Our score /5
4.5
Visited
June 14, 2025
📍 Taquería profile: Taquería El Trompo Feliz (hours, ratings, address)
Taquería El Trompo Feliz sits on a corner lot in East Austin, wedged between a tire shop and a yoga studio, which feels about right for Austin. The star of the show is the trompo: a proud, lacquered cone of adobo-marinated pork crowned with a pineapple, carved to order by a taquero with the reflexes of a fencing champion.
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The Ratings
| Category | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tortilla | 4.5 / 5 | Nixtamalized corn, pressed in-house, doubled up. Lightly griddled with pork fat. |
| Salsa | 4 / 5 | A bright tomatillo verde and a smoky chile de árbol roja that means business. |
| Meat | 5 / 5 | Al pastor with real char on the edges and a sliver of pineapple flicked on top. |
| Value | 4 / 5 | Three tacos and an agua fresca for under fifteen dollars. |
| Vibe | 3.5 / 5 | Loud, cheerful, fluorescent. The parking lot is a contact sport. |
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Genuinely great pastor carved straight off the trompo
- Tortillas made on site all day
- Salsa bar with pickled carrots and jalapeños
- Open until 2 a.m. on weekends
Cons
- Parking lot designed by someone who hates cars
- Suadero sells out by 8 p.m.
- The horchata is too sweet (fight me)
- Line wraps around the building on Fridays
The Verdict
If you only order one thing, order the al pastor, extra piña, with the salsa roja. The carnitas are solid and the breakfast tacos are a respectable Austin effort, but the trompo is why you came. Overall: 4.2 / 5. Want more? Browse all our reviews or search for al pastor.