Corn tortillas filled with yellow cheddar, rolled and blanketed in a dark brick-red chili gravy of dried chiles, beef tallow, flour and beef broth. The defining dish of Dallas Tex-Mex, served with rice and refried beans.
Miguel Martinez codified cheese enchiladas with chili gravy at El Fenix in Dallas in the 1920s, adapting a recipe he developed as a cook at the Oriental Hotel. The chili gravy format, distinct from the mole or chile sauce of interior Mexico, became the signature of Dallas and Fort Worth Tex-Mex and spread across every combination-plate restaurant in the state. El Fenix has served the same recipe since 1918.
4 editor picks for Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas with chili gravy in Dallas, ranked by editorial score. All Dallas signature dishes · Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas with chili gravy across every city.
Mia's Tex-Mex ★ 4.3
uptown · 4334 Lemmon Ave, Dallas, TX 75219
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.
Herrera's Cafe ★ 4.2
oak-cliff · 2853 W Illinois Ave, Dallas, TX 75233
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.
El Fenix ★ 4.0
uptown · 1601 McKinney Ave, Dallas, TX 75202
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.
Mariano's Hacienda Ranch ★ 3.8
lakewood · 6300 Skillman St, Dallas, TX 75231
Mariano Martinez invented the frozen margarita machine on May 11, 1971 at his original East Dallas restaurant. Located in Lakewood. Priced at $$.