The Essential Tex-Mex of Dallas

Ah, one of the greatest culinary debates in Texas: What's Tex-Mex and what's not? Before you start hollering like cat-meme lady, let's clear up what this list is not. It's not taquerias or traditional Mexican.

In a wildly dangerous summation of a longer piece studying the origins of Tex-Mex, we pull from Patricia Sharpe at Texas Monthly who wrote in Tex-Mex 101, "What put the Tex in Tex-Mex? Three things: American yellow cheese, chile con carne, and the infinite malleability of the corn tortilla."

Sounds about right and also sounds delicious. Here are some of our favorites around Dallas.

Avila's Mexican Restaurant

4714 Maple Ave.

Avila's has been a Tex-Mex stalwart in Dallas since 1986. Recipes are straight from the Avila family, who have roots in Texas and Monterrey. We're partial to the plates of enchiladas and chile rellenos but others praise the pozole. We're down to argue about any dish there anytime. Best argument ever. Service at this family-run spot is always friendly and quick. A lot of people run through Avila's on their way to (or from) Love Field to get their Tex-Mex fix.

Casa Navarro

11742 Marsh Lane

We recently revisited Casa Navarro in North Dallas, reminiscing about the old days of North Town Mall and Judas Priest. Our first review of the spot was 30 years ago, and some things (thankfully) never change: we love it now as much as we did then. Here, you'll get a bowl of bean soup with chips and salsa. Then go for the $10 lunch specials served seven days a week and an abundance of dishes that fill up two pages on the menu and your soul (even that tiny dark part).

Desperados Mexican Restaurant

4818 Greenville Ave.

Desperados is known for its namesake tacos, two lightly fried tortillas loaded with Jack cheese and beef or chicken fajita and topped with pico de gallo and avocado. The resulting shell is puffy and fresh, layered and crispy. Go for those on a first visit for the essential Desperados experience. Then explore the rest of the menu, where you really can't go wrong. 

E Bar Tex-Mex

1901 N. Haskell Ave.

Last year E Bar turned some heads after instituting a new policy that customers who reek of weed won't be served. The owner clarified to us the word "reek" is important. So, just roll the windows down to air out a bit on the way over. Because listen closely: the loaded queso here is so worth it. And years ago we included E Bar's sour cream chicken enchiladas on our top 100 dishes. Order boldly here. You can't go wrong. Just remember: no hotboxing right before walking in.

El Ranchito

610 W. Jefferson Blvd.

This place is a love letter to Tex-Mex. It’s filled with character and tells a story of a time when cantinas were the place to go, yet it somehow also carries a dark romantic feel. Adorned with old art and weird kitschy decor, El Ranchito knows it’s special but doesn’t take itself that seriously. For over 30 years, it has specialized in comida nortena, such as cabrito de horno and wonderful guisos, whole elotes garnished with Mexican crema, cotija cheese and chili powder. The drinks are simple, but do the trick. Go for the cabrito — it's some of the best in Dallas.

Gonzalez Restaurant

367 W. Jefferson Blvd.

Every food has a season, and for menudo it's a clammy hangover. Gonzalez in Oak Cliff serves it up in spades. We recently revisited the restaurant that's been open since the Nixon administration and opined about the Tex-Mex necessities. But. we also pointed out that you'd be remiss to skip over the specialties like pork chop ranchero and cabrito guisado. The tortillas are served hot and fresh. Erice Mayne wrote, "The beans, meat and grilled onions on top of those warm tortillas are a match made in heaven." We'll go to church for that. With a clammy hangover.

Herrera's Oak Cliff

2853 W. Illinois Ave.

There are more than 30 combination plates (in addition to apps and specials) on the menu at Herrera's Oak Cliff, and they all bump. Who has the bandwidth to absorb a seven-page menu? For the TL;DR crowd go for the No. 1A, one cheese enchilada, one tamale, one beef taco and, hell yeah, there's a bean tostada along with rice and beans. The spin here is that you can't go wrong, especially when you wash it all down with a margarita.

Joe Leo Fine Tex-Mex

2722 N. Fitzugh Ave.

From the creators of The Rustic, this spot boasts the same great ambiance the restaurant group is known for. Vibrant, modern decor is accented with vintage sombreros and tequila bottles. The lively and inviting atmosphere extends upstairs to the Cactus Club (only open Friday and Saturday), providing a great transition to the modern plating for traditional Tex-Mex dishes. Joe Leo is not shy about portions, which is great because those fajitas served with tortillas made onsite sizzle. We've tried many drinks, and as summer nears the Texican Candy will slay your thirst away.

La Comida

1101 N. Beckley Ave.

Brothers Ivan and Mario Urtecho opened their first restaurant in Addison in 2014 — it closed in 2019 and they reopened La Comida on Beckley Avenue in 2023. The restaurant is hard to miss, not only because of enchilada Wednesdays ($9.99 a plate), but for the massive pink flamingo painted on the side. The food is fresh and hot, and the margaritas are strong. The Urtechos love their regulars, so go on. Be a regular. You look like you need an enchilada and a hug.

Las Palmas Tex-Mex

2708 Routh St.

We did a work study on Las Palmas' hickory ribs and learned they're spectacular. It was also a study in economics: a half rack is $28 but a full rack is only $38. See. You do use math in the real world. But we'd never start a meal here without the velvety queso with slivers of garlic and fresh herbs. Prices are a touch higher. Case in point: $17 for a plate of cheese enchiladas. However, the dark and swanky ambiance makes this not any normal plate of Tex-Mex. 

Mariano's Hacienda Ranch

6300 Skillman St.

The original Mariano's opened in 1971 on Greenville Avenue where owner Mariano Martinez invented the frozen margarita with a Slurpee machine. The gang moved out of that space and headed to Skillman almost 20 years ago, and now there are several other sister restaurants across North Texas. Going here for the margaritas and fajitas is a whole mood board. And it's lovely.

Mia's Tex-Mex

4334 Lemmon Ave.

Mia's Tex-Mex is a Dallas legend. Plenty of deals have been hashed out over plates of brisket tacos here. A few years ago Mia's moved from its original space a few blocks away and are now in a bright yellow building. Fortunately, they brought all the history with them, including the photo of Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson in a booth at the original location. Tom Landry was a big fan too. Anyway, about the food: they were serving the aforementioned brisket tacos before it was cool.

Pepe's and Mito's

2911 Elm St.

For a quick and casual lunch in Deep Ellum, Pepe's and Mito's is gold. Guy Fieri thinks so too. He loved the caldo albondigas (meatball soup) and the classic tacos nortenos, mini corn tortilla tacos with fajita steak, pico de gallo and a housemade chipotle wine sauce. There are traditional dishes on the menu also, including pescado Veracruz, guiso and pollo a chipotle.