30 mexican rooms worth the trip across United States, editor-ranked. All cuisines in United States.
Red Iguana ★ 4.9 · Salt Lake City
north-temple · 736 W North Temple St, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Red Iguana on West North Temple, the Cardenas family's Mexican room since 1985 and Utah's most awarded restaurant, runs the state's defining moles.
Tip: Wait can run over an hour; cross to Red Iguana 2 at 866 W South Temple or order takeout via the operator's site.
Red Iguana ★ 4.9 · Salt Lake City
north-temple · 736 W North Temple St, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Red Iguana on West North Temple, the Cardenas family's Mexican room since 1985 and Utah's most awarded restaurant, runs the state's defining moles.
Tip: Hour-plus wait at peak; cross to Red Iguana 2 across South Temple or order takeout via the operator's site.
Clavel ★ 4.8 · Baltimore
hampden · 225 West 23rd Street, Baltimore, MD 21211
Clavel in Hampden is Carlos Raba's Sinaloa-rooted mezcaleria, where tacos sit on nixtamalized corn tortillas and the bar runs deep on mezcal.
Tip: No reservations for small parties; the line moves fastest if you arrive right at open or late in the evening.
L and J Cafe ★ 4.8 · El Paso
Five Points · 3622 E Missouri Ave, El Paso, TX 79903
L and J Cafe in El Paso, open since 1927, is the city's oldest Mexican restaurant, serving red enchiladas and house-made salsa from its East Missouri.
Tip: Arrive before noon on weekends; the lunch crowd fills every table by 12:30.
Don Artemio ★ 4.8 · Fort Worth
west-7th · 3268 W 7th St, Fort Worth, TX 76107
Don Artemio in Fort Worth brings refined northern Mexican cuisine to W 7th St, a 2023 James Beard finalist celebrating heritage dishes of northern Mexico.
Tip: Sunday brunch 10:00-15:00 is the most relaxed seating. The mole negro takes three days to prepare and is not always available.
Don Artemio ★ 4.8 · Fort Worth
west-7th · 3268 W 7th St, Fort Worth, TX 76107
Don Artemio in Fort Worth brings refined northern Mexican cuisine to W 7th St, a 2023 James Beard finalist celebrating heritage dishes of northern Mexico.
Tip: Sunday brunch 10:00-15:00 is the most relaxed seating. The mole negro takes three days to prepare and is not always available.
Bacanora ★ 4.8 · Phoenix
grand-avenue · 1301 NW Grand Ave Unit 1, Phoenix, AZ 85007
Bacanora in Phoenix is Rene Andrade's wood-fired Sonoran room on Grand Avenue, the kitchen that won the 2024 James Beard Best Chef Southwest award.
Tip: The room seats about 32 and books out fast; reserve well ahead or aim for an early weeknight seating.
Sazon ★ 4.8 · Santa Fe
221 Shelby Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501
Fernando Olea won the 2022 James Beard Best Chef Southwest at Sazon, where the deeply researched moles and a New Mexican mole anchor the Santa Fe dinner.
El Guero Canelo ★ 4.8 · Tucson
south-tucson · 5201 S 12th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85706
El Guero Canelo on South 12th Avenue in Tucson is the James Beard 2018 Sonoran hot dog flagship from Daniel Contreras, the founding Tucson dogo.
El Guero Canelo ★ 4.8 · Tucson
south-tucson · 5201 S 12th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85706
El Guero Canelo on South 12th Avenue in Tucson is the James Beard 2018 Sonoran hot dog flagship from Daniel Contreras, the founding Tucson dogo.
La Loma ★ 4.7 · 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.
Tip: The bar pours classic margaritas; ask for the Pueblo green chile (hotter than the mild version).
Xochi ★ 4.7 · Houston
downtown · 1777 Walker St, Houston, TX 77010
Xochi in Houston is Hugo Ortega's Oaxacan room on the ground floor of the Marriott Marquis downtown, with seven moles, masa-based tlayudas and a James Beard.
Tip: Sit at the masa bar to watch the corn pressed fresh. The lunch tasting is the value at $48.
Oro by Nixta ★ 4.7 · Minneapolis
northeast · 1222 NE 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55413
Gustavo Romero's Oro by Nixta on Northeast 2nd Street runs a masa-focused kitchen in Minneapolis since 2023. Kitchen leans mexican, masa-focused.
Tip: Reservations recommended but walk-ins fit at the bar. Ten-seat mezcal bar; Wednesday-Saturday 16:00-21:00.
Red Iguana 2 ★ 4.7 · Salt Lake City
north-temple · 866 W South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Red Iguana 2 on West South Temple, the larger sibling of the Cardenas family flagship, runs the same award-winning moles in a bigger room with a full bar.
Tip: Use Red Iguana 2 to skip the original's hour-plus wait at peak; same kitchen, same family, full bar.
Red Iguana 2 ★ 4.7 · Salt Lake City
north-temple · 866 W South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Red Iguana 2 on West South Temple, the larger sibling of the Cardenas family flagship, runs the same award-winning moles in a bigger room with a full bar.
Tip: Use Red Iguana 2 to skip the original's wait at peak; same family, same kitchen.
Este ★ 4.6 · Austin
manor-road · 2113 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722
Este in Austin is Fermin Nunez's seafood-driven Manor Road bungalow, charcoal-cooked coastal Mexican food and ceviches in the old Eastside Cafe space.
Tip: Lunch runs Friday to Sunday 12 to 4pm; the daytime ceviche service is significantly easier to walk in than dinner.
El Naranjo ★ 4.6 · Austin
south-lamar · 2532 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
El Naranjo in Austin is Iliana de la Vega's James Beard-winning regional Mexican kitchen on South Lamar, serving Oaxacan moles and coastal ceviches.
Tip: The Sunday-supper format runs a slightly different menu; ask about it when booking.
El Naranjo ★ 4.6 · Austin
south-lamar · 2532 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
El Naranjo in Austin is Iliana de la Vega's James Beard-winning Oaxacan dining room on South Lamar, a family kitchen of regional moles, ceviches.
Tip: Daughter Ana Torrealba runs the kitchen as chef de cuisine; the Sunday-supper menu is the most experimental.
Hugo's ★ 4.6 · Houston
montrose · 1600 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006
Hugo's in Houston is Hugo Ortega's regional Mexican room on Westheimer since 2002, a James Beard winner with cochinita pibil, chiles en nogada in season.
Tip: Sunday brunch books two weeks out. Lunch on weekdays is the easier slot.
Guisados ★ 4.6 · Los Angeles
boyle-heights · 2100 E Cesar E Chavez Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90033
Guisados in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles serves mini braised-meat tacos from a tortilleria a block away. Six locations across the city, this is the original.
Tip: The original Boyle Heights branch is the strongest; salsas are made every morning. Closes by 21:00.
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 09:00-17:00; the burritos sell out by 14:00 on weekends. Eat in the car.
Tacos Oscar ★ 4.6 · Oakland
temescal · 420 40th Street, Oakland, CA 94609
Tacos Oscar's shipping-container courtyard in Oakland's Temescal serves a chalkboard menu of inventive tacos. Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide California.
Cenaduria Elvira ★ 4.6 · Oakland
jack-london-district · 468 3rd Street, Oakland, CA 94607
Cenaduria Elvira in Oakland's Jack London Square specializes in Jalisco-style tostadas with shells flown in from Mexico, plus tacos dorados and salsas.
El Charro Cafe ★ 4.6 · Tucson
el-presidio · 311 N Court Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701
El Charro Cafe on Court Avenue in Tucson is the United States' oldest family-run Mexican restaurant (1922), and the claimed birthplace of the chimichanga.
El Charro Cafe ★ 4.6 · Tucson
el-presidio · 311 N Court Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701
El Charro Cafe on Court Avenue in Tucson is the United States' oldest family-run Mexican restaurant (1922), and the claimed birthplace of the chimichanga.
BK Tacos ★ 4.6 · Tucson
south-tucson · 5118 S 12th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85706
BK Tacos on South 12th Avenue in South Tucson is Benny Galaz's Sonoran hot dog chain founded as a cart in the 1990s, with bacon-wrapped dogos and caramelo.
Limones ★ 4.5 · Asheville
the-block · 13 Eagle St, Asheville, NC 28801
Hugo Ramirez's Limones on Eagle Street in Asheville opened in 2004 as a Mexican and Californian-inflected room.
Tip: Book on OpenTable; bar seats first-come from 17:00. Closed Mondays.
Limones ★ 4.5 · Asheville
the-block · 13 Eagle St, Asheville, NC 28801
Hugo Ramirez's Limones on Eagle Street in Asheville opened in 2004 as a Mexican and Californian-inflected room.
Tip: Book on OpenTable; bar seats first-come from 17:00. Closed Mondays.
Fonda San Miguel ★ 4.5 · Austin
north-loop · 2330 W North Loop Blvd, Austin, TX 78756
Fonda San Miguel in Austin is Tom Gilliland's 1975 interior-Mexican dining room on North Loop, a pioneer of regional Oaxacan and Yucatecan cooking.
Tip: The Sunday brunch buffet is the showcase; book the dining room for it at least a week out and arrive at 11.
El Asador Steakhouse ★ 4.5 · Detroit
mexicantown · 1312 Springwells St, Detroit, MI 48209
El Asador Steakhouse on Springwells in Southwest Detroit serves Mexican steakhouse cooking, the gourmet end of Mexicantown. Family-run since 2014.
Tip: Tuesday and Wednesday close at 22:00; weekend prime time books out a week in advance.