Foodie Friday: El Taco Feliz 2

Looking for a hidden gem in San Marcos? El Taco Feliz 2 may just be the restaurant you’re searching for. 

Located off State Highway 123 — nestled inside the Wallace Addition neighborhood, once known as El Barrio del Pescado — El Taco Feliz 2 offers a wide selection of tacos and Mexican favorites. 

The restaurant describes its food as “authentic Mexican food with a mix of Tex-Mex,” on its Facebook page. 

What to get: 

During our visit to El Taco Feliz 2, we had to sample some of our favorites. 

Looking for a lighter option … sort of, I went with the restaurant’s carne guisada plate, which was an excellent choice for lunch. The carne guisada was nice and tender and the gravy was flavorful. I added some of El Taco Feliz 2’s salsa roja to the carne guisada, which added a nice spice to the plate. This meal came with rice and refried beans — both excellent compliments to the plate — as well as lettuce and tomato topped with sour cream. Alongside two warm and delicious homemade tortillas, this plate came out to $10.95. 

My dining companion, as usual, sampled El Taco Feliz 2’s enchiladas, which came with two enchiladas filled with cheese and beef. His plate also came with rice, refried beans and lettuce and tomato topped with sour cream. This enchilada plate came out to $9.95. 

El Taco Feliz 2 has plenty of other plates to choose from. Maybe you’re in the mood for chile verde — pork meat with salsa verde — or maybe you’d like to try the chile colorado, beef meat with salsa roja. 

There’s also a chile rellenos plate, which comes with two deep fried poblano peppers filled with cheese covered in salsa ranchera and mozzarella cheese served with rice, refried beans and lettuce and tomato topped with sour cream.

You can also sample the restaurant’s gorditas, beef or chicken fajitas, crispy tacos, chalupas or carne asada plate. El Taco Feliz 2 also has a combination plate, which comes with one cheese enchilada, one beef crispy taco and one cheese chalupa. You can also get the mini tacos plate — four street tacos with double tortilla, onion, cilantro, grilled onions and nopales, fried jalapeno and your choice of meat. All plates are priced at either $9.95 or $10.95.

This eatery has several appetizers, including quesadillas, papas feliz, nachos, roll tacos and min taquitos. 

El Taco Feliz 2 has multiple tostada options— frijoles y queso, carnitas and chicken. 

The restaurant offers breakfast plates as well. You can get an omelet, which comes filled with your choice of bacon, ham, chorizo or sausage served with tomato, onions, cilantro, fresh jalapeno and cheese. There's also a huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, molletes and papas and chorizo plate. Or maybe you’re in the mood for a pancake platter. 

El Taco Feliz 2 has a wide selection of tacos, including both breakfast and lunch selections. For breakfast you can get a bacon and egg, sausage and egg, chorizo and egg, potato and egg, ham and egg taco or several other options for $1.75 each. For lunch tacos, you can try the chile colorado, chile verde, guisada, picadillo, barbacoa, pastor, fajita and a handful of other choices for $2.75 each. 

If you go:

El Taco Feliz 2 is located at 201 Staples Road in San Marcos. 

The restaurant’s hours are currently 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. For up-to-date hours visit El Taco Feliz 2’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ElTacoFeliz2. 

Phone: 512-214-5660