One day, I was at Esmeralda’s Taqueria and saw a sticker for The Bryan, Texas Taco Trail. I was immediately interested. I opened the app and found out that someone (or a team of someone’s) put together a list of 44 different taco selling locations around Bryan, Texas.

Not all hero’s wear capes – Am I right?!

Anyway, Taco Trail you say? I’m in.

The app creates an individual passport for you to check into any (or all!) 44 of the restaurants listed. There’s a range of “taquerias, Mexican restaurants, and a few non-traditional/fusion taco offerings”. You just pick one, go there, and click the “check in” button on the app to add it to your Taco Trail Passport!

If you complete the taco trail (I feel like despite my love for tacos, this will still take me quite some time), it is my understanding that you’re eligible to earn some kind of prize.

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Download the app today and start your Bryan, Texas Taco Trail Journey! Here’s how mine is going:

1. Esmeralda’s Taqueria

Location: 208 North Texas Ave. Bryan, TX 77803

Review:

I’ve actually been to Esmeralda’s quite a few times. I’ve had the opportunity to try all the breakfast taco options. Chorizo, Potato and Egg, Mexican Style Eggs, etc.

Esmeralda’s is attached to a large gas station, but also has it’s own entrance. I don’t actually know if the entrance is open as I’ve only ever seen people come in from the gas station entrance.

Each time I’ve visited there has been a small line (2-3 people in front of me) and I’ve always been greeted kindly. The menu is out in front of the order counter and has all 6 (I think there’s six) taco options listed in both English and Spanish.

Once you order, the staff will write you up a ticket that you take to the gas station counter to pay for your tacos. You just hand the person working the gas station counter your ticket and they’ll ring it up. You can get drinks at the gas station and breakfast at Esmeralda’s and then be on your way!

The tortillas here are exceptional, but all the tacos I’ve gotten are delicious. The salsa is not too spicy and adds a great deal of flavor to the tacos as well.

If you’re starting your taco trail journey, this is a great place to start as you most likely wont be the only one in the store and you’ll have some time to look at the menu (short and sweet) before you get to the counter.

2. Magui’s Taqueria

Location: 1311 South Texas Ave. Bryan, TX 77803

Review:

Magui’s is attached to the side of a gas station, and isn’t very flashy. If you blink while driving by, you could easily miss it. There is plenty of parking, and this morning when I visited around 7:40am on my way to work, there wasn’t a line and service was quick.

When I entered the taqueria, I took quick note on how small it was! There’s seating for about 12-15 people and the counter where you order is very small.

There was a neon blackboard menu on the wall, but it only had one thing on it and it was in Spanish so I wasn’t sure what it said.

I was promptly greeted (in Spanish) and I assume asked what it was I wanted. I said I’d like 2 tacos and the woman then switched to English (to my relief) and asked if I wanted flour or corn tortillas. The tortillas were made to order and very good.

Since there was no menu to assist, and I didn’t really know what they had. I just ordered Chorizo and Egg tacos with beans (shown above), which is one of my go-to orders for breakfast tacos. They were just as expected – very good.

My only complaint about the visit was the red salsa. It literally tasted like the tomato water from a can of diced tomatoes… not good at all.

There’s a good chance I’ll be back to visit this place – mainly because the staff was so friendly and made me feel so comfortable.

3. El Mundo Del Taco

Location: 710 San Jacinto Lane, Bryan, Texas 77803

Review:

El Mundo Del Taco has two locations in Bryan, Texas. I’ve visited the one located off San Jacinto Lane. The restaurant is located in an old gas station storefront and attached to a liquor store. It was very easy to find. When I visited there was only 2 other customers, but I have since gone a second time and the place was packed!

I went on a Thursday and decided to try their Thursday special – Enchiladas Verdes (as shown in the picture). The enchiladas were very good and so was the portion size. I had it for dinner and took leftovers for lunch the next day. Although there was a good amount of the entrée, I was hoping for a bit more beans and rice with the meal. I didn’t have any left to take with my lunch the next day.

El Mundo is actually a pretty large place with a lot of seating and they even have a bar. They do not have a hanging menu, but I just grabbed one off the order counter when I walked in. The staff greeted me (in English) when I walked in and the woman who took my order was friendly.

I’d be happy to come back and try more options as their menu was pretty extensive!

4. La Botana Mexican Restaurant

Location: 2210 E William Joel Bryan Pkwy, Bryan, TX 77802

Review:

To begin, I love that La Botana has its entire menu online. It’s so much easier to go somewhere new already having looked at the menu.

Additionally, this place has a drive-thru, indoor seating, and an outdoor deck seating area! They are prepared to serve during all seasons. I didn’t actually know they had a drive-thru until I got there. It’s sort of tucked away behind the building and not visible from the street.

The only downside of the drive-thru is that I sat there for quite a while. Service was friendly and welcoming, but not incredibly fast.

Now, the important part…

The tacos were AMAZING. The tortillas were AMAZING. Both green and red sauces were delicious.

I tried the Pastor taco and Huevos a la mexicana, and I got a basic bean and cheese taco for my roommate. We both agreed everything was perfectly cooked and the tortillas were absolutely perfect.

This may officially be my new favorite place. I can’t wait to go back!

5. Taqueria Poblana

Location: 3200 Boonville Rd, Bryan, TX 77802

Coming soon!

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