Update: For our most recent list, please visit the Best Margaritas in Dallas.
The margarita may be the greatest drink of all time, if only because it almost always comes alongside a free, bottomless basket of chips and salsa. Born out of desperation, the margarita originally provided a way to choke down bad tequila. At some restaurants this still holds true. At others the drink has evolved significantly. This item originally ran in October, but we figured today, National Margarita Day, was a good day to re-pour it.
Broken down by category, these are City of Ate's five favorites, including our recent Best of Dallas winner for Best Margarita. Get more of Dallas' best with our Best Of app, available for the Droid and the iPhone.
Marquee Grill The Top-Shelf Margarita Amongst the high-end shopping and eye candy of Highland Park, you can sit at the bar of the Marquee Grill and order a margarita, pictured above, that's nearly as fancy as the red-soled Louboutins peddled a few doors away. Jason Kosmas mixes up a seasonal riff on the classic, making use of fresh cranberries and hunks of orange fruit. Taste vanilla? It's in the infused honey used to sweeten the drink.
Libertine The I Didn't Expect to Order a Margarita Margarita You will not find chips and salsa, menudo or enchiladas on Libertine's menu, but you will find great bar food, and bars that put a little extra thought into their eats usually make a decent drink, too. Order up a rocks and salt marg to go with your beer-braised pork tacos.
Tejano The Yellow Number 5 Meets Blue Number 2 Margarita It's easy to forget that there's more to Oak Cliff than the Bishop Arts District. Less than a mile away on Davis, Tejano serves up its own version of Tex-Mex to neighborhood locals. It's probably the neon-green frozen 'ritas they're mixing up in the massive spinning drink machines behind the bar that keep people coming back. Doesn't hurt that they're only two bucks.
Mariano's The We Fucked Up the Margarita Forever Margarita You've heard the story: a tired bartender walks into 7-Eleven after a long night of mixing margaritas at local Tex-Mex legend Mariano's, sees the Slurpee machine, and margaritas are never the same again. I still say they ruined the margarita, but they get points for bring a tequila trailblazer.
Gloria's The Get Yourself Shit-faced Margarita (Also Known as the Best Margarita) They may not be the most balanced cocktails; there's way too much booze. But that's the point. Order one of these almost crystalline clear cocktails and you'll have a head buzz half way through the first round. Have two and you'll agree that Gloria's makes the best margarita in town. Have three ... Well, maybe don't do that.
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