2026 Centurion Award winner

Matt's El Rancho

Best Tex-Mex in Austin · Austin, TX

Restaurant · Austin, TX · Since 1952

The overview

The King of Mexican Food since 1952.

Matt's El Rancho has been Austin's original Tex-Mex since 1952, when Matt and Janie Martinez grew a 40-seat café into a South Lamar institution now serving some 500 guests a day. Generations order the same things: sizzling fajitas, cheese enchiladas, and the legendary Bob Armstrong dip — queso layered with taco meat and guacamole, named for a regular.

Still family-run after more than 70 years, Matt's is the 2026 Centurion Award winner in Austin.

What they're known for

  • Sizzling Angus fajitas
  • Bob Armstrong dip
  • Cheese enchiladas
The award record

Every award, on the record.

Each Centurion Award is a dated record tied to one year’s evaluation — earned annually, never carried over. Open a year for the full citation and verification details.

2026

Best Tex-Mex in Austin Austin, TX · Awarded under the 2026 evaluation View the 2026 award →

Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. Selection is by published criteria, never for sale.

Visit Matt's El Rancho

Location2613 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
In business since1952

A signal you can check.

This page is the standing record for Matt's El Rancho (2026). It was not bought, voted on, or sponsored — only winners are published, and an award that stops holding up is revoked, not quietly removed.

Run a business like this one?

If you’ve put in the years, you may already clear the bar. Evaluation is free, private, and never for sale.