Carnitas Don Raúl — Restaurant in San Antonio

I first saw Michelle on Taco Chronicle season one, what her father and her family has perfected is pure Mexican gold.

When I found out that this was now available in San Antonio, less than an hour from my house, I could not wait to try it and not only was I not disappointed, I was completely overwhelmed.

From the moment you walk in and see Michelle‘s Warm smile and just as impactful, the smell of fried pork throughout, this was a once in a lifetime experience.

While there were only four of us, we got 2 pounds and that ensured we would get a little bit of everything.

When we left, there was enough food remaining to feed a small village, but we were beyond satisfied, and I cannot honestly place into words how amazing the experience, as well as the food still resonates within every gastronomical cell in my body.

To say this is a food lovers paradise is to say that Babe Ruth was a pretty good baseball player.

If you’re in San Antonio and you don’t stop and try this out, you are completely missing out on what Texas and Mexican culture is all about.

Friends, family, drink, music, and food. The one thing that links all cultures together, so don’t be an idiot, you will not regret but thank me for being so blunt.

If you’re not food stoned at the end of this experience, feeling as though it’s Christmas morning and you’re five years old, Then something has terribly gone wrong with your genetics in regards to the ability to smell, taste, and feel the soul that goes into everything Don Raul’s is...

Torta-lly worth it! In a city full of tortas, I walked in to this Torta temple thinking, I'm just gonna have a sandwich. Innocent. Naive. A fool. What I actually experienced was a flavor explosion that drop-kicked me into a food-induced euphoric state faster than my ex-gf ruined my credit. Carnitas Don Raul offers several different cuts of pork (Lengua, Trompa, Orejas, Brazuelo, Aldilla, Costilla, Buche, Maciza, Chamorro, Cueritos, and mixed). I won't translate all of them. DYOR. Now, lets talk pork butt(macizo). No - lets worship the pork butt. It was juicy (ew), rich, perfectly seasoned, flavorful, and held up really will inside the soft, pillowy buns it came in. I don't know what they marinated it in - possible torta tears and salsa blessed by a priest. I imagine somebody's abuelita nicknamed "Dona Torta aka La Spicy" created the original seasoning with a spell on it. She's probably written about in folk songs and stories passed along from one torta to the next. . The bread was lightly toasted, and like me - crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. It was like biting into the warm hug of torta holding her shoes in her hand after a night out at Bentleys. Honestly, I blacked out for second. Atmosphere? Chill. Service? Friendly and quick. Experience? Somewhere between religious awakening and a telenovela food fight I didn't want to end. I docked it a half star because I failed to meet my future ex-gf and wasn't physically carried out in a golden chalupa for surviving that level of...

I have loved this place since I saw their Netflix episode for their food truck. They are pricey, but I don't mind paying if the food is delicious. That being said their service has gone downhill since they opened their new restaurant. I recently placed a large order for pickup a couple days later. The individual I spoke to made it seem like I would be getting a large aluminum tray for my order and all the fixings- tortillas, salsa, limes, jalapenos, etc. I was supposed to pick up my order at 4pm, but was running late due to traffic. When I got there at 4:30 my order was sitting out on the counter and they were in multiple individual Styrofoam trays. It was 2 large bags with what I assumed was everything. When I got home, I found that not only did they stuff the tortillas with the carnitas, making them all greasy, they didn't provide anything else. Super disappointing considering they are 26 miles away. When I called them to try and provide them this feedback my call was never answered. I am not sure if it was the disappointment of having salsa-less, bland tacos, or if the meat was truly lacking flavor, but the meat was lacking flavor and dry.

Also quick note- I prepay-ed for my order when I placed it as it was pretty large and the person who assisted me also wanted me to leave a tip!!! For $24 +tax per pound, you would think they would limit this request to those dining in!

Overall will probably not be going back anytime...