21 mexican rooms worth the trip across United States, editor-ranked. All cuisines in United States.
The Original Ninfa's on Navigation ★ 4.7 · Houston
east-end · 2704 Navigation Blvd, Houston, TX 77003
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 al carbon and Ninfaritas.
Tip: Sit on the back patio under the strings of lights. The front room is loud and the bar takes 90 minutes to clear at 7pm.
The Original Ninfa's on Navigation ★ 4.7 · Houston
east-end · 2704 Navigation Blvd, Houston, TX 77003
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 al carbon and Ninfaritas.
Tip: Back patio under the strings of lights beats the front room. The bar opens 90 minutes before the dining room.
Burritos La Palma ★ 4.6 · Los Angeles
highland-park · 5200 Monte Vista St, Los Angeles, CA 90042
Burritos La Palma in East LA, Los Angeles wraps birria de res in handmade flour tortillas from Jerez, Zacatecas. James Beard finalist since 2018.
Tip: Open 09:00 to 17:00; the burritos sell out by 14:00 on weekends. Eat in the car.
Manny's Tortas ★ 4.4 · Minneapolis
eat-street · 920 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Manny's Tortas in the Midtown Global Market has run Mexico City-style sandwiches in Minneapolis since 1999. Telera-bread tortas; the Cubana stacks five meats.
Tip: Inside Midtown Global Market; counter service. Family-run since opening.
Mas Tacos Por Favor ★ 4.4 · Nashville
east-nashville · 732 McFerrin Ave, Nashville, TN 37206
Teresa Mason's McFerrin Avenue taco counter in East Nashville opened as a converted Airstream and now runs full kitchen service. Cash-friendly, no-reservations.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Lunch lines build by 12:00; arrive at 11:00 or after 14:00 for an easy seat.
El Taco Veloz ★ 4.3 · Atlanta
buford-highway · 5084 Buford Hwy NE, Doraville, GA 30340
El Taco Veloz on Buford Highway in Doraville, Atlanta has run a 24-hour taqueria since 1991 with al pastor, carne asada and lengua on hand-pressed corn tortillas.
Tip: Open 24 hours; the late-night hot sauce bar runs five salsas. The Cobb Parkway and Roswell locations close earlier than Doraville.
Matt's El Rancho ★ 4.3 · Austin
south-lamar · 2613 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
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.
Tip: The patio under the oaks is huge; arrive 6pm or after 9pm to dodge the 7-to-9 wait.
Matt's El Rancho ★ 4.3 · Austin
south-lamar · 2613 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
Matt's El Rancho in Austin is the Martinez family's South Lamar Tex-Mex room since 1952, home of the Bob Armstrong queso dip and a citywide birthday-dinner tradition.
Tip: The patio under the oaks holds 200; arrive 5:30pm to dodge the 7-to-9 family wait.
La Loma ★ 4.3 · Denver
downtown · 1801 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202
La Loma in Denver is a Castro-family Mexican kitchen since 1973, moved from its longtime Osage Street Victorian to Broadway in 2018, the Denver template for the smothered burrito.
Tip: The bar pours classic margaritas; ask for the Pueblo green chile (hotter than the mild version).
El Tiempo Cantina (Navigation) ★ 4.3 · Houston
east-end · 2814 Navigation Blvd, Houston, TX 77003
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, beef rib parrilladas and stacked margaritas.
Tip: The Navigation flagship is the original; other locations exist citywide. Patio in cool weather.
Coyo Taco ★ 4.3 · Miami
wynwood · 2300 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127
Coyo Taco in Wynwood is the Mexican street-food counter at 2300 NW 2nd Avenue, with hand-pressed tortillas, late-night hours and a hidden mezcal speakeasy in back.
Tip: Order at the counter, sit on the patio. The back-room mezcal bar is the late-night Wynwood pivot.
El Burrito Mercado ★ 4.3 · Minneapolis
saint-paul · 175 Cesar Chavez St, Saint Paul, MN 55107
El Burrito Mercado on Cesar Chavez Street has run a Mexican grocery and counter in Saint Paul's West Side since 1979. Carnitas, tamales, the cafeteria-style counter.
Tip: Front grocery sells pan dulce; counter at the back. Sunday brunch buffet runs $14.
Anna's Taqueria ★ 4.2 · Boston
brookline · 446 Harvard St, Brookline, MA 02446
Anna's Taqueria on Harvard Street has run the city's fast-Mexican benchmark in Brookline near Coolidge Corner in Boston since 1995. Super burrito the order; eight Boston-area locations.
Tip: Order the super burrito and split it with a friend. The line at noon moves in five minutes.
San Pedro Mexican ★ 4.2 · Denver
south-pearl · 1530 S Pearl St, Denver, CO 80210
San Pedro Mexican in Denver is Edith Sanchez's South Pearl Mexican dining room with regional Oaxacan and Pueblan plates, a mezcal-focused bar and a Sunday brunch.
Tip: Closed Mondays. South Pearl farmers' market on Sunday runs 9 am to 1 pm a block away.
Adelitas Cocina y Cantina ★ 4.2 · Denver
south-broadway · 1294 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80210
Adelitas Cocina y Cantina in Denver is Adelita Diaz's South Broadway regional-Mexican dining room since 2011, with a mezcal-and-tequila bar and a Pueblan-leaning menu.
Tip: Walk-in at the bar; reservations for the dining room go on Resy. The cantina pours late on weekends.
El Comal ★ 4.2 · San Diego
north-park · 3946 Illinois St, San Diego, CA 92104
El Comal in San Diego is the North Park family-owned Mexican kitchen on Illinois Street, a longstanding interior-Mexican counter known for carnitas, chilaquiles and Sunday mole.
Tip: Cash on hand speeds the counter; the courtyard patio runs warmer than the indoor room.
Lucha Libre Gourmet Taco Shop ★ 4.2 · San Diego
mission-hills · 1810 W Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103
Lucha Libre Gourmet Taco Shop in San Diego is the Mission Hills Mexican-wrestling-themed taqueria on Washington Street, the Diners Drive-Ins and Dives stop with masked-luchador decor.
Tip: Book the gold booth on the website 48 hours ahead; the line at the counter moves fast after 1pm.
Tacos Tu Madre ★ 4.1 · Los Angeles
westwood · 1945 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Tacos Tu Madre on Westwood Boulevard near UCLA, Los Angeles, is a small walk-up window for tacos, burritos and famous loaded carne asada fries.
Tip: Order at the walk-up window; the line moves fast and the half-portion is a meal for one.
Tito's Tacos ★ 4.0 · Los Angeles
culver-city · 11222 Washington Pl, Culver City, CA 90230
Tito's Tacos in Culver City, Los Angeles has fried hard-shell beef tacos at the same walk-up window on Washington Place since 1959. Cash only.
Tip: Cash only at the original walk-up window; the picnic tables are 1959 vintage.
Eduardo's Border Grill ★ 4.0 · Los Angeles
westwood · 1830 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Eduardo's Border Grill on Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles, has served carne asada fries, burritos and combo plates from a corner counter for decades.
Tip: This is a Westwood lunch counter; cash and card both fine, expect a queue around the UCLA lunch hour.
La Puerta ★ 4.0 · San Diego
gaslamp-quarter · 560 4th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
La Puerta in San Diego is the Gaslamp Quarter Mexican kitchen on Fourth Avenue, the after-bar carne asada fries and Taco Tuesday institution that anchors downtown's late-night Mexican map.
Tip: Open until 1am Fri-Sat, midnight other nights; the back patio runs heater-and-fan year-round.