30 editor picks across United States.
30 tex mex restaurants worth the trip across United States, editor-ranked. All cuisines in United States.
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.
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.
OrderThe fajitas (tacos al carbon) for two. A Ninfarita on the rocks first.
TipSit on the back patio under the strings of lights. The front room is loud and the bar takes 90 minutes to clear at 7pm.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
OrderBob Armstrong dip, beef enchiladas with chili gravy, plus a frozen margarita on the side.
TipThe patio under the oaks holds 200; arrive 5:30pm to dodge the 7-to-9 family wait.
Operating since 1981, Mia's serves the brisket tacos that became a Dallas archetype. Located in Uptown. Open mon-sat 11am-9:30pm, sun 11am-9pm.
OrderBrisket tacos, the dish that earned Mia's citywide loyalty. Cheese enchiladas with chili con carne.
TipThe brisket taco was created by founder Butch Enriquez. The original recipe still runs the kitchen.
A family-owned Lemmon Avenue institution since 1981 whose brisket taco created a Dallas archetype. Located in Uptown. Kitchen leans tex-mex.
OrderBrisket tacos. Cheese enchiladas. Mama's ribeye con hongos.
TipExpect a wait on weekend evenings. The brisket taco was created by founder Butch Enriquez in 1981; the recipe is unchanged.
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.
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.
Tex Tubb's Taco Palace on Atwood, Kevin Tubb's Austin-style taqueria since 2006, runs tacos and burritos plus house-made limeade and horchata east side.
OrderAn Austin-style taco plate with house-made horchata.
TipHappy hour runs Mexican beer specials; weekend dinner is the busiest, weeknight lunch the calmest.
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.
An Oak Cliff Tex-Mex hold-out in the same W Illinois Avenue spot since 1949. The enchiladas here are as honest as Tex-Mex gets: chili gravy, fresh tortillas.
OrderCheese enchiladas. Combination plate. Chips and queso on arrival.
TipCash-friendly neighbourhood spot. Closed Sunday-Tuesday. The combination plate feeds two people if you order chips to start.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Rosario's is a two-storey Southtown Tex-Mex room with a rooftop bar, where enchiladas verdes, fajitas and frozen margaritas anchor a buzzy First Friday crowd.
OrderEnchiladas verdes, fajitas and a frozen margarita on the rooftop.
TipHead upstairs to the rooftop bar for downtown views. First Friday in Southtown turns the place into a party.
Henry's Puffy Tacos on West Woodlawn is the family rival to Ray's in the puffy-taco story, serving the crisp puffed-masa shell as a plate with rice and beans.
OrderPuffy taco plate with rice and beans.
TipThe puffy tacos come hot and fast. Add a side of rice and beans for the full West Side plate.
Eddie's Taco House is a South Side breakfast-and-lunch counter where the carne guisada and the cult weenie-and-egg breakfast taco draw a steady morning crowd.
OrderCarne guisada and weenie-and-egg breakfast tacos.
TipThe weenie-and-egg taco sounds odd and is a local favourite. Come early; the breakfast crowd is steady.
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.
OrderFish taco, Carne asada, Frozen margarita
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.
Founded 1918 by Mike Martinez, this is the restaurant most historians credit with formalising the Tex-Mex combination plate in Dallas. Located in Uptown.
OrderCheese enchiladas with chili gravy. The daily combo plate.
TipThe weekday lunch combo runs under $12. The chili gravy here is the reference version for the style.
Fuzzy's Taco Shop on W Berry St is the original Fort Worth location where this much-loved local Tex-Mex taco-and-margarita chain was born in 2003.
OrderBaja fish tacos, puffy tacos with queso, frozen mango margarita.
TipHappy hour runs Monday through Friday; items under $5 and margaritas for $3. The dog-friendly patio is open year-round.
Tommy's Restaurant is the Tex-Mex spot whose 'Big Red and Barbacoa' sign made the combo a San Antonio shorthand, serving barbacoa tacos on flour tortillas.
OrderBarbacoa and Big Red, the carne guisada taco.
TipOrder barbacoa with a Big Red for the full local ritual. Weekend mornings draw the longest lines.
Lucy's Cafe on the north side is a cash-friendly Tex-Mex counter busy at breakfast, where the bean and cheese with bacon taco is the local favourite order.
OrderBean and cheese with bacon, carne guisada taco.
TipThe bean and cheese with bacon is the order locals swear by. Cash-friendly and busy at breakfast.
Mendez Cafe in the South Side is a tex-mex spot San Antonio locals rate, with carne guisada taco in spicy gravy the order to make on a first visit here.
OrderCarne guisada taco in spicy gravy.
TipThe carne guisada taco is the reason to come. It is a small, busy room, so expect a short morning wait.
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