Taste of Texas

These Austinites are creating the official guide to Texas' best tacos — and they need your help

All taco aficionados are encouraged to apply for a coveted Texas Taco Council position.

Photo by Sonya Yu/Torchy's Tacos/Facebook

Texas "taco journalists" are looking for the state's best tacos, and they want your input. Writers Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece are assembling a Texas Taco Council to determine which signature Lone Star dishes will appear in their next book.

Rayo and Neece have already tackled Austin's breakfast taco scene with a book that gained major foodie recognition. Their next project, The Tacos of Texas, set to be published in the fall of 2016, will highlight the top tacos in Texas.

The Tacos of Texas will feature iconic tacos from Abilene, Austin, Brownsville-McAllen, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston, Laredo, Midland/Odessa and San Antonio. In addition, the book will feature testimonials and tips from taco pros and more than 50 recipes.

"When we decided to start The Tacos of Texas, we knew it would not only be a huge undertaking but it was incredibly important to accurately reflect the rich histories and cultures each of the 10 cities on our list," says Rayo in a press release. "By establishing the Texas Taco Council, we hope to gather together those influential and knowledgeable individuals who are passionate about their communities and share our deep love of tacos."

The Texas Taco Council will consist of the state’s most knowledgeable taco fans. "The Texas Taco Council will help in identifying the best taco dishes and restaurants from around the state of Texas, and will be featured in the book, sharing their top 10 taco list and insights on the taco culture in their respective cities," explains the release.

Nominations are open to anyone living in the participating cities. Texans can nominate themselves or worthy taco aficionados by filling out the online form. You've got this: It’s time to show off your taco skills in the name of Texas.

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Longhorn report card

UT Austin books top-10 spot among best public universities in America

UT Austin, University of Texas at Austin, top Texas schools, best public universities, best colleges

Photo by Alexander Williams on Unsplash

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The new academic year may have just gotten started, but there's already a report card for Longhorns to write home about. This time their school is being graded — and don't worry, Mom and Dad, UT makes the high honor roll. The University of Texas at Austin ranks as the No. 9 top public university in the United States for 2025 by Niche.

Among all 1,517 U.S. schools evaluated by the education review and ranking website, UT Austin shines at No. 41 nationally, and as No. 2 in Texas (more in that on a bit). It's also the 14th best "big college" in America.

Niche deems UT Austin among the top 25 schools in these specific categories:

No. 2 Best Hispanic-Serving Institutions in America
No. 6 Colleges with the Best Student Life in America
No. 11 Best Colleges for Student Athletes in America
No. 12 Best College Athletics in America
No. 14 Top Party Schools in America
No. 19 Best College Food in America
No. 24 Best College Campuses in America

It also ranks among the top 25 schools nationally for communications, kinesiology and physical therapy, accounting and finance, sports management, design, public health, physics, education, environmental science, engineering, music, and architecture.

UT's full rankings can be found here.

Bevo, University of Texas, UT Austin Bevo knows UT athletics rule. Bevo XV/Instagram

"College is what you make it, but the University of Texas at Austin was truly an unforgettable and formative experience and it was largely due to the community and staff creating excellent environment to do carry out its mission statement: What starts here changes the world," reads one five-star student review on Niche's UT rankings page.

The university actually fell a few places from its spot as No. 6 public university in Niche's 2024 rankings, and No. 8 in 2023.

Still, UT receives an overall grade of A+, earning an A+ in four of the 12 ranking categories — academics, athletics, student life, and party scene. It gets an A for diversity, professors, value, campus, location, and campus food; a B for dorms; and a B- for safety.

Of course, the university is no stranger to ranking highly on lists of the best colleges and universities in the country, including those published by WalletHub, SmartAsset, U.S. News & World Report, and more national publications. Austin itself was just ranked the seventh most educated city in the country.

Yale University tops Niche’s national list for 2025, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Columbia University, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, Brown University, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Rice University in Houston ranks first among the best colleges in Texas (just edging out UT), and No. 15 nationally. The top 10 Texas schools for 2025 are:

No. 1 Rice University
No. 2 University of Texas at Austin
No. 3 Texas A&M University
No. 4 Trinity University
No. 5 Southern Methodist University
No. 6 University of Houston
No. 7 Texas Tech University
No. 8 Texas Christian University
No. 9 University of North Texas
No. 10 University of Texas at Arlington

Find Niche's complete 2025 college rankings here.

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