Mexican in Dallas

183 results

page 1 of 6

Blue Mesa Grill

7700 W. Northwest Highway Park Cities

214-378-8686

American, Breakfast, Brunch, Mexican, Southwestern, Tex-Mex, Sponsor, Menu

The meal to have at this area favorite is the Mexican breakfast buffet. Families in their post-church Sunday best line up for the omelet bar, and Tex-Mex offerings such as the chicken and mushroom enchiladas with chipotle cream sauce and waffles. The rest of the menu, with as many ingredients locally sourced as possible, is marked by higher-end Mexican and Tex-Mex specialties such as slow-roasted natural chicken with caramelized honey-ancho glaze and the blue-corn-crusted mahi mahi with roasted poblano aioli. Of course, tacos make an appearance, but we're talking beef tenderloin tacos here. The décor follows suit with clean and colorful appointments. Reservations are most definitely recommended.

3 articles
Abuelo's

1041 W. Interstate 20 Arlington

817-468-2622

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Recommended

Since 1989, Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy has been shuttling back and forth with Mexican and Tex-Mex diplomacy. Both cuisines are available on the menu -- and in generous portions. However, it's the Mexican food that is favored by the kitchen. The house specialties include Stuffed Chicken Medallions (fried chicken breast stuffed with chorizo, Poblano chilies and cheese) and Pescado Guerrero (wood-grilled, mahi-mahi with shrimp, scallops, mushrooms, spinach, roasted peppers and sliced avocado in a white-wine sauce). The combo platters, named after cities like Nogales and Laredo, are where the Tex-Mex shines with all its border-crossing festiveness. The Juarez comes with a crispy beef taco, a tamale, sour cream chicken enchilada and a cheese enchilada. Enjoy any of the aforementioned dishes with a signature drink, like the sangria-margarita hybrid.
AG Texican

7101 Harry Hines Blvd. Downtown/Deep Ellum

214-238-0392

Mexican, Barbecue

This is a new spot from Fried Jesus, Abel Gonzalez, who has been a vendor at the State Fair of Texas. He has five Big Texas Awards on his trophy shelf. But this spot is different. This restaurant is a mix of smoked meats and classic Mexican fare. Be sure to try a fajita quesadilla. If you appreciate a properly prepared pot of beans, dive into his pinto beans. The brisket breakfast tacos are steller, not only for the tender brisket, but also the house-made tortillas. AG Texican also has fresh made doughnuts, if you're hankering for something sweet.

2 articles
Avila's Mexican Restaurant

4714 Maple Ave. Uptown/Oak Lawn

214-520-2700

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Recommended, Best Of

The Avila family continues to serve classic Tex-Mex dishes to legions of rabid fans. They've been doing so since 1985 with tweaked family recipes of enchiladas, muchas enchiladas and chile relleno, which is a house specialty. Among the other signature dishes are the Anna Maria Plate (one soft cheese taco, one cheese enchilada and one beef taco), the chimichanga and a short list of combos, like the aforementioned Anna Maria.

19 articles
Avoeatery

3011 Gulden Lane, Suite 116 West Dallas

469-436-7231

Mexican
Ayahuasca

334 Jefferson Blvd., TX Oak Cliff/South Dallas

469-687-0005

Mexican, Oaxacan, Essentials

Ayahuasca is possibly the most difficult-to-find restaurant in Dallas. To get there, enter the Xaman Cafe in Oak Cliff, then head down a back hallway to a wooden door. Inside, owner Mauricio Gallegos and chef Monica Lopez serve pre-Hispanic dishes and techniques influenced by Oaxaca. The dishes are steeped in authenticity, from the pulpo y tinta (octopus and ink), caldo de piedra or chicharron en salsa verde. Fear not if you’re unfamiliar with the fare; servers are happy to walk guests through the menu, asking them what looks interesting or what kind of dish they're looking for.

Top Pick: Without a doubt, order the tuetano. Two large roasted beef bones filled with marrow are topped with a lively chimichurri and served with a bowl of diced rib-eye alongside. Scoop up a spoonful of baked marrow from the bone and spread it into a criollo tortilla, then add the tender rib-eye. Yes, the dish is $49, but it’s worth every penny.

2 articles
Bachman Tacos and Grill

3311 W. Northwest Highway Northwest Dallas

214-352-0010

Mexican, Recommended

The world would be all the better if it were filled with more trompo taco fans. To make a great trompo taco, the vertical spit has to spin, but at many places business isn't steady enough to keep the contraption in motion. Not so at Bachman Tacos and Grill, where tacos are a necessary add on to every tankful of gasoline. The taqueria is nestled inside a Chevron so you can pound a taco before gas up your car -- to get to your next taqueria, of course. Meat cooked on a vertical spit often lends itself to some of the most beautiful meals in the world of street food. Just hear the word shawarma and visions of charred but supple lamb paint the back of your cortex, while the phantom scent of rosemary tickles your nose. In the back, cooks thread huge sheets of fatty meat, dripping in marinade, onto the long vertical spits. The finished cones look disturbing and even a bit obscene, but after roasting a while you'll start to come around. It's almost hypnotizing as it spins like some giant carnal music box ornament.

4 articles
Barbacoa Estilo Hidalgo

6131 Lake June Place Lancaster/Balch Springs

214-600-3240

Mexican, Latin American, Recommended, Best Of

Raymundo Sanchez cooks authentic barbacoa de borrego for his predominantly Latino customers out towards Pleasant Grove. His tiny restaurant, which is only open on weekends, serves up roast lamb spiced with guajillo chiles, as well as a mixture of pork heart and liver called pancita, both wrapped in freshly made corn tortillas. There’s also consomme, a soup of chickpeas and rice made from the drippings of the roasted lamb, and menudo for those hungry for a hearty stew of beef tripe. Sanchez’s restaurant may be a little off the beaten path, but it’s worth the hunt. His humble cooking is some of the most authentic Mexican food you can find in Dallas.

7 articles
Beto & Son

3011 Gulden Lane West Dallas

469-249-8590

Mexican, Menu

7 articles
Blue Mesa Grill

14866 Montfort Dr. Addison

972-934-0165

Brunch, Mexican, Southwestern, Tex-Mex, Recommended

The meal to have at this area favorite is the Mexican breakfast buffet. Families in their post-church Sunday best line up for the omelet bar, and Tex-Mex offerings like the chicken and mushroom enchiladas with chipotle cream sauce and waffles. The rest of the menu, with as many ingredients locally sourced as possible, is marked by higher-end Mexican and Tex-Mex specialties like slow-roasted natural chicken with caramelized honey-ancho glaze and the blue-corn-crusted mahi mahi with roasted poblano aioli. Of course, tacos make an appearance, but we're talking beef tenderloin tacos here. The décor follows suit with clean and colorful appointments. Reservations are most definitely recommended.

6 articles
Blue Mesa Grill

1600 S. University Dr., #609 Fort Worth

817-332-6372

Brunch, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Recommended, Menu

The meal to have at this area favorite is the Mexican breakfast buffet. Families in their post-church Sunday best line up for the omelet bar, and Tex-Mex offerings such as the chicken and mushroom enchiladas with chipotle cream sauce and waffles. The rest of the menu, with as many ingredients locally sourced as possible, is marked by higher-end Mexican and Tex-Mex specialties such as slow-roasted natural chicken with caramelized honey-ancho glaze and the blue-corn-crusted mahi mahi with roasted poblano aioli. Of course, tacos make an appearance, but we're talking beef tenderloin tacos here. The décor follows suit with clean and colorful appointments. Reservations are most definitely recommended.

4 articles
Blue Mesa Grill

8200 Dallas Parkway Plano

214-387-4407

Mexican, Southwestern, Tex-Mex, Recommended, Best Of

The meal to have at this area favorite is the Mexican breakfast buffet. Families in their post-church Sunday best line up for the omelet bar, and Tex-Mex offerings such as the chicken and mushroom enchiladas with chipotle cream sauce and waffles. The rest of the menu, with as many ingredients locally sourced as possible, is marked by higher-end Mexican and Tex-Mex specialties such as slow-roasted natural chicken with caramelized honey-ancho glaze and the blue-corn-crusted mahi mahi with roasted poblano aioli. Of course, tacos make an appearance, but we're talking beef tenderloin tacos here. The décor follows suit with clean and colorful appointments. Reservations are most definitely recommended.

6 articles
Burrito Jamz

1520 Greeenville Ave. East Dallas & Lakewood

214-827-1520

Mexican
Cabritos Los Cavazos

10240 N. Walton Walker Blvd. Northwest Dallas

972-707-7020

Mexican, Critics' Pick, Essentials

Cabritos is the star at the only full-on Monterrey-style, goat-grilling show in the Dallas area. Stare through the glass kitchen wall at the massive pit, above which goat legs, shoulders and ribcages stand like planted flags, then feast on one of the cuts alongside charro beans and the restaurant’s excellent salsas. Few make-your-own-taco experiences in Dallas get as good as this. One portion of cabrito, with all the fixings that come with it, is enough to make one person full or to satisfy two people who’ve also shared an appetizer.

Top pick: Splurge on the whole goat for $235. If that’s a little too much food for your household, consider the spectacularly rich machitos — rolls of goat meat, fat and organs stuffed into the animal’s digestive tract and grilled until crispy.

Fun fact: If you’re wondering why the dining room is a little strange, and why the kitchen has a glass wall partition, it’s because this space used to be a liquor store.

2 articles
Cafe Gecko

1381 W. Campbell Rd. Richardson & Vicinity

972-373-4359

Caribbean, Mexican, Recommended, Best Of, Readers' Choice

Jump into the way-back machine when you visit this brewpub. It's like a trip to the '70s singles scene. Only the hanging ferns are missing. Instead, you'll find hopeful hangers-on yakking into cell phones on the patio or vying for elbow room at the bar, where there's a lavish selection of imported brews. The regulars are mostly middle-aged cubicle cowboys scoping the scene for younger, cooler women (there are a few) and gingerly checking their comb-overs for strays. If you can ignore the swingle aspect and the loud retro tunes (Stevie Wonder, early Madonna), there is a terrific Mex-Caribbean menu here. We were happy with the just-right pile of seafood nachos, and the po'boy burst with crispy bites of shrimp tucked into a buttery French roll, accompanied by a pyramid of delicate gaufrette potatoes. The generously sized grouper sandwich comes grilled, blackened or zinged with jerk seasoning. There's barely room for homemade coconut ice cream and warm Key lime pie, but they're worth stretching the waistband.

1 article
Campestre Chula Vista

1950 Menefee Ave. Fort Worth

817-600-2270

Mexican, Recommended

Campestre Chula Vista, the new restaurant by the family responsible for Revolver Taco, is located in what looks like a giant cartoon castle at the top of a hill. Painted in hot pink with electric blue accents, it looks like the home of the Care Bears, or a miniature golf complex. But the unusual facade is part of its charm. This is a restaurant that must be sought out. Bring friends you like to share with, pick up a freshly made tortilla and get to work. The roast baby goat, braised pork and duck mole are all standouts. Also make sure to get a margarita or three. And if you’re there in the early evening, grab a seat on the back patio. The view is always good, but with a sunset, the vista is extra chula.

6 articles
Cantina Laredo

4546 Belt Line Rd. Addison

972-458-0962

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Recommended, Best Of

All of the plaques on the wall bespeak busier, better days: citations in the Observer's annual Best of Dallas issue for best chips and salsa, inclusion in D magazine's list of top restaurants. Problem is, most of the laurels date from the early and mid-1990s. Why is that? Competition, we figure, from splashier Mexican joints that don't stack up nearly as well in the kitchen. Cantino Laredo remains one of our all-time favorites, not only for the outstanding chips and salsa, but for the shredded beef enchiladas, uniformly tasty chicken dishes (especially Pollo Laredo, a grilled chicken breast topped with sautéed artichoke hearts, peppers, mushrooms and onion in a chipotle-wine sauce) and the best local version of carnitas (slow-cooked pork roast) we've tried. Now back to that salsa. The tomatillo version, served warm, is full of smoky flavor imparted by the mix of tomatillos and chipotle peppers. Cantina Laredo also serves up a second salsa: a cool, tomato-based brew that's just as good, though not as distinctive. Taken together and accompanied by thin, non-greasy chips, they still rate as the city's best chips and salsa.

1 article
Cantina Laredo

2225 S Stemmons Freeway Lewisville

972-315-8100

Mexican
Cantina Laredo

6025 Royal Lane, Ste. 250 North Dallas

214-692-2990

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Recommended, Best Of, Readers' Choice

Every bit as good as the original Addison location, possibly better, and in much more stylish surroundings. As always, we enjoyed the flawless tomatillo and tomato salsas, outstanding shredded beef enchiladas and succulent carnitas, served with a deliciously rich wine chipotle sauce. But Cantina Laredo also demonstrated a deft touch with fresh fish, and dessert features one of the better flans you'll find in Dallas, this one tinged with orange peel. Friendly, professional service completes the picture of one of Dallas' finest Mexican restaurants.

2 articles
Carolina's Mexican Cuisine

3950 Rosemeade Parkway Carrollton/Farmers Branch

469-568-0988

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Recommended

Owner Carolina Galvin (formerly Rodriguez) learned the trade as part of the M Crowd, Mi Cocina's parent company. This far north restaurant has a familiar vibe, not surprisingly-although Tex-Mex presentation is generally superior to the popular local chain. Some 30 beers on tap, friendly service and a fantastic patio area attempt to compensate for what is a difficult location for success.

1 article
Casa Komali

4152 Cole Ave., #106 Uptown/Oak Lawn

214-252-0200

Mexican, Critics' Pick, Menu

The Top 100 Dallas Restaurants, No. 43: Chef Hugo Galvan, formerly of Flora Street Cafe and Revolver Taco Lounge, is one of the new faces at the remodeled and renamed Casa Komali, alongside his partner in the kitchen, Adrian Alba, a veteran of Victor Tangos and Hibiscus. This longtime restaurant has recently gotten a spectacular facelift, with a beautiful new dining room that bathes in warm, welcoming light and reflects it back through woodwork and exquisite Mexican tile. In the kitchen, Alba, Galvan and their team make tortillas from scratch with flavorings like mole spices and guajillo pepper, to serve as foundations for inventive tacos. Tradition meets modernity in other dishes, too, like the chile en nogada, a Mexico City staple that’s hard to find anywhere else in north Texas.

Top pick: Pork belly tacos on mole tortillas, with dots of avocado cream, make for exquisite bites.

The downside: As inventive as some of the dishes are, one can’t help wishing that others would push the envelope, and push Dallasites’ comfort zones, a little more. With a little time, this reinvention of the restaurant could get there.

Fun fact: Casa Komali serves up one of this critic’s favorite Sunday brunches in the city.
Casa Navarro

11742 Marsh Lane Northwest Dallas

214-357-0141

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Best Of, Menu

A homey neighborhood joint with a huge Tex-Mex and Taxco-Mex menu that's found quite a following with good reason. Along with the usual chips and salsa, starters also come with a steaming cup of delicious, beer-spiked bean soup. The Mex-Mex items are the most interesting: A huge portion of lean pork guisado was rendered extra-spicy with lots of red pepper flakes, and the snapper veracruzano was rich with mushrooms, cilantro and diced garlic, though the fish was slightly overcooked. Wash away the fire with a fruity imported Mexican soda. Casa Navarro's sopapillas have to be the biggest, most billowy specimens in Dallas. Don't miss them.

3 articles
Chichen Itza

5710 Richmond Ave. East Dallas & Lakewood

Mexican, Restaurants, Best Of

2 articles
Chilangos Tacos

4012 Ross Ave. East Dallas & Lakewood

Mexican

This East Dallas Chilangos Tacos locations is much like the original: brilliant unfussy tacos.

1 article
Chilangos Tacos

10777 Harry Hines Blvd. #130 Northwest Dallas

214-200-3869

Mexican, Critics' Pick, Essentials

Deep in the maze of warehouses, industrial plants and nightclubs along Harry Hines Boulevard, Chilangos serves a short menu of tacos along with spicy elote cups and horchata. The interior is a chic tribute to Mexico City, with the ordering counter made to resemble a street or market stall, Topo Chico bottles converted into flower holders on each table and words of culinary wisdom painted on the walls. There aren’t a lot of taco choices here, but every single one can be made costra-style — that is, with the fillings of your choice wrapped in a golden-brown blanket of crisp molten cheese. That cheese pocket is then placed on a flour tortilla that can barely stretch to hold it.

Top pick: The traditional and best order to fold into a cheesy sheath is Chilangos’ excellent pastor-marinated pork. Just be sure to add lots of chopped onions and salsa verde to offset the cheese’s richness.
Chiloso Mexican Bistro

2455 Ridge Rd., Rockwall Garland & Vicinity

972-722-8226

Mexican, Tex-Mex
Chipotle Mexican Grill

8301 Westchester Park Cities

214-691-7755

Fast Casual, Mexican, Recommended, Best Of

Known for its clean, minimalist atmosphere and hefty foil-wrapped burritos the size (and weight) of a small infant, Chipotle pioneered the fast-casual, assembly line Mexican food genre that's since grown to encompass chains like Qdoba and Baja Fresh. The protocol in Dallas / Fort Worth and elsewhere? Diners proceed single-file down the line and orchestrate the construction of their burrito, tacos (soft or crunchy), rice bowl, or salad with proteins including braised pork carnitas, grilled chicken, steak and new tofu sofritas. Rice, beans, and a kaleidoscope of salsas from mild to sinus-clearing, plus garnishes like sour cream, guacamole and lettuce, complete the picture. Once heavily backed by McDonald's, Chipotle broke away from the fast food megacorp in 2006 and has since gained favor with customers by sourcing all-natural, hormone-free meats and even some local produce. It hired celebrity chef Nate Appleman as "culinary manager" in 2010 to man the New York test kitchen and work on research and development to keep Chipotle on the forefront of food trends.

4 articles
Chipotle Mexican Grill

2705 McKinney Ave. Uptown/Oak Lawn

214-871-3100

Fast Casual, Mexican, Recommended, Best Of

Known for its clean, minimalist atmosphere and hefty foil-wrapped burritos the size (and weight) of a small infant, Chipotle pioneered the fast-casual, assembly line Mexican food genre that's since grown to encompass chains like Qdoba and Baja Fresh. The protocol in Dallas/Fort Worth and elsewhere? Diners proceed single-file down the line and orchestrate the construction of their burrito, tacos (soft or crunchy), rice bowl, or salad with proteins including braised pork carnitas and grilled chicken, steak or new tofu sofritas. Rice, beans, and a kaleidoscope of salsas from mild to sinus-clearing, plus garnishes like sour cream, guacamole and lettuce, complete the picture. Once heavily backed by McDonald's, Chipotle broke away from the fast food mega-corp in 2006 and has since gained favor with customers by sourcing all-natural, hormone-free meats and even some local produce. It hired celebrity chef Nate Appleman as "culinary manager" in 2010 to man the New York test kitchen and work on research and development to keep Chipotle on the forefront of food trends.

4 articles
Chuy's

2006 N. Main St. Fort Worth

817-740-0602

Mexican, Restaurants, Recommended

It's been said that nothing good comes from someone or something named Chuy. This Tex-Mex restaurant chain nips that adage in the bud. Decorated in bright colors and kitschy send-ups of all things Tex-Mex, the first Chuy's began offering popular favorites with a side of The King-Elvis Presley, that is-in 1982, when Mike Young and John Zapp opened their original location in Austin. Elvis is so revered at Chuy's that annually on January 8 the restaurant celebrates The Pelvis' birthday with a blowout. Can't make it to the party? No problem. The signature Elvis Presley Memorial Combo is available year round. Another signature dish is the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Enchiladas, made with freshly hand-rolled tortillas.

3 articles
Chuy's Mexican Restaurant

4441 River Oaks Blvd. Fort Worth

817-625-1107

Mexican, Recommended, Readers' Choice

It's been said that nothing good comes from someone or something named Chuy. This Tex-Mex restaurant chain nips that adage in the bud. Decorated in bright colors and kitschy send-ups of all things Tex-Mex, the first Chuy's began offering popular favorites with a side of The King-Elvis Presley, that is-in 1982, when Mike Young and John Zapp opened their original location in Austin. Elvis is so revered at Chuy's that annually on January 8 the restaurant celebrates The Pelvis' birthday with a blowout. Can't make it to the party? No problem. The signature Elvis Presley Memorial Combo is available year round. Another signature dish is the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Enchiladas, made with freshly hand-rolled tortillas.

4 articles
Chuy's Restaurant

6299 Granbury Rd. Fort Worth

817-292-1033

Mexican, Restaurants, Recommended

It's been said that nothing good comes from someone or something named Chuy. This Tex-Mex restaurant chain nips that adage in the bud. Decorated in bright colors and kitschy send-ups of all things Tex-Mex, the first Chuy's began offering popular favorites with a side of The King-Elvis Presley, that is-in 1982, when Mike Young and John Zapp opened their original location in Austin. Elvis is so revered at Chuy's that annually on January 8 the restaurant celebrates The Pelvis' birthday with a blowout. Can't make it to the party? No problem. The signature Elvis Presley Memorial Combo is available year round. Another signature dish is the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Enchiladas, made with freshly hand-rolled tortillas.

4 articles
Cielito Mexican Flavors

301 E. Las Colinas Blvd. Irving/Las Colinas

Tex-Mex, Mexican

Cielito Mexican Flavors is based on the co-owners family recipes from Puebla, Mexico. However the food, and space, has a mix of traditional and modern qualities.

1 article
Cinco Taco Bar

7949 Walnut Hill Line Suite 130 Northwest Dallas

469-567-3319

Mexican

Cinco Taco Bar, an upgraded fast-casual taco establishment, is hosting its grand opening on March 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Cinco Taco Bar is the newest addition to the established Cinco Tacos Cocina & Tequila in Addison. The menu contains different taco options, enchiladas and even a couple of salads.Join us for grand opening which is open to the public and will be celebrated with tacos, margaritas, beers and rock n’ roll vibes.

Mexican in Dallas

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