Food:

Laredo is definitely a border town and proud, but its cuisine isn’t quite like all the other cities that specialize in Tex-Mex. It’s a town where the menus offer local takes on old themes. For example, a Laredo staple is a breakfast taco called a mariachi, and oh is it spicy. Another Laredo innovation is the pancho, nachos covered with cheese, beef, and jalapenos. Or you may run across the machito, a goat-tripe sausage. If that last doesn’t sound so attractive, there’s plenty else on the menu, and plenty of restaurants with regular Tex-Mex offerings. Beef is the meat of choice in this Tex-Mex cuisine. But a jaunt across the border to sister city Nuevo Laredo means more seafood based dishes, especially that old delicious standard, the red snapper.

Music:

Laredo is another major center for tejano music, with healthy performances of conjunto and conjunto besides. The music genres have been known to mix with each other.