Tortas in East Austin
Austin Daily Press builds globally inspired tortas on toasted telera rolls at 1900 E MLK, six days a week. If it is your first time, order the Canadian Tuxedo.
A torta is a Mexican sandwich. Ours are not traditional, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. They are built with the same scratch sauces, braises, and pickles we make every morning, arranged into combinations you will not find on another menu in town.
The system, not just the sandwich
Here is the part most people miss. Every core flavor build at ADP works three ways: as a torta, as tacos, or as a bowl.
Same braise. Same sauces. Same pickles. Different vehicle.
That means the person at your table avoiding bread is eating the same food you are, not a sad consolation salad. It is also why our plant-based options taste like something instead of tasting like an absence. That approach traces back to Chef Reed Faitak, who shaped ADP's torta-first identity in 2012 and took vegetables seriously long before it was a marketing position.
The Canadian Tuxedo
$14.75. The most popular torta on the menu, and the one to order first.
Chicken tinga, a maple and black pepper glaze, garlic aioli we make daily, house pickles, and our three-cheese blend on a toasted telera roll.
About the name. Nobody wrote down where it came from, and we would rather say that than invent a good story. Here is our best guess: one sauce is a maple and black pepper gastrique, which is dark, nearly black, sweet underneath and peppery on top. The other is a white garlic aioli. Put them next to each other and you get black and white stripes. Tuxedo. That is our read on it, not documented history.
It used to be built with roasted chicken breast. Chicken tinga is better, so we changed it.
The Cuban
$14.00. Bold, messy, worth the napkins.
Pork belly carnitas, Black Forest ham, three-cheese blend, house pickles, house spicy mustard, and aioli.
It started life as the BBQ Cuban with smoked pork belly. We took the smoking step out because it was a production bottleneck, and what is left is still a genuinely complicated sandwich, just one step simpler.
Is it a traditional Cuban? No, and we will not claim it is. It borrows the construction, the pork and ham and pickles and mustard and cheese and pressed bread, and then it goes its own way. The mustard, the aioli, and the pickles are all made here.
The rest of the lineup
The Deville, $12.50. Tomato-chipotle braised chicken, crispy plantain tostone, grilled pineapple, poblano queso blanco, ginger chimichurri, queso fresco, red cabbage.
The Lucille, $12.50. Lemongrass-braised pork shoulder, cucumber, escabeche, onion, sambal aioli, ginger chimichurri, red cabbage. Banh mi inspired, ADP built.
The Classic Torta, $12.50. Chicken tinga, black bean refritos, smashed avocado, pickled onion, queso fresco. Swap in pork belly carnitas or the tempeh-cauliflower "chorizo."
The O.G., $11.00. Where a lot of people start.
The Edward, vegan. Proof that the plant-based option does not have to be the boring one.
Order a torta on a Thursday
Torta Thursday gets you the Classic Torta, a side, and a drink for $12, all day.
The Classic Torta is chicken tinga, pork belly carnitas, or our tempeh-cauliflower "chorizo," dressed with smashed avocado, black bean refritos, queso fresco, pickled red onion, and red cabbage. Pick your protein and go.
The combo is the Classic Torta specifically. The rest of the lineup is available Thursday too, just at regular price.
While you are here, get the jalapeño hushpuppies. They come up in our Google reviews more than the tortas do, which is a strange thing to admit on a page about tortas, but it is true.
Common questions
What is a torta?
A Mexican sandwich, usually on a soft roll. Ours are built on toasted telera rolls with scratch-made sauces and braises. They are globally inspired rather than traditional.
Which torta should I order first?
The Canadian Tuxedo. It is the most popular one on the menu and it is starred on our menu board for exactly that reason. Each section has a starred item to give first-timers a starting point.
Do you have vegan or vegetarian tortas?
Yes. The Edward is vegan, and the tempeh-cauliflower "chorizo" can go into most builds. Every core flavor also works as a bowl if you are skipping bread entirely.
What makes your tortas different from other places in Austin?
The sauce program and the mirrored build system. Bold sauces, braises, and pickles made in house, arranged so the same flavor works as a torta, tacos, or a bowl. We are a sandwich shop that thinks like a scratch kitchen.
How much does a torta cost?
Between $11.00 and $14.75. On Thursdays, the Classic Torta comes with a side and a drink for $12.
What is Torta Thursday?
Every Thursday, all day, the Classic Torta plus a side and a drink for $12. Choose chicken tinga, pork belly carnitas, or the tempeh-cauliflower "chorizo." The combo price applies to the Classic Torta, not to the whole lineup.
Where are you?
1900 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, at Chicon, next to the You're My Butter Half mural. Open 11am to 10pm, Monday through Saturday. Closed Sunday.
Order online for pickup, or come sit on the patio and eat it while it is hot.