2300 E Cesar Chavez Street
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 472-3872
http://www.juaninamillion.com/
Being a single woman, I find myself out late some weekends consuming a little too much and having a little too much fun. When you wake up the next morning, slightly hung over, in last night’s eyeliner, smelling of stale alcohol and cigarettes, with a furry feeling in your mouth, all you can do is take a hot shower and have a big hearty breakfast. When I lived in Illinois, after a late night, we’d go for corned beef hash with a side of bacon and sausage. You can never have too much meat and salt on Sunday morning. But when I moved to Texas, I discovered a wonderful, and previously undiscovered gem that most of the rest of the country has never experienced, Mexican Breakfast (cue the angelic music). I’m not talking breakfast tacos, or crappy juevos rancheros, I’m talking migas, eggs smothered in queso, chiles, refried beans, pan fried potatoes.. Sorry.. I’m drooling just thinking about it.
I’ve popped around town eating Mexican Breakfast at various taquerrias or other Latin eating establishments, but since I’ve moved back, I’ve discovered and become a regular Sunday morning patron of Juan in a Million. Now, Juan’s is way out on the east side of town. So if you’re scared by the colorful neighborhoods, you might want to stick with other places closer to downtown, but for the adventurous, Juan is a diamond in the rough. There’s a small parking lot, but I usually park in the street. Don’t worry, its broad daylight, you’re precious Death Cab for Cutie CDs will be fine. The outside of the building isn’t much to speak of, in fact, the inside of the building isn’t much to speak of either. There’s an indoor dining area, a side dining area, a huge covered patio, and a third indoor dining area attached to the other side of the patio. In other words, there is a ton of seating, and every time I’ve been there, I’ve had to wait. This place is always packed. I usually opt for the patio if it looks like I can edge someone out of a table, but the inside’s not bad either.
Now onto the food. The migas are good. Typical fluffy eggs, tomatoes, onions and tortilla strips with some cheese. It comes with a side of decent beans and potatoes. Not the best I’ve ever had, but when you’re hung over, they taste FABULOUS. I’ve also had the "DON JUAN" - El Taco Grande. It’s a huuuuge breakfast taco with eggs, potatoes, cheese, and bacon wrapped in a perfectly toasted tortilla. When covered in sour cream and guacamole the Don Juan becomes a filling and tasty way to start off the day. One will do you, unless you’ve got a huge appetite, then I’d suggest 2. But what keeps me coming back to Juan, is the Con Queso Breakfast. To me, this is the quintessential Mexican breakfast. Two scrambled eggs covered in queso with a side of carne guisada (don’t tell me what’s in it, I don’t want to know), and the same decent beans and potatoes. I don’t know what it is about the Con Queso breakfast that continues to lure me in. The queso, carne guisada, beans, and potatoes all taken separately are all decent but nothing special. Combined together, their harmonic frequencies of goodness combine together to make one super powered, hang-over curing breakfast that is hard to pass up.
Laura's note: I agree, a great Mexican Breakfast. Definitely a hangover cure for someone who doesn't have much planned for the rest of the day - you will be so full and heavy you won't feel like moving very much after the experience. The margaritas are ok, not spectacular. The location is not nearly as bad as Mariah made it out to be. Oh yeah, and they've expanded in the past couple of years and have a patio. But still, on Saturday and Sunday early afternoons you might be waiting quite a while with a load of UT students and Austinites who also participated in general weekend debauchery and are in "the know." If you aren't into waiting in lines or debauchery, try them out on a weeknight. They do casual lunch/dinner as well as breakfast. Laura - 8.5
Bottom Line: Awesome Mexican Breakfast
Mariah - 10 (In honor of Murphy - You rock!)
11 comments:
Lose the racism, why don't you.
Thanks for the feedback. I'm really sorry if I offended you. Please email me directly, I'd like to make things right.
(the previous comment was deleted because I mistakenly left it under Mariah's name)
Thank you for changing the "Bottom line." "If you can stomach the neighborhood" made it sound like the part of our city that is east of IH35 is something disgusting, when it fact is a culturally rich and proud community with a heritage that makes Austin what it is. If you have to stoop to "stomach it," you probably ought not encourage others to do the same. Or maybe you could just encourage them to wait until it is fully gentrified.
No problem. I absolutely didn't mean to offend with my post. I tried to make a clever food/eating reference in the bottom line and it turned out to be not so clever. Its changed. I hope that y'all can move past my blunder and see that I really like Juan and think everyone needs to go there. I'll probably be there Sunday. Yum!
Juan in a Million is a beautiful place for Mexican food.
Hey anonymous, way to go. I've lived on the east side for almost ten years, and I'm glad there's vigilant people out there like you who try to turn other's innocent comments into racist rhetoric. That word is highly loaded, and in this case highly undeserved. Guerita, you had a great point right up until you kept slamming her for the very thing she not only changed, but actually apologized for. As I already said, I've lived in the area a long time. Is it awesome? Hell yeah! Is there high crime? Most definitely. So hey, maybe, just maybe, poorer areas have higher crime. Don't assume that just because someone acknowledges that means that they're also equating the race of the people living there with that crime rate. The authors never brought up race. Ya'll did. The real bottom line is, you people don't know what you're talking about. If you want to complain about the tone of the comment, fine. But leave out the personal attacks until you're sure they're warranted. And Mariah, you are wrong. The breakfast tacos at Juan in a Million are a solid ten.
I live in East Austin and have been eating at Juan in a Million regularly for the last seven years. One word of warning to newcomers: the salsa has a KICK and you have to ease into it. I almost passed out from the heat the first time I had it.
Also, Juan in a Million is barely over a mile East of 35 and hardly "way out on the east side of town" - well, maybe if you live in Oak Hill or Lakeway.
Haha, I DO live in Oak Hill. :)
Murphy, it's interesting that you think I was talking about race, because I wasn't. A community can have a culture that has nothing to do with its race, and that is what I am talking about.
My point is that the reason places like Juan in a Million are around is in part because of the neighborhoods surrounding them. I lament the gentrification of those neighborhoods and hope that those people who appreciate each neighborhood's contributions to Austin at large will also respect the smaller communities' cultures rather than try to judge, change, or merely tolerate those communities.
I don't know who you are talking to in saying "y'all don't know what you're talking about." It certainly isn't me. And the next time you ask someone else to leave out the personal attacks...well, it sounds like some soul searching is in order, friend.
There are some people who'll find a place to grind their ax, unwarranted (as here) or otherwise. Sure, it was a wit-bit that fell flat. The author made amends and moved on. She has no responsibility for how others misread her intent.
Post a Comment