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The Top Mexican Restaurant in Every State

The Top Mexican Restaurant in Every State

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Mexican food is one of the most popular cuisines in the United States, with the country being home to more than 47,000 Mexican restaurants. The likelihood of you finding a restaurant near you is rather high. According to a Pew Research Center analysis of data from SafeGraph, about one in 10 restaurants in the country offer this delicious fare. While some states have a more vast selection, like California and Texas, there is something for everyone in every state.

However, not all Mexican food is alike. What most Americans equate to these regional dishes may not be offered in the country it’s named for. Like other foods found throughout the U.S., the interpretation of a specific cuisine varies regionally. Depending on where you live, the preparation of a dish may not only be interpreted differently but may offer other ingredients or specialties.

Los Angeles, which has over 17,500 Mexican eateries, offers mole enchiladas with chorizo at Guelaguetzal. Charleston, West Virginia has massive Macho Burritos at Los Amigos. The national chain Chevy’s Fresh Mex serves up combination plates. Texas has a variety of dishes – like the San Antonio puffy-style tacos with ground beef – and has established much of its Mexican cuisine as Tex-Mex.

To identify the top Mexican restaurant in every state, 24/7 Tempo consulted reviews and ratings on a wide range of culinary and general interest websites, including Thrillist, Time Out, Yelp, and others, as well as local and regional sites. Excluded from the list were major chain locations (more than a few units), food trucks and takeout spots with no seating, pan-Latin or Central American establishments, hybrid offerings like Korean-Mexican fusion, and Mexican grocery markets lacking an integrated dine-in option.

It should be noted that a small number of high-quality counter service venues providing ample seating were included based on merit and traditional cuisine authenticity. Current Yelp scores are included for reference, however, Yelp sources diverse reviews, so more authentic restaurants sometimes get lower ratings than conventional options that appeal to general audiences.

Establishments of every type were listed, from casual and sophisticated, elegant contemporary restaurants to family-style neighborhood places, Americanized or authentic eateries, and bare-bones establishments. Some specialize in the cuisines of specific regions of Mexico. Some offer the standard fare we’ve come to expect, but done particularly well. Others take the Mexican flavor palate as an inspiration and invent dishes of their own. (Here is a list of 20 “foreign” foods that are really American.) 

Here is the top Mexican restaurant in every state:

Alabama: Antojitos Izcalli

Source: Courtesy of Linda D. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Linda D. via Yelp
  • Location: Tuscaloosa
  • Yelp rating: 4.9
  • Dishes to try: tacos with calf’s head, tripe, or beef tongue, as well as other meats, quesadillas, tostadas, gorditas, and carne asada

Alaska: Serrano’s Mexican Grill

Source: Courtesy of Chad B. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Chad B. via Yelp
  • Location: Anchorage
  • Yelp rating: 3.8
  • Dishes to try: House-made chorizo, salsas, mahi mahi ceviche, street tacos with a choice of meats

Arizona: La Bamba Mexican Grill Restaurant

Source: Courtesy of Brandon P. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Brandon P. via Yelp
  • Location: El Mirage
  • Yelp rating: 4.7
  • Dishes to try: tacos, quesadillas, occasional specials

Arkansas: Taquería El Palenque

Source: Courtesy of Bill M. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Bill M. via Yelp
  • Location: Little Rock
  • Yelp rating: 4.4
  • Dishes to try: Six variations on fajitas and 10 shrimp dishes, barbacoa tacos

California: Guelaguetza Restaurante

Source: Courtesy of Ron L. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Ron L. via Yelp
  • Location: Los Angeles
  • Yelp rating: 3.9
  • Dishes to try: Mole, chapulines (grasshoppers) with jalapeños and Oaxacan cheese, pizza-like tlayudas with various toppings, squash blossom empanadas

Colorado: Xicamiti La Taquerí­a Bistro

Source: Courtesy of Paul A. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Paul A. via Yelp
  • Location: Golden
  • Yelp rating: 4.8
  • Dishes to try: tacos campechanos with steak and chorizo and a fusion-leaning birria ramen

Connecticut: Azteca

Source: Courtesy of John R. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of John R. via Yelp
  • Location: Newington
  • Yelp rating: 4.5
  • Dishes to try: enchiladas, enmoladas, and a plato Azteca (seasoned pork, chorizo, jerky-like cesina, beans, cactus leaves, onions, roasted chiles, and cotija cheese)

Delaware: Los Portales

Source: Photo by Brittany K. via Yelp

Source: Photo by Brittany K. via Yelp
  • Location: Middletown
  • Yelp rating: 4.4
  • Dishes to try: guacamole, fresh salsa, tacos (soft or crisp)

Florida: Talavera Cocina Mexicana

Source: Courtesy of JoJo E. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of JoJo E. via Yelp
  • Location: Coral Gables
  • Yelp rating: 3.8
  • Dishes to try:  tortillas made with heritage corn from Oaxaca, three different moles, sandal-shaped huaraches with a choice of fillings, four kinds of ceviche, whole red snapper, short ribs in birria

Georgia: Taquerí­a La Oaxaqueña

Source: Courtesy of The Peezy's via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of The Peezy’s via Yelp
  • Location: Jonesboro
  • Yelp rating: 4.2
  • Dishes to try: chicken in mole sauce, tlayudas

Hawaii: El Gallo Rosa

Source: Courtesy of Nadine C. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Nadine C. via Yelp
  • Location: Kailua & Ward Village (Oahu)
  • Yelp rating: 4.1 (Kailua)/4 (Ward Village)
  • Dishes to try: quesadillas , sincronizadas, tortas, tostadas

Idaho: Pueblo Lindo

Source: Courtesy of Steve N. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Steve N. via Yelp
  • Location: Meridian & McCall
  • Yelp rating: 4.5 (Meridian), 4.3 (McCall)
  • Dishes to try:  seafood, vegetarian dishes, chicken breast in chipotle sauce, carne asada tacos, pork carnitas

Illinois: Topolobampo

Source: Courtesy of Kim N. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Kim N. via Yelp
  • Location: Chicago
  • Yelp rating: 3.7
  • Dishes to try: ancho-cured Petuna ocean trout, Texas acorn-fed pork with eggplant and black bean sauce

Indiana: Festiva

Source: Courtesy of Sarah S. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Sarah S. via Yelp
  • Location: Indianapolis
  • Yelp rating: 4.4
  • Dishes to try: agave-and-guajillo-glazed pork ribs with chipotle crema, pan-seared scallops with creamy morita chile salsa

Iowa: El Bajio Mexican Restaurant

Source: Courtesy of El Bajio Mexican Restaurant via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of El Bajio Mexican Restaurant via Yelp
  • Location: Cedar Rapids (2 locations)
  • Yelp rating: 4.4 (Gateway Place)/3.4 (Blairs Ferry Road)
  • Dishes to try: ceviche-like aguachiles and shrimp soup

Kansas: El Camino Real

Source:

Source: Courtesy of Becca B. via Yelp
  • Location: Kansas City (2 locations)
  • Yelp rating: 4.3 (7th Street)/3.5 (Argentine Boulevard)
  • Dishes to try:

Yelp reviewers hail the casual, colorful little 7th Street location for serving “the best tacos in Kansas City” (it’s on the Kansas side of the metropolis). “Tortillas made fresh right in front of you and al pastor tacos from a giant spit,” enthused one fan. “What more could you want!” Gorditas, burritos, sopes, fajitas, and more are also offered.

Kentucky: Mayan Café

Source: Courtesy of The Mayan Cafe via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of The Mayan Cafe via Yelp
  • Location: Louisville
  • Yelp rating: 4.6
  • Dishes to try: Sikil-pak, cochinita pibil, braised local duck cloaked in Mayan black mole sauce

Louisiana: El Cabo Verde

Source: Courtesy of Mark N. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Mark N. via Yelp
  • Location: Shreveport
  • Yelp rating: 4.7
  • Dishes to try: pork tamales wrapped in banana leaves, sweet potato enchiladas, Louisiana Gulf shrimp with mojo sauce

Maine: Taco Escobarr

Source: Courtesy of Melissa D. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Melissa D. via Yelp
  • Location: Portland
  • Yelp rating: 3.8
  • Dishes to try:  San Antonio-style puffy tacos, chipotle sweet potato taquitos

Maryland: Clavel

Source: Courtesy of Arlene W. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Arlene W. via Yelp
  • Location: Baltimore
  • Yelp rating: 4.4
  • Dishes to try:

This family-owned taquería and mezcalería makes its own corn and flour tortillas and serves an assortment of simple but imaginative tacos – carnitas with crispy pork cracklings and green sauce, lamb cooked in Mexican coffee and Negra Modelo beer, lightly battered cod with pickled cabbage slaw and habanero cream, etc. There are also ceviches, queso fundido with chorizo (or vegetables, or shrimp), and quesadillas, among other things.

Massachusetts: Taquería Jalisco

Source: Courtesy of Vivian C. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Vivian C. via Yelp
  • Location: Boston
  • Yelp rating: 4.5
  • Dishes to try: Marinated carnitas tacos, pozole rojo

Michigan: Taquería Mi Pueblo

Source: Courtesy of Al P. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Al P. via Yelp
  • Location: Detroit
  • Yelp rating: 4.53
  • Dishes to try: Huaraches, birria, gorditas, chicharrones, mole

Minnesota: Andale Taquería

Source: Courtesy of Chipper C. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Chipper C. via Yelp
  • Location: Richfield
  • Yelp rating: 4.3
  • Dishes to try: burritos, quesadillas, tortas, alambres, tacos

Mississippi: El Torero Mexican Grill

Source: Courtesy of Damien R. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Damien R. via Yelp
  • Location: Flowood
  • Yelp rating: 4.2
  • Dishes to try: quesadillas, burritos, tacos, enchiladas

Missouri: Ixtapa Fine Mexican Cuisine

Source: Courtesy of Steve D. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Steve D. via Yelp
  • Location: Kansas City
  • Yelp rating: 4.1
  • Dishes to try: tortilla soup, vegetarian tacos, enchiladas, burritos

Montana: Los Mayas Mexican Restaurant

Source: Courtesy of Ann H. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Ann H. via Yelp
  • Location: Billings
  • Yelp rating: 4
  • Dishes to try: burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, chimichangas, chile rellenos

Nebraska: Copal Progressive Mexican Cuisine

Source: Courtesy of Copal Progressive Mexican Cuisine via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Copal Progressive Mexican Cuisine via Yelp
  • Location: Lincoln & Omaha
  • Yelp rating: 4.2 (both locations)
  • Dishes to try: shrimp nachos, duck tamales, sandal-shaped huaraches

Nevada: Bajamar Seafood + Tacos

Source: Courtesy of Mato S. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Mato S. via Yelp
  • Location: Las Vegas & Blue Diamond
  • Yelp rating: 4.7 (Las Vegas)/4.4 (Blue Diamond)
  • Dishes to try:  ceviche-like aguachiles, marlin or spicy octopus tacos, sashimi-style fish tostadas

New Hampshire: El Rincon Zacatecano Taquería

Source: Courtesy of Jacquelyn O. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Jacquelyn O. via Yelp
  • Location: Manchester
  • Yelp rating: 4.5
  • Dishes to try: menudo, pozole, carnitas, shrimp in ranchera sauce, pork guisado in green sauce, green chile burritos

New Jersey: El Taco Loco

Source: Courtesy of Phil E. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Phil E. via Yelp
  • Location: Camden
  • Yelp rating: 3.9
  • Dishes to try: gorditas, huaraches, tortas, quesadillas, tostadas, ponchiburro” (open-face burrito)

New Mexico: El Callejón Taquería and Grill

Source:

Source: Courtesy of Valerie S. via Yelp
  • Location: Santa Fe
  • Yelp rating: 4.5
  • Dishes to try: al pastor, carne asada, spicy ceviche tostadas, torta filled with red-chile-marinated pork

New York: Casa Enrique

Source: Courtesy of Ginger B. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Ginger B. via Yelp
  • Location: Queens
  • Yelp rating: 4.2
  • Dishes to try: guacamole, chicken tacos, chile relleno, carne asada

North Carolina: Taquería La Vaquita

Source: Courtesy of Kyle J R. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Kyle J R. via Yelp
  • Location: Durham
  • Yelp rating: 4.3
  • Dishes to try: tacos, tortas, assorted fajitas, Veracruz-style braised beef tongue, birria

North Dakota: La Enchilada

Source: Evgeny Karandaev / Shutterstock.com

Source: Courtesy of Patricia H. via Yelp
  • Location: Bismarck
  • Yelp rating: 4.5
  • Dishes to try: choriqueso (melted cheese dip with chorizo), garlic shrimp, enchiladas, tamales, tacos

Ohio: Momocho

Source: Courtesy of Vincent L. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Vincent L. via Yelp
  • Location: Cleveland (2 locations)
  • Yelp rating: 4.2 (Ohio City)/4 (Lakewood)
  • Dishes to try:

Six variations on guacamole (including one with smoked trout and bacon), five different taquitos (one with salt-roasted beets, spiced peanuts, and goat cheese), and grilled pork chop with herb-ricotta tamale dumplings are among the unusual offerings at this “ModMex” restaurant. Yelp reviewers particularly recommend the happy hour.

Oklahoma: Pepe Delgados

Source: Courtesy of Jay B. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Jay B. via Yelp
  • Location: Norman
  • Yelp rating: 4.3
  • Dishes to try: vegetarian nachos, burritos

Oregon: Nuestra Cocina

Source: Courtesy of Hugo C. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Hugo C. via Yelp
  • Location: Portland
  • Yelp rating: 4.3
  • Dishes to try: roasted cauliflower with Oaxacan cheese and pumpkin seed vinaigrette, black-bean-stuffed tlycoyos with sautéed beef and onions, tamarind-marinated Mexican white prawns

Pennsylvania: La Palapa Mexican Cuisine & Mezcal Bar

Source: Courtesy of Albert B. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Albert B. via Yelp
  • Location: Pittsburgh
  • Yelp rating: 4.2
  • Dishes to try: tacos, quesadillas, fajitas

Rhode Island: Bandidos Mexican Restaurant

Source: Courtesy of Dominic W. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Dominic W. via Yelp
  • Location: Cumberland
  • Yelp rating: 4.4
  • Dishes to try: chicken chimichangas, shredded beef burrito, refried beans

South Carolina: Carmen y Juan

Source: Courtesy of Kara M. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Kara M. via Yelp
  • Location: Mount Pleasant
  • Yelp rating: 4.2
  • Dishes to try: mole enchilada, carnitas, carnitas street tacos

South Dakota: Sabor a Mexico

Source: Courtesy of Brett O. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Brett O. via Yelp
  • Location: Rapid City
  • Yelp rating: 3.9
  • Dishes to try: carnitas torta, chicken tostada, fish tacos, cheese tamales

Tennessee: Maciel’s Tortas and Tacos

Source: Courtesy of Chris W. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Chris W. via Yelp
  • Location: Memphis (2 locations)
  • Yelp rating: 4.7 (Maine Street)/4.4 (Cooper Street)
  • Dishes to try: nachos, fajitas, quesadillas, burritos

Texas: Fonda San Miguel

Source: Celena C. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Celena C. via Yelp
  • Location: Austin
  • Yelp rating: 4
  • Dishes to try: ancho chile filled with chicken, olives, capers, and almonds, mixiote, tortilla soup, chicken with mole

Utah: Chile-Tepin

Source: Courtesy of Ali M. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Ali M. via Yelp
  • Location: Salt Lake City
  • Yelp rating: 4.4
  • Dishes to try: tacos, burritos, chimichangas, fajitas, moles, quesadillas

Vermont: Taco Gordo

Source: Courtesy of Mariko M. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Mariko M. via Yelp
  • Location: Burlington
  • Yelp rating: 4.1
  • Dishes to try: tacos, burritos

Virginia: Abuelita’s

Source: Courtesy of Mark B. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Mark B. via Yelp
  • Location: Richmond
  • Yelp rating: 4.7
  • Dishes to try: tamales, guisos, chilaquiles, birria

Washington: Fogón Cocina Mexicana

Source: Courtesy of Adri R. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Adri R. via Yelp
  • Location: Seattle
  • Yelp rating: 4.4
  • Dishes to try: ceviche, carne asada burrito, carne asada plate, guacamole

West Virginia: Los Amigos

Source: Courtesy of Michael G. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Michael G. via Yelp
  • Location: Charleston
  • Yelp rating: 4.2
  • Dishes to try: Macho Burrito Challenge – a two-foot burrito filled with steak, grilled chicken, refried beans, black beans, rice, grilled vegetables, lettuce, and sour cream, and topped with cheese dip

Wisconsin: Tapatios  Cocina Mexicana

Source: Courtesy of Jess N. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Jess N. via Yelp
  • Location: Fitchburg
  • Yelp rating: 4.5
  • Dishes to try: Mexican-style chuck steak, char-grilled chicken, chicken enchiladas

Wyoming: Rodolfo’s Mexican Grill

Source: Courtesy of Todd M. via Yelp

Source: Courtesy of Todd M. via Yelp
  • Location: Cheyenne
  • Yelp rating: 3.8
  • Dishes to try: breakfast burritos
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