Tia’s Taco Hut, 5730 Babcock Road

Recently, when I visited Tia’s Taco Hut, it’s possible I ordered four tacos near the bottom of this taqueria’s menu rung. Because, no taqueria does all the tacos well. Right?

These weren’t the worst breakfast tacos I’ve had, but they definitely rank up there in terms of greasiness. And they were wrapped in foil so that when I freed them they were smothered in grease and therefore soggy.

Tia’s has made a home in an old Wendy’s on the far northwest side with the front windows covered in straw like a thatched hut. The restaurant offers an array of dishes, and I’m sure there are spot on. The tacos, not so much.

The chorizo a la Mexicana, which for me is an unusual combo, was greasy with strong pepper flavor. Also, kind of watery. The corn tortilla was soft and decent and saved the taco from complete disaster.

The meat in the carne guisada was semi dry in a sauce that was barely there. Didn’t seemed seasoned or composed properly. Carne guisada is supposed to provide a debt of flavor and Tia’s version gives you flavor at the very beginning and then disappears. The flour tortilla was soft and kind of doughy, but actually had good flavor.

Sticking with the greasy theme, the country guisada may have taken first prize — while the sausage seemed boiled. The tomato sauce added another layer of flavor, but it was too thin and watered down. The grease completely killed this flour tortilla.

The one I actually liked was the bean and cheese. These beans were clearly made in-house and had a kind of pureness to the flavor with a little animal fat and that awesome nuclear yellow cheese.

I found myself applying the hot sauces often, which were about average — a garlicky and watery serrano for the green, and a chile de arbol and tomato concoction with vinegar for the red (actually, more of a dark orange).

It’s worth a reminder here that these Tacoist posts are first impressions, not actual reviews. Because to do a real review requires at least two visits. But there is still value in trekking across San Antonio in an attempt to try a handful of tacos at each place — and that’s what I’m trying to do here. All of that said, the service at Tia’s Taco Hut was very good.