Elmer’s, as we often refer to it, has three locations in Austin and each has its own scene going on. Uptown is really downtown, and you’ll find a hip crowd there especially when they have their free Happy Hour buffet going on. It was always a reliable venue for a good solid meal after an early Friday evening at Charlie’s. The North location is in what I would consider uptown, but whatever. I used to live really close to that one and have been frequenting it since the mid-90s. That location seems a little more family-oriented, with a lot of Boomer population living North Central, and a lot of work happy hours start or end up there, too. The host and wait staff is more likely to talk to you in Spanish and show you pictures of their kids than the other location’s workers.
Since I moved to South Austin in 2002, though, I’ve most frequently dined at the South location, especially on weekend mornings. That whole little section of South First is dotted by interesting, if plentiful, Mexican restaurants (check out La Mexicana Bakery Panaderia if you need some tacos, sweet breads or guaranteed-hangover-curing menudo para llevar.) There’s plenty of parking on weekend mornings, but during Happy Hours you might be forced to find street parking, which is dicey, but at this point still free in South Austin.
The setup is a little congested if you’re taken through the original dining room, which is a shotgun run of a bar with stools on one side and a row of booths on the other, but past that the southern dining room is very large and opens onto the patio, which is quite nice in mid-Spring weather like we’ve had lately. I’ve been out there on a hot September afternoon, and with the provided shade and a couple of Margaritas it’s not too bad even then. The third dining room, on the opposite side, is smaller but still sizable to open up for needed overflow. The coolest part of that side is the grand oak tree that you pass as you walk by. Elmer’s South is one of three restaurants I know of in Austin that chose to build around one of these giants instead of removing it when the business outgrew the original space, and it’s fun to walk by a huge tree trunk that’s just coming out of the floor and disappearing into the ceiling. The glass-and-mirror mosaic work in the restroom used to be the coolest part, but some little assholes are carrying glasscutters around town to graffiti mirrors and they’ve struck here.
Okay, this blog is about eating so I’ll move on to the food. It’s all good and reliable. It’s never too salty, which is the downfall of a lot of Tex-Mex. Maybe once or twice I’ve ordered something that was a little too spicy for my liking. The portions are just right, meaning they’re not so big as to be intimidating, and they’re not so small they look like a cat’s meal (like you sometimes get at Jorge’s.) The staff are happy to make substitutions, like today when I ordered the “CJ” Plate ($8.99) and asked for refried beans instead of charro beans (the refried beans were a little runny, but they have a great flavor and are not bland in the least.) The brisket taco was divine, especially with a little of the chile con queso drizzled on it, and the enchilada was full of beef and recognizable, not drowned in a pool of cheese and sauce (like something you’d get at Jorge’s.)There are 42 dinner options on the menu, including six in the Vegetarian plates, but being a confirmed omnivore, Santi ordered the Fajita Tacos ($8.75) which I’ve had before and enjoyed thoroughly. The Fajita Dinner ($10.99 for One, $20.50 for Two) is your best bet if you want a large meal of fajitas, and the Mixed Grill ($14.99) gives you fajitas of beef, chicken, shrimp and sausage. Skinny people may want to split that plate with a friend.
El Mercado also has a nice selection on their breakfast menu, and even though eggs and I don’t always get along, sometimes I’ll order a breakfast plate just to get some of their potatoes (which come on every plate, but I’m sure they would serve them as a side if I asked.) All locations also have full bars and great drink specials, especially on Margaritas, Bloody Marys and Screwdrivers. And naturally they serve Mexican Martinis—a favorite in Austin and a happy hour staple for some patrons.
I don’t think I can say enough good things about El Mercado South, about all of them. Their staff is always friendly, the Tex-Mex is reliable, as I stated earlier, and you never know who you’re going to see there (on one visit, I ran into my CEO; on my next visit, it was Kinky Friedman.) There’s a lot of other Mexican restaurants, some of which are older than Elmer’s, but there’s only a handful that are consistent with their quality, delivery and likability. There’s also a handful that I haven’t tried. But the next time I’m too relaxed to make a decision and an effort and step out of my weekend-morning-comfort zone, I’m sure Elmer’s will be the obvious destination. Besides, people are saying really bad things about La Reyna lately. Remind me to tell you about the time a waiter stumbled over a piece of furniture and literally fell out of his shoes while simultaneously launching a tray full of entrees. You'd never see that at Elmer's.
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