T-Loc's Sonora — Attraction in Austin

Yesterday I had a life-changing experience. New to the Austin area, I wanted a hot-dog, googled, and found T-Loc’s Sonora. Having once lived in the Los Angeles area, I was already familiar with bacon-wrapped dogs piled high with delicious additions, so immediately upon seeing pictures, my mouth was watering, and I was ready to find them. As I was reading through the reviews, I noticed lots of enthusiasm around their steak burrito. It was a tough decision to decide between the two, so I ordered one of each. :-)

I had ordered online, and the food was ready well before I found their place (not hard to find, but being new here I just didn’t know the area). When I pulled in to their lot, one of their staff came to bring my order right away. They were gracious and kind. Great Service! Great service is good, but really, it’s all about the food, right?

T-Loc’s Sonoran hotdogs are absolutely wonderful! Their dogs are flavorful with bacon-y wrapped goodness, the toppings are generous but balanced enough to be flavorful and not too too messy (just a little). A true Sonoran dog isn’t like getting a hotdog with stuff just slathered on top. It’s got enough ingredients that it must be crafted well...no single item should overpower the flavors of the rest. And then there’s the bun...

Yes, the bun is very special. It’s something very different than your typical hotdog bun. It’s steamed instead of grilled, so it’s soft, moist, ever so slightly sweet and delicious! It absorbs the ingredients enough to become an integral part of the dish. Often I find myself discarding “extra” bits of bun...in this case, I couldn’t get enough of it. T-Loc’s Sonoran Hotdogs are simply incredible! But there’s more...

As good as the hotdogs were (and I will return for more), T-Loc’s Carne Asada Burrito was the heart of the life changing experience. It’s deceptively simple. It’s a flour tortilla filled with steak, pico de gallo, and avocado. Two bites into it (the second bite only to confirm what I suspected after my first bite), I realized that, although I’ve traveled the world and eaten many burritos, I was eating the BEST burrito I have ever tasted! Again, perfect balance of flavors...but a Carne Asada SO bursting with flavor that just thinking about it a day later makes my mouth water again.

You may not associate words like food truck, hotdogs, and burritos with the word gourmet...until you visit T-Loc’s Sonoran, then your life will be changed. Food like this doesn’t “just happen” by accident. It’s created and crafted by a deliberate act of art, love...

I sometimes feel funny saying this, but I now have a "favorite hot dog place." I've never been one to crave hot dogs growing up, but that's likely because I never grew up having a hot dog like the ones Miguel and Zulma serve up at Sonora. Others have described the famous Con Todo hot dog so I won't go into much here, but think of their signature hot dog like a gourmet hot dog with all the works and then some. Miguel is an accomplished chef and he brings that culinary experience and spirit to all of his menu items. Every ingredient on the hot dog is purposeful and is served in just the right quantity. And the bun is to die for. It gets shipped in daily from New Mexico so this is the real deal. Once you've had the Sonora bun, you'll be wondering why all hot dogs don't get served in a Sonora bun. Trust me!

I've been a customer of theirs for nearly three years now, followed them across three different locations, and I can say the only thing that has changed is the menu now has more offerings, including fries, tacos, simple hot dogs for kids, and quesadillas. Remaining delightfully consistent over the years are the friendly owners behind Sonora, Miguel and Zulma, and the exceptionally consistent quality of their food. My wife and I always enjoy catching up with them, and since the very beginning, they have always treated us like family.

When the weather is nice outside, ask them about their homemade agua fresca. When they do have it, it sells out pretty much every day so get there early and ask for their agua fresca of the day!

p.s. We also recommend their asada burrito! And did we mention the hot dog comes with this delicious grilled pepper? Man, sometimes I just crave that perfectly grilled and lightly...

Let’s be frank… these dogs ain’t no joke

Highlights: •Carne Asada Fries •Sonoran Style Hotdogs •Aguas Frescas

Review: This has become my new lunch spot which is conveniently close to work. I order the Yaqui Dog, carne asada fries and an agua fresca. The Yaqui Dog was a rollercoaster of flavor with notes of sweetness from the sautéed onions, smokiness from the carne asada, nuttiness from the pinto beans, fattiness from the bacon wrapped hot dog, creaminess from the cheese and slight acidity to complement everything from the jalapeño sauce. The highlight however were the carne asada fries, they had the perfect amount of asada, fries were cooked perfectly, creaminess from the crema added depth, freshness from the pico and the pickled garnish just took it to the next level. Everything was delicious and it was all washed down with a refreshing agua fresca. Can’t wait to go back for another lunch adventure.

Rating: 10/10

Yaqui Dog Bacon-wrapped S-Bar hot dog, pinto beans, sauteed onions, carne asada, Monterrey Jack cheese, & jalapeño sauce. Served with chips. Chile guero available on request

Carne Asada Fries Crinkle cut fries, 1/4lb of carne asada, pico de Gallo, mexican crema, japaleño drizzle, monterrey jack...