The corner space right next to Cho Sushi in the Vista Ridge Shopping Center at Steiner Ranch is occupied by Hecho En Mexico — one of five restaurants taking a shot at serving the sophisticated palates of the Steiner Ranch community and Lake Travis area residents.
Hecho En Mexico took over the space in the fall of 2012 after the short-lived La Fuentes. When you’re craving some old school, gooey cheese, gravy smothered, traditional Tex-Mex, this is not the place. This is interior Mexican with an Oaxacan flair. You’ll discover unique and traditional flavors that you won’t find anywhere else in the Lake Travis area.
Start off with the chips and salsa. This is not your traditional tomato based salsa, but a red chile pepper based sauce. Ask for a bowl of the spicy sauce if you dare.
Get a taste of interior Mexico with the more popular dinner menu items like the Carne Pibil, tender pork marinated and slow cooked in a banana leaf.
The Platon de Enchiladas are three enchiladas with your choice of filling, each one topped with a different type of mole sauce. You’ll taste why so many people are calling this the best mole in Austin.
Spice it up with a taste of the Camarones a la Diabla, a large bowl filled with gulf shrimp perfectly cooked and covered in a spicy chile morita salsa (a morita chile is like a chipotle but smaller and more fiery).
You can always keep it more traditional with the variety of items like enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, tacos and burritos that you’ll find on the lunch and dinner menu.
Besides the food, be sure to check out the selection of over 80 different kinds of tequila, specialty cocktails menu, and special events throughout the year featuring food and tequila pairings.
Hecho En Mexico made our list of Kid Friendly Restaurants in the Lake Travis Area. You can get a children’s plate for $2 served with two choices of rice, beans or broccoli. Your kids should have no problem clearing their plates and heading out to the play area that surrounds the outdoor patio. And when you’re going to be dining outside, feel free to bring your four-legged buddy along because Hecho’s outdoor patio is pet friendly.
Here’s the recap … great food served by a friendly waitstaff, owners that care, open and bright dining area with additional seating outdoors, bar area with TV’s, extensive selection of over 80 brands of tequila, a great kids menu with ridiculously low prices, outdoor play area with playscape, and pet friendly.
Hecho En Mexico is the sixth restaurant to give this location a try and the owners are determined to make a difference.
Tutto Gusto, Quinlan Park Grill, Thai Harmony, Suevo Nuevo, and La Fuentes make the list of all the restaurants that have come and gone since this location opened in 2007.
Just ask any Steiner Ranch resident and you’ll discover that most of the former restaurants left the SR locals with memories of bad food and bad service — an approach that doesn’t work very well in the restaurant biz. I’m hoping Hecho’s food and service continues to prove that these guys deserve to stick around.
Hours & Location
Hecho En Mexico Steiner Ranch – 4300 North Quinlan Park Road Ste. 100, Austin, TX 78732 (map)
Sunday thru Thursday
9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday and Saturday
9:00 am – 10:00 pm
If you happen to venture out of the Lake Travis area bubble, you can check out the William Canon location (map)
