52 editor-picked tex-mex restaurants across 10 cities.
A guide to tex-mex restaurants worth a trip, by city. We list operators, signature dishes, and the rooms locals book first.
Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Taste Austin like a local on a guided food tour with 6+ dishes, from smoky BBQ brisket to breakfast tacos. Explore hidden gems, vibrant culture, and...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Taste your way through the San Antonio River Walk on a guided food tour. Enjoy local flavors, learn the city’s history, and explore iconic waterfront...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Taste the bold flavors of Texas in Dallas’ Deep Ellum. Enjoy BBQ brisket, Texas chili, biscuits, pie, and more while exploring the city’s street art,...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Discover Houston’s diverse food scene on this Downtown tour. Taste local and global flavors, enjoy 5 tastings, and end with a sweet treat at Post...
The best-scored tex-mex place in each of 10 cities.
The Original Ninfa's on Navigation in Houston is Ninfa Laurenzo's 1973 Tex-Mex room, the birthplace of the restaurant fajita, still serving skirt steak tacos.
OrderFajitas (tacos al carbon) for two, a Ninfarita on the rocks, queso and chips.
TipBack patio under the strings of lights beats the front room. The bar opens 90 minutes before the dining room.
Mi Tierra has run 24 hours at Market Square since the Cortez family opened it in 1941, a Tex-Mex landmark with strolling mariachis and an in-house bakery.
OrderEnchiladas with chili gravy, pan dulce from the panaderia, a margarita with the mariachis.
TipThe dining room never closes, so a 3am plate of enchiladas after a night downtown is a San Antonio rite. Buy conchas from the front bakery counter to go.
The brisket taco at Mia's costs around $6 individually, making it an affordable way to experience Dallas's most definitive Tex-Mex taco. Located in Uptown.
OrderTwo brisket tacos; house margarita (happy hour); rice and beans
TipHappy hour runs daily from 4-7pm with discounted margaritas. Two tacos and a drink is the sweet spot for a budget Mia's visit.
Joe T. Garcia's is a Fort Worth institution at 2201 N Commerce St, famous for its sprawling garden patio and cash-only frozen margaritas since 1935.
OrderBeef fajitas, frozen margaritas, house enchiladas with red sauce.
TipCash only, no credit cards accepted. The menu is set: enchiladas or fajitas. Arrive early on Fridays as the patio fills fast.
Matt's El Rancho in Austin is the Martinez family's South Lamar Tex-Mex room, opened in 1952 and home of the canonical Bob Armstrong queso dip.
OrderThe Bob Armstrong dip and a frozen margarita; the dip was invented here for a state legislator in 1973.
TipThe patio under the oaks is huge; arrive 6pm or after 9pm to dodge the 7-to-9 wait.
Tex Tubb's Taco Palace on Atwood Avenue, Kevin Tubb's Austin-style taqueria since 2006, serves tacos and burritos plus house-made limeade and horchata.
OrderAn Austin-style taco plate with house-made horchata.
TipHappy hour brings Mexican beer specials; weekend dinner is the busiest, weeknight lunch the calmest.
Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant is the original of the Colorado cantina group, pouring its famous margaritas on Mountain Avenue in Fort Collins since the 1980s.
OrderA Rio margarita with chile rellenos
TipThe Rio margarita carries a house limit for good reason; chile rellenos and the crispy sopapilla are the food orders.
Taco Mamacita builds made-from-scratch fresh-mex tacos and margaritas on North Market Street in Chattanooga's North Shore, a block off Coolidge Park.
OrderTwo tacos and a handcrafted margarita on the patio.
TipOpen daily to 22:00, and 23:00 on Friday and Saturday; the Monen family group also runs Milk & Honey two doors down.
Rojo on Highland Avenue in Highland Park has run a casual Tex-Mex menu since 2002 with the canonical Highland Park patio and a strong frozen margarita pour.
SignatureFish taco, Carne asada, Frozen margarita
Fuzzy's Taco Shop in Oklahoma City's Bricktown serves Tex-Mex tacos, burritos, and margaritas at approachable prices near Paycom Center and Bricktown events.
OrderBaja fish tacos; frozen margarita
TipLocated steps from Paycom Center, it is a convenient pre-game budget meal option before Thunder games.
The Original Ninfa's on Navigation in Houston is Ninfa Laurenzo's 1973 Tex-Mex room, the birthplace of the restaurant fajita, still serving skirt steak tacos.
OrderFajitas (tacos al carbon) for two, a Ninfarita on the rocks, queso and chips.
TipBack patio under the strings of lights beats the front room. The bar opens 90 minutes before the dining room.
Mi Tierra has run 24 hours at Market Square since the Cortez family opened it in 1941, a Tex-Mex landmark with strolling mariachis and an in-house bakery.
OrderEnchiladas with chili gravy, pan dulce from the panaderia, a margarita with the mariachis.
TipThe dining room never closes, so a 3am plate of enchiladas after a night downtown is a San Antonio rite. Buy conchas from the front bakery counter to go.
The brisket taco at Mia's costs around $6 individually, making it an affordable way to experience Dallas's most definitive Tex-Mex taco. Located in Uptown.
OrderTwo brisket tacos; house margarita (happy hour); rice and beans
TipHappy hour runs daily from 4-7pm with discounted margaritas. Two tacos and a drink is the sweet spot for a budget Mia's visit.
Joe T. Garcia's is a Fort Worth institution at 2201 N Commerce St, famous for its sprawling garden patio and cash-only frozen margaritas since 1935.
OrderBeef fajitas, frozen margaritas, house enchiladas with red sauce.
TipCash only, no credit cards accepted. The menu is set: enchiladas or fajitas. Arrive early on Fridays as the patio fills fast.
Velvet Taco on West 7th in Fort Worth serves inventive global tacos around the clock, open until 03:30 on Friday and Saturday for night owls.
OrderWTF Taco (chicken tikka masala); Nashville hot chicken taco.
TipThe line moves fast even late at night. The rotating weekly taco (WTF) changes every Tuesday, so ask what it is when you arrive.
El Tiempo Cantina on Navigation in Houston is Roland Laurenzo's Tex-Mex room (son of Ninfa Laurenzo) next to the Original Ninfa's, with fajitas.
OrderFajitas, the beef rib parrillada, a stacked margarita.
TipThe Navigation flagship is the original; other locations exist citywide. Patio in cool weather.
Matt's El Rancho in Austin is the Martinez family's South Lamar Tex-Mex room, opened in 1952 and home of the canonical Bob Armstrong queso dip.
OrderThe Bob Armstrong dip and a frozen margarita; the dip was invented here for a state legislator in 1973.
TipThe patio under the oaks is huge; arrive 6pm or after 9pm to dodge the 7-to-9 wait.
Tex Tubb's Taco Palace on Atwood Avenue, Kevin Tubb's Austin-style taqueria since 2006, serves tacos and burritos plus house-made limeade and horchata.
OrderAn Austin-style taco plate with house-made horchata.
TipHappy hour brings Mexican beer specials; weekend dinner is the busiest, weeknight lunch the calmest.
Ray's Drive Inn on the West Side has claimed the original puffy taco since Ray Lopez opened it in 1956, home of the deep-fried puffed-masa shell.
OrderThe original puffy taco with picadillo or bean and cheese.
TipThe puffy taco is the only order that matters here. Eat it fast while the shell is still crisp and hot.
Garcia's Mexican Food has served classic Tex-Mex near Woodlawn Lake since 1962, a small family room known for breakfast tacos and carne guisada.
OrderBreakfast tacos and the carne guisada.
TipCash-friendly and small, with a loyal breakfast crowd. Get the carne guisada taco on a fresh flour tortilla.
An Oak Cliff Tex-Mex hole-in-the-wall on W Illinois Avenue, serving loyal customers since 1949. Open mon-thu 8am-10pm, fri-sat 8am-11pm, sun 8am-10pm.
OrderCheese enchiladas with chili gravy. The combination plate is the reason regulars drive across the city.
TipThis is a cash-friendly neighbourhood place. Parking fills early on weekends. Worth the wait.
Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant is the original of the Colorado cantina group, pouring its famous margaritas on Mountain Avenue in Fort Collins since the 1980s.
OrderA Rio margarita with chile rellenos
TipThe Rio margarita carries a house limit for good reason; chile rellenos and the crispy sopapilla are the food orders.
Mexican Inn Cafe is a Fort Worth Tex-Mex institution at 8th Ave that has served the same reliably comforting enchiladas and combination plates since 1936.
OrderCombo plate with enchilada and taco, house cheese dip, sopapillas with honey.
TipThe 8th Ave location has the most neighbourhood character. Combination plates with two or three items are the best value on the menu.
Taco Mamacita builds made-from-scratch fresh-mex tacos and margaritas on North Market Street in Chattanooga's North Shore, a block off Coolidge Park.
OrderTwo tacos and a handcrafted margarita on the patio.
TipOpen daily to 22:00, and 23:00 on Friday and Saturday; the Monen family group also runs Milk & Honey two doors down.
Founded 1918 by Mike Martinez, El Fenix is the oldest Tex-Mex chain in the US, credited with formalising the enchilada-chili-gravy combination plate Dallas.
OrderCheese enchiladas with chili gravy. The combination plate that opened in 1918.
TipThe McKinney Ave location is the flagship. The weekday lunch combo runs under $12 and changes daily.
Rojo on Highland Avenue in Highland Park has run a casual Tex-Mex menu since 2002 with the canonical Highland Park patio and a strong frozen margarita pour.
SignatureFish taco, Carne asada, Frozen margarita
Fuzzy's Taco Shop in Oklahoma City's Bricktown serves Tex-Mex tacos, burritos, and margaritas at approachable prices near Paycom Center and Bricktown events.
OrderBaja fish tacos; frozen margarita
TipLocated steps from Paycom Center, it is a convenient pre-game budget meal option before Thunder games.
San Antonio22 places
Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia, Ray's Drive Inn
Dallas9 places
Mia's Tex-Mex, Herrera's Cafe
Fort Worth9 places
Joe T. Garcia's, Velvet Taco
Houston3 places
The Original Ninfa's on Navigation, El Tiempo Cantina (Navigation)
Austin2 places
Matt's El Rancho
Fort Collins2 places
Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant
Madison2 places
Tex Tubb's Taco Palace
Birmingham1 place
Rojo
Chattanooga1 place
Taco Mamacita
Oklahoma City1 place
Fuzzy's Taco Shop
More cities are in research. Want tex-mex covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.
