Inside Veracruz Fonda at Mueller

Austinites can find their favorites and so much more at Veracruz Fonda and Bar, the local chain's new brick-and-mortar restaurant at Mueller.

The big picture: Sisters Maritza and Reyna Vazquez opened Veracruz as a cart in East Austin in 2008 and have since grown it into a local empire with food trucks spread throughout the city.

• In April, they opened the full-service restaurant at 1905 Aldrich St. #125, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner.

What to order: You'll still find their popular taco menu, along with a spread of juices, smoothies, aguas frescas and coffee for breakfast. We loved the iced latte with the house-made horchata for a not-to-sweet addition.

• The restaurant expands its usual taco menu to include signature plates, including mojarra frita (fried whole fish, $28) and mole enchiladas ($24). Plus, smaller dishes like the vegetarian empanadas ($8), pork tamal ($10) and panucho de cochinita (masa-based stuffed tortillas for $9).
• The chilaquiles ($18) are served with a delicious cecina steak and fried plantains, a nice twist on the classic.
• We loved the mojarra frita with a fried whole snapper and served with rice, pico de gallo, avocado and homemade blue corn tortillas.

Of note: Start with "El Cuarteto," to get a taste of the sikil pak, a Mayan pumpkin seed salsa that is smoky and sweet. The starter also comes with peanut macha, guacamole and refried black beans.

If you go: Veracruz Fonda is open from 8am-10pm Sunday-Thursday and 8am-11pm Friday and Saturday.