Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas are corn tortillas filled with yellow cheddar, rolled, and blanketed in a dark brick-red chili gravy made from dried chiles, beef tallow, flour, and beef broth. They are the defining dish of Dallas Tex-Mex, served with rice and refried beans on a warm plate.
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. The original family recipes and the loyal crowd of regulars make this an institution on Lemmon Avenue.
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. The enchiladas here are considered among the most authentic in Dallas.
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 loves.
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. The Skillman location carries that legacy forward with Tex-Mex combination plates and the signature frozen margarita.