Longtime Tex-Mex Restaurant El Azteca Sets Its Last Day

El Azteca, the historical Tex-Mex institution on East 7th Street, is reportedly closing down. Murmurings of the closing starting happening last week on Facebook, Twitter, and on a neighborhood site, according to a tipster. The exact last day isn’t clear, but it will shutter sometime in September.

Update, September 22: Statesman reports that El Azteca's last day of service will be on Thursday, September 29.

El Azteca opened in 1963 by Jorge Guerra and his family. The restaurant known for dishing up some of the city's finest cabrito around, along with other comforting Tex-Mex fare.

UT publication The Daily Texan spoke to Juan Guerra, Jorge's grandson, earlier in the spring about the difficulties of operating in East Austin because of rising prices.

Anthony Bourdain visited El Azteca with singer/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo for the premiere of the last season of No Reservations, centered around SXSW. Pitmaster Tom Micklethwait sang its praises for Lucky Peach, calling it an unchanging Austin holdout.

• El Azteca [Official]
• El Azteca [Facebook]
• Tex-Mex restaurant El Azteca struggles with commercialization in East Austin [The Daily Texan]
• Austin Stars in 'No Reservations' Final Season Opener [Chronicle]
• El Azteca [Lucky Peach]
• All Coverage of El Azteca [EATX]