In a recent analysis, Priceonomics found that Humble, a suburb of Houston, had 7.3 Mexican restaurants per 10,000 people. That’s 1.5 times as many as the next closest city, Littleton, Colo. (Littleton has 4.8 Mexican restaurants per 10,000 people.) Meanwhile, Spring, Texas, has 3.3 restaurants per 10,000 people. While most of these cities are in the Southwest, California, and the Pacific Northwest, a few larger towns also cut.
San Francisco
San Francisco’s best Mexican restaurant is the small but mighty Luna. The Restaurant serves a mix of traditional Mexican dishes and California-fresh ingredients. Their house-made tortillas are stuffed with a variety of meats and veggies. Try the barbacoa de chivo, which combines Marin Sun Farms goat with broccolini and kale. The decor is funky, with chandeliers and candles.
Lolo in the Mission District is another great choice for authentic Mexican food. This popular taqueria focuses on authentic Jalisco dishes. You’ll find a wide selection of meats at the Restaurant, which is also famous for serving the Mission burrito. Lolo’s cocktails feature an agave distillate used to make the agave-based Mezcal. The Restaurant’s interior is fun, with doilies covering a pink wall.
While SoCal may boast the best Mexican food in the U.S., San Francisco has many excellent Mexican restaurants that are worthy of a visit. San Francisco is the perfect place to sample Mexican cuisine, from cheap, family-friendly taco joints to two Michelin-starred restaurants.
La Palma Mexicatessen, a Mexican caterer that serves Mexican fare, is also worth a visit. This Restaurant offers an appetizers tray and a taco bar, making it perfect for events. Another popular eatery, La Torta Gorda, serves enormous sandwiches. Its sandwich was recently named the second-best sandwich in the U.S. by the Food Network. The food is authentic and delicious.
San Antonio
There are several excellent Mexican restaurants in San Antonio. It’s best to start with the closest one and work your way up. No matter your budget, you’re sure to find some great dishes. Often, you’ll find the best ones in a small, family-run establishment. La Fonda on Main, for example, has excellent food at an affordable price, a lovely ambiance, and a fantastic brunch.
This upscale Mexican Restaurant opened in 1978 and has been impressing the San Antonio community since then. Its menu features regional specialties from the interior of Mexico. It doesn’t serve the usual refried pinto beans and flour tortillas; instead, it serves thick homemade corn tortillas, refried black beans, and rustic goat stew. The restaurant’s interior is bright red, and the ambiance is filled with zig-zag tile and stainless steel counters.
San Antonio is one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. and welcomes over 39 million tourists each year. It is the seventh largest city in the country and features the most extensive collection of Spanish colonial architecture and the 15-mile River Walk. It’s also known as the birthplace of Tex-Mex, a cuisine that relies heavily on meat, beans, peppers, shredded cheese, and different styles of tortillas.
While Mi Tierra Cafe offers authentic Mexican food, it is also famous for its Tex-Mex dishes. The Restaurant has a lunch and dinner menu and a bar for tequila. The popular Restaurant serves authentic Mexican food with a warm Texas welcome.
Houston
Regarding Mexican food, Houston is home to some of the best. The city boasts the third-largest population of Mexicans in the U.S., making it a prime location for great Mexican restaurants. Stacker has compiled a list of some of the city’s best options. The restaurants are ranked by average ratings and number of reviews. Note that some of the listed restaurants may have recently closed.
Pappasito’s Cantina has been part of a chain of restaurants serving Tex-Mex food since the 1970s. The Restaurant’s homemade tortilla chips come with warm red salsa, and it is worth trying the chicharrones con queso and sweet and spicy ribs. The real star of the show, however, are the fajitas. These are served with your choice of chicken, steak, or quail.
Cuchara Mexican Restaurant is another excellent choice for a traditional Mexican dining experience. Cuchara offers authentic Mexican street food dishes in the historic Hyde Park neighborhood of Houston. The Restaurant’s 1940s-style Cantina creates a cozy and informal atmosphere.
Belly of the Beast is another excellent downtown dining option focusing on coastal Mexican food. The Restaurant serves ceviche, tamal de elote with Camarones, and delicious shrimp-on-cream salsa. It also offers top-notch margaritas and tequila cocktails. For dessert, try a fig mole.
Anaheim
If you love Mexican food, Anaheim, California, is the place to go. The city is filled with terrific Mexican restaurants. Anaheim has some of the best Mexican restaurants in the country. For example, Tortilla Jo’s, which specializes in tableside guacamole, is the best place to get Mexican food in Orange County. You can also try Pour Vida, famous for its Anaheim Cheeseburger Taco.
Another popular Mexican restaurant in Anaheim is La Casa Garcia, which has been in business for over four decades. Founded by Frank Garcia, La Casa Garcia offers a variety of meals at affordable rates. The Restaurant also has a fully-staffed reception area and offers excellent service. Fresh food is served here, and the location is convenient for Disneyland and other popular Anaheim attractions.
Portland
There are several great Mexican restaurants in the U.S. If you’re in the mood for a special meal, consider visiting a Mexican restaurant in your hometown. In addition to the traditional dishes, these eateries have many unique variations of classics. You’ll find everything from tableside guacamole sprinkled with pomegranate seeds to inventive takes on classic dishes like Chiles en Nogada.
In the U.S., thousands of Mexican restaurants range from super-upscale to down-home Mexican cuisine. Some focus on classics like tacos and burritos, while others riff on American recipes using Mexican ingredients. While the food in these restaurants is essential, the popularity of these places doesn’t just depend on its quality. Customers now look for Instagrammable decor and meals that look good on social media.
According to a study by Priceonomics, the best Mexican restaurants are in Texas, Colorado, and the Southwest. According to the data, Humble, Texas, a suburb of Houston, has the most authentic Mexican restaurants per capita, more than 1.5 times the number of Mexican restaurants in neighboring cities. Meanwhile, Littleton, Colo., has 4.8 Mexican restaurants per thousand residents. Spring, Texas, has 3.3 Mexican restaurants per capita. The other cities on the list are mainly in the Southwest and California. However, a few larger towns are also on the list.
Depending on your budget, San Diego is home to the best Mexican restaurants, but you can also find good Mexican restaurants in L.A., Tucson, and El Paso. In addition, Chicago is an excellent option if you’re looking for higher-end Mexican food. New York City and Texas have decent options if you’re looking for a lower-end Mexican meal.
Washington D.C.
Mexican cuisine has become one of the most popular types of food in the United States. It can vary from traditional and comforting dishes to modern, cutting-edge cuisine. Whether you are looking for the ultimate authentic Mexican restaurant experience or a place that has a more innovative approach, a trip to one of the Top 10 Mexican restaurants in the U.S. should not be missed. This list features both family-run establishments and restaurants that have pioneered new techniques.
In addition to serving authentic Mexican food, Miami is known for its Cuban food. You’ll find more than 200 Mexican restaurants in the city. Some of the best Mexican restaurants in the town serve dishes such as fish tacos and tortilla-wrapped grilled tongue. The city also has an affordable cost of living, with one-bedroom apartments going for about $1,963 per month.
Philadelphia has many top-notch Mexican restaurants, including Distrito. It’s run by chef Jose Garces, who specializes in the food of Mexico City. Distrito is a popular destination for people visiting the city. The menu includes authentic Mexican dishes like pozole, tequila-based drinks, and more.
Chicago has the highest concentration of Mexican restaurants per capita, followed by New York City, Houston, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. In terms of the total number of Mexican restaurants, Houston and Portland have more than ten percent of the total. Chipotle and Taco Bell have a small presence in these cities, but they are the exception rather than the rule.
