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This summer, a new fast-casual counter-service Mexican street food spot with tortas opened in the Blackland neighborhood. La Plancha debuted on 1701 East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Suite 101 on July 1.
La Plancha’s tortas — Mexican sandwiches served on bolillo buns — include the La Tejana layered with barbacoa, avocado, refried black beans, queso fresco, salsa verde, and more; the burger with two beef patties, cheddar cheese, and pickles; a vegan burger with a quinoa-black bean patty; and then La Hot chick with fried chicken and buffalo sauce. There’s even an option to replace the bread with greens. Then there are tacos (including a potato-vegetable hash one), quesadillas, papas fritas, street corn, queso, papa asada, and mini-churros.
Breakfast and brunch include a bunch of eggy tortas: the La Brunch with eggs, chorizo, choice of bacon or ham, cheddar cheese, avocado, and tomatoes; the La Chilaquiles; and two-ingredient options. There are also morning tacos.
The restaurant is run by co-founders and couple owner chef Mariha Hinojosa and director of operations Julian Richmond. They felt like a torta-focused spot was missing in Austin, and they wanted to fill in that gap. “We wanted to create tortas where people would feel welcomed and familiar too,” writes Richmond to Eater over email.
Hinojosa is from Brownsville, where she worked at various restaurants, and then came to Hyde Park, New York where she attended the Culinary Institute of America, and then moved to Austin. She had been the chef de cuisine for Second Bar and Kitchen in the Domain Northside’s Archer Hotel, and the chef and operation manager for golf course restaurant Fairways Cantina. Richmond worked in hotels and restaurants in Buffalo, New York until he moved to Austin where he had been the office manager for the Archer Hotel as well as a member of the food-and-beverage team for the Archer.
La Plancha’s hours are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.
