Sana Sana
The bistec taco estilo Matamoros is always on, whatever else Joseph Gomez is cooking that day, and the corn under it is nixtamalized in this kitchen.2
Why go
Joseph Gomez makes the tortillas here two ways, mesquite flour and corn, and the corn is Mexican corn he nixtamalizes in the kitchen.1 Nixtamalization is the alkaline cook that loosens the pericarp and frees the niacin, and doing it in-house means the masa is ground within hours of the boil rather than reconstituted from a bag. He opened the counter inside Royal Blue Grocery at 360 Nueces St on 12 March 2026, in time for South by Southwest.1 The pedigree behind it, stated once: Gomez ran Con Todo, the trailer that made him a 2024 James Beard Best Chef: Texas semifinalist and got Con Todo onto Michelin's Recommended list in the inaugural Texas guide, and it closed in early 2025.1 That record is his rather than this counter's, and I haven't found a review of the cooking here.
Order this / avoid
- The bistec taco estilo Matamoros. Texas Monthly's taco editor says it is the constant: whatever else Gomez is cooking, that one is on.2
- Vampiro de ribeye, which Odam describes as a crispy concave tortilla somewhere between a taco and a tostada.1 The kitchen crisps the tortilla over a form so it holds fat and juice instead of shedding them.
- Mollejas and chicharron tacos are the offal-and-crackling end of the opening card, and queso fresco cheesecake closes it.1
- Watch for a Sabores Sin Fronteras dinner. Gomez runs occasional omakase-format meals and wants to turn them into that series.2
- Avoid: turning up without checking hours. The counter has run 11am until sold out, and the schedule has moved more than once since the March opening.5
What locals & experts say
- Matthew Odam, the Austin American-Statesman's restaurant critic, on the opening card, verbatim:
The initial menu from the taqueria that opens Thursday will feature vampiro de ribeye (a crispy concave tortilla somewhere between a taco and a tostada), bistec tacos in estilo Matamoros, mollejas (sweetbreads), chicharrón tacos, queso fresco cheesecake and more.
1 - Jose R. Ralat, Texas Monthly's taco editor, verbatim:
No matter what else he makes, though, Gomez always serves his take on the taco estilo matamoros, a staple from his native Rio Grande Valley.
2 - Gomez on the point of the place, verbatim:
I'm really grateful to be back and cooking for people again, showcasing Mexican food inspired by the RGV and Northeastern Mexico, with influences from all over. Food shouldn't have borders.
And on the awards:I'd rather just focus on my goal and my mission. I couldn't care less about accolades.
1 - Two writers have named the food and neither has judged it. Matthew Odam's piece is a report on the opening and Jose R. Ralat's is a feature on the omakase format, so I can't tell you yet whether it is any good.
- Raphael Brion, The Infatuation Austin, on Con Todo, rated 9.3:
The tacos at Con Todo are so punishingly good, they stir your lizard brain.
He wrote that about a trailer that closed in early 2025. It is the cook's record and not this counter's.4 - CultureMap Austin, Brianna Caleri (12 March 2026): the residency, the address, the hours and the Con Todo history, carrying Gomez's own line that the concept is
now settling down at Royal Blue Grocery.
That is the operator talking about himself.5
Good to know
- Where it is: inside Royal Blue Grocery, 360 Nueces St.5
- Is it open: the last dated statement anyone published is Odam's, that the counter would shut for the first half of April 2026 to renovate and staff up, then reopen late in that month.1 I haven't found anything newer, so check before you cross town.
- Hygiene: no inspection record exists for this operation, and the building's records belong to other businesses. 360 Nueces St holds five separately permitted businesses, each with its own score, including the host, Royal Blue Grocery, at 89 from 21 February 2025, which is missing data rather than a finding.6
- Getting there: Nueces at Third, in the downtown grid.
Verdict
could-visit — RE-SCORED 2026-08-08 after two bylined pieces turned up that no prior pass had read. A taco counter inside Royal Blue Grocery downtown from Joseph Gomez, who ran Con Todo, was a James Beard Best Chef: Texas semifinalist in 2024 off that truck and got it onto Michelin's Recommended list in the first Texas guide. Con Todo closed in early 2025 and this is what he did next. The Statesman's Matthew Odam printed the opening card: vampiro de ribeye, bistec estilo Matamoros, mollejas, chicharron tacos, queso fresco cheesecake, on mesquite flour and house-nixtamalized corn tortillas. Texas Monthly's taco editor says the Matamoros bistec is the constant. What still does not exist is a judgment: Odam and Ralat have both named the food and neither has said whether it is good, and the last dated word on trading is an April 2026 reopening.