Maria's Taco Express Is Now Taco Xpress — What Happened After the Show?
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 21 Austin, Texas
Current status
As of October 2026, Yelp lists this address as Taco Xpress; reviewed by our team on September 21, 2026, not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.
What the source shows: A Yelp listing updated June 2026 for 'Taco Xpress' at 1210 Barton Springs Road shows continued reviews and current listing details, and the business's own site uses the same shortened name rather than the original 'Maria's Taco Xpress.' How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 21, Episode 18
- Aired
- Address 1210 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX
- Now called Taco Xpress
- Website tacoxpress.com
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?
Part 1 — Season 21, Episode 18 Aired
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' 'Pork Hall of Fame' clip episode, aired 2014-12-26, replayed a segment on Maria's Taco Xpress in Austin, Texas, originally shown in the 'Real Deal Fast Food' episode that aired May 19, 2008 alongside Joe's Farm Grill and Panini Pete's. Guy Fieri's stop highlighted the stand's homemade tacos, described in that episode as done every which way. According to The Austin Things, Maria's Taco Xpress has been counted among Austin's most iconic taco stops and a long-standing staple for locals and visiting food fans.
Part 2 — Season 3, Episode 8 Aired
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured Maria's Taco Xpress in "Real Deal Fast Food," which aired 2008-05-19, spotlighting the walk-up stand's breakfast tacos and Tex-Mex plates. The restaurant operated for years on South Lamar Boulevard before its current location on Barton Springs Road in Austin, Texas. CultureMap Austin reported on 2020-09-30 that the business's owner sold it to a local investment group amid rising costs, after the restaurant announced plans to close its South Lamar location. The operation has since dropped 'Maria's' from its public-facing name, now trading as 'Taco Xpress.'
A Yelp listing updated 2026-06 for 'Taco Xpress' at the Barton Springs Road address showed continued customer reviews, and the business's own website, tacoxpress.com, uses the same shortened name. No source located in this search independently confirmed current ownership past the 2020 sale, so this record notes that sale without asserting who owns the business today.
The episodes
Also in Season 21
Season 21: 48 of 75 still open · 6 renamed, moved or under new owners
-
Ep 18Bar Gernika
Open - Open
-
Ep 18Haus Murphy's
Open -
Ep 18North End Caffé
Open -
Ep 18Santa Cruz Diner
Open -
Ep 18The Oinkster
Open -
Ep 18Union Woodshop
Open - Renamed
Nearest restaurants
-
Food Paradise
Open -
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Closed -
Mystery Diners
Closed -
The Mighty Cone (food trailer)
Food Paradise
Closed -
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Closed
Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- theaustinthings.com https://theaustinthings.com/austin-restaurants-on-diners-drive-ins-and-dives/
- dinersdriveinsdiveslocations.com https://www.dinersdriveinsdiveslocations.com/marias-taco-express-texas.html
- Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/taco-xpress-austin-2
- tacoxpress.com https://www.tacoxpress.com/
- austin.culturemap.com https://austin.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/09-30-20-marias-taco-xpress-closing-sold-south-lamar/
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record ddd-0106 · checked by Cal Marchetti.