so make sure you round up some friends before ordering.
Taqueria Casita Vizuet, 10014 N. Lamar Blvd.
Adding to the list of machetes in Austin, Taqueria Casita Vizuet has the gigantic quesadillas on deck. Located down the street from Machetes Dona Leova, the food truck competitor puts itself on the map with fresh ingredients and a list of traditional Mexican proteins and sauces.
Next: Explore Austin's BBQ scene
- chicken-sandwiches - austonia ›
- Healthier comfort dishes to help kick off the new year - austonia ›
- 7 Austin hard seltzers tasted and rated by the Austonia team - austonia ›
- food - austonia ›
- Brazilian food places to try in Austin - austonia ›
- 9 unique and deliciously quirky foods to try in Austin - austonia ›
- A sunny day and a cold beer: 15 Austin breweries worth exploring - austonia ›
- 9 of the best happy hours in Austin, Texas - austonia ›
- Where to find the best barbecue in Austin - austonia ›
- 5 new Austin eats for you to try this summer - austonia ›
- Tacodeli shakes up menu with dinner and alcohol options - austonia ›
- Don’t sacrifice safety for a good time at these 15 socially-distanced outdoor patios in Austin - austonia ›
- Austin ranks #5 in top foodie cities in US - austonia ›
- Austin's new biergarten is owned by a Bavarian prince - austonia ›
- Thaw out from the winter chill with these 5 comfort foods - austonia ›
- Where to Eat Now's seven local dishes, desserts and drinks - austonia ›
- 4 Austin semifinalists named in James Beard Awards - austonia ›
- Sustainability office spearheading regional food plan - austonia ›
- Austin chefs, El Naranjo, Nixta Tqueria, win James Beard Awards - austonia ›
Popular
(Bob Daemmrich)
Hours following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that guaranteed a constitutional right to an abortion, on Friday, about 1,000 people gathered in Republic Square with signs calling for change.
The rally, organized by the group Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights Texas, started at the federal courthouse on Republic Square on Friday at 5 p.m. before the crowd marched to the Texas Capitol. More protests are expected to ensue over the weekend.
People showed up with all types of signs like Mindy Moffa holding up, "Keep your filthy laws off my silky drawers."
Austin joined cities across the country that saw protests for a women's right to an abortion after the ruling.
According to a recent UT poll, 78% of Texas voters support abortion access in most cases.
Sabrina Talghade and Sofia Pellegrini held up signs directed at Texas laws. A Texas trigger law will ban all abortions from the moment of fertilization, starting 30 days after the ruling. When state legislators passed the trigger law last summer, it also passed laws for more protection of firearms, including the right to open carry without a permit.
Lili Enthal of Austin yells as around 1,000 Texans marched to the Texas Capitol.
From the Texas Capitol, Zoe Webb lets her voice be heard against the Supreme Court ruling.
- Most restrictive abortion law in U.S. affects Texas women - austonia ›
- U.S. Supreme Court rules there's no right to abortion, setting up ... ›
- Vela plans resolution to prevent police from investigating abortion ... ›
- Texas' growth may be slowed by abortion ban, poll reports - austonia ›
- 78% of Texas voters think abortion should be allowed in some form ... ›
(Paxton Smith/Instagram)
Paxton Smith’s 2021 valedictory speech at Lake Highlands High School in Dallas wasn’t the same speech she had previously shared with school administrators. She dropped the approved speech and made a case for women’s reproductive rights after lawmakers passed the Texas "Heartbeat Bill.”
Her advocacy made news on NPR, YouTubeTV and in The Guardian. Just over a year later, the “war on (women’s) rights” she forewarned has come to a head as the U.S. Supreme Court voted Friday morning to overturn Roe v. Wade, ending constitutional protection for abortion access.
“It is up to the people to show up and show the courts and the politicians that we won’t sit back and let this happen,” Smith told Austonia Friday morning. “We will show up, we will fight back. Before, we were scared of them, now they should be scared of us.”
Now a University of Texas sophomore and abortion rights activist, 19-year-old Smith said she wanted to give the same speech in the “the most public way possible” to reach “as many people as possible who don't agree that I deserve this right.”
However, she says the response was “actually overwhelmingly positive” and supportive of her cause. According to a recent UT poll, 78% of Texas voters support abortion access in most cases.
The speech opened up further opportunities for activism: she advocated for reproductive rights at the International Forum on Human Rights in Geneva, interviewed with Variety magazine and spoke to tens of thousands at Austin’s Bans Off Our Bodies protest at the Texas Capitol in May.
Smith also serves on the board of directors for the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project, a national nonprofit organization that helps fund abortions or medication abortion—like Plan C pills—in all 50 states. Most recently, Smith has been attending protests in Washington, D.C. leading up to the ruling.
“This is land of the free. This is where you get to choose how you live your life,” Smith said. “Overturning Roe v. Wade violates everything that we have come to believe about what it means to live in this country. I think a lot of people aren't willing to accept that this is a human right that is most likely just going to be gone for over half of the country within the next couple of weeks.”
Bracing for the next steps, Smith gave some tips for supporters:
- Find a protest to attend.
- “I would say invite somebody to go to those protests with you, invite a couple of friends, invite people into the movement,” Smith said.
- Talk about the issue on social media—use the platform you have.
- “Have these kinds of conversations where people can just talk about their fears and then find ways to go and advocate for yourself,” Smith said.
- Volunteer at a nonprofit near you.
“I feel like a lot of the reason things have gotten as bad as they have within the abortion rights world is that people are not making a scene, not protesting, not putting the effort into ensuring that the government doesn't take away this right,” Smith said. “I want to emphasize that if you're not doing anything, don't expect the best scenario, expect the worst because that's the direction that we're going in.”
- U.S. Supreme Court allows legal challenges to proceed on abortion ... ›
- Most restrictive abortion law in U.S. affects Texas women - austonia ›
- U.S. Supreme Court rules there's no right to abortion, setting up ... ›
- 78% of Texas voters think abortion should be allowed in some form ... ›
- Texas' growth may be slowed by abortion ban, poll reports - austonia ›