Tacos & Ice Cream, playing tourist in Galveston
“We’re going to Galveston to have dinner at that cash-only taco place. Afterwards we’re going to the Strand to that ice cream place,” my sister told me as I tried to figure out where we were having dinner. The “cash-only taco place” ended up being Gordita’s in Galveston, just off the Seawall, and the “ice cream place” was La King’s.
The experience at Gordita’s was interesting. My family wasn’t kidding that the only method of payment the restaurant takes is cash. (They conveniently have an ATM in the establishment.) The service is iffy. The decor is gaudy beyond belief, with that over-the-top cliched tourist-friendly way that is hard to look at sometimes. And, absolutely not pictured, both restrooms have their walls covered in magazine/newspaper/poster cutouts of… scantily-clad beautiful people of the opposite sex. That alone might be worth the drive… or not, depending on your taste.
The food is authentic Mexican, not Tex-Mex. The tacos were awesome. Particularly good were the tacos de tripa, tacos de barbacoa, and the tacos de tinga. My sister ordered the ceviche (pictured in the gallery below) and had to order something else because it was so small. The restaurant is a good choice for that area. And the prices are affordable. I can understand why my family kept insisting I had to try this place.
Dessert was a trip to the Strand to La King’s to ice cream and handmade candies. They have wonderful chocolates and candies, and serve Purity ice cream (which they website states is the first Texas ice cream manufacturer). The locale itself is quaint, evoking a style from the 1920’s (when it was founded). Since there isn’t any parking immediately nearby, you have to park a few blocks away and take a leisurely walk through among the “colorful” stores and atmospheric buildings that make up Galveston’s historic Strand.
I personally didn’t have any ice cream (my family did). I did indulge in a Royal Royal Sand Dollar. Basically, it’s a chocolate sandwich: pecans with caramel placed between two portions of chocolate. It’s awesome. And the taffy was good. And the coffee was good. And I am going back, soon.
Tacos
Ice Cream
— Posted by Sandra Fernandez
Sandra Fernandez is a professional communicator, tech enthusiast, book lover, and blogger. You can find her main blog at SandraSays.com and more of her writing at HispanicHouston.com.