Rolando’s Super Tacos, off of Hildebrand, is an institution of San Antonio; they were the Chipotle or Freebirds before those restaurants even knew what a gigantic tortilla was! Located in one of the older parts of San Antonio, the side of the restaurant proclaims “Jesus is King” in bold colors; this may be the case but the tacos at Rolando’s are close up there.
You can either make your order to go or dine in. I would suggest dining in namely because you will receive some warm chips and three different types of salsas. There is a brown salsa (a slow initial burn but a very hot finish), a red/brown salsa (hot from the start), and a red salsa (medium). The salsas are flavorful, but have a very thin texture so it is tricky keeping them on your chip.
I know that Rolando’s has some excellent priced lunch specials, but you came to this restaurant to get tacos right? So you might as well get them. On the recent trip with one of my roommate’s, I wanted to sample two tacos — the papas con chili y queso (potato, chili, and cheese) and the Tita (steak a la Mexicana, beans, cheese, chili and guacamole). Each of these tacos was around $3. The potato one was interesting for the fact that instead of the potatoes being cubed (common in SA), they were sliced (like a potato chip). The two tacos definitely filled me up.
Now if you are really macho, you will do as my roommate did and order the Super Taco (each taco has a small and super option). These tacos are about $6 but are literally bigger than your head. No joke. Do you hear me laughing? I would guess that one Rolando Super Taco would make 3-4 normal people tacos.
My roommate got the Guivi which was comprised of shredded chicken, guacamole, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. The Super Taco at Rolando’s would be akin to the Monster at Freebirds, but instead of being rolled, it is folded like a normal taco.
So if you are out partying on the River or Saint Mary’s strip and need some grub the next morning to help you get through your day, go to Rolando’s where you can get a huge taco and maybe even find Jesus is King.
Value: 10/10 (how can you go wrong on $6 for a Super Taco that is the size of 3-4 normal tacos?)
Atmosphere: 7/10 (if you like hole in the walls, then the atmosphere won’t bother you; cool to see pictures of a stop that Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Taratino made there along with some of Rodriguez’s movie posters on wood paneled walls)
Service: 9/10 (the waitress was incredibly fast and friendly)
Salsa: 8/10 (I admire the three different types of salsas, but prefer my salsa to be a little thicker)
Taste: 9/10 (a tasty taco!)
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