As you might guess from the name, Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ puts an inventive spin on classic barbecue. This downtown Austin food truck does have classic barbecue sandwiches, including choices like brisket, pulled pork, and chicken, but it also offers tasty tacos with barbecue ingredients.

One example? The Pulled Pollo taco, which includes guacamole and tomatillo habanero salsa along with pulled chicken. Brisket tacos are also popular, and you also opt for smoked carnitas tacos. A selection of sides includes rice, corn, beans, and potato salad, and you can also complement your main dish with chips and quac or queso.

If you'd like to visit Valentina's, the place is open for lunch daily, for dinner every night of the week, and until "2am ish" on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. It's just a short trip from Lamar Union, and you can learn more about it by visiting Valentina's website.

Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ
located behind Star Bar on West 6th Street & Neuces Street
600 West 6th Street
Austin, TX 78701
www.valentinastexmexbbq.com
www.yelp.com/biz/valentinas-tex-mex-bbq-austin

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/erik forsberg

Whereas many Mexican restaurants opt for traditional tortillas for their tacos, Fat Cactus food trailer does something unusual. Instead of wrapping taco fixings in a flour tortilla, its chefs stuff the ingredients inside of fluffy fry bread. The result is a slightly puffier version of the classic taco. Since the place isn't too far from Lamar Union, it's easy to try this innovative take on a classic dish for yourself.

One Yelper describes the fry bread as "absolutely incredible," and her opinion is supported by the many other glowing reviews of both the bread and the restaurant in general. The trailer offers only a handful of options, but those are more than enough for most patrons. Indulge in the Taj taco, overflowing with ground beef, red onion, spring mix, cilantro, fried chickpeas, and a curry yogurt sauce. You can also try the "Hippy," which forgoes meat for veggies such as zucchini, squash, and chayote, all mixed with pinto beans, cheddar cheese, and "secret" spices.

Fat Cactus
1318 S. Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 585-4967
www.fatcactusaustin.com/
www.yelp.com/biz/fat-cactus-austin

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/gozalewis

More than 200 Yelp reviewers sing the praises of Micklethwait Craft Meats, a casual eatery in Austin that specializes in classic Southern barbecue. Its simple menu belies the huge, smoky platters of food that wow patrons at Micklethwait Craft Meats. They all come from the smoker out back, which patrons are welcome to ogle (many even snap pictures).

One customer photo depicts the massive beef rib, a locally acclaimed favorite that comes with tender slices of house-crafted Andouille sausage, onions and peppers, and a signature sauce for dunking. The house-made sausage is another favorite, though a few links aren't nearly as filling as the Fred Flinstone rib. The aptly named slab of meat tips the scales at 1.5 pounds—and you can tell from just a glance. Enjoy your meal with a cold bottled Coke and save some room for pecan pie or a moon pie.

If you'd like to try this Austin eatery for yourself, Micklethwait Craft Meats is just a short trip from Lamar Union.

Micklethwait Craft Meats
1309 Rosewood Avenue
Austin TX 78702
(512) 791-5961
www.craftmeats.com/default.html
www.yelp.com/biz/micklethwait-craft-meats-austin

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/jeffreyww