Kyle Green
Cotton and oil production put Dallas, Texas, on the map. While it is still a hub for producing this product, the Big D is more widely known for its infrastructure, finance, and, of course, the Dallas Cowboys.
There’s really no limit to the fun activities and attractions in this city that bring in people from all over the world.
Young entrepreneurs and those seeking nightlife only Texas can offer are drawn to Dallas for the promising opportunities and vast entertainment.
While the encompassing skyline and bustle of the city are attractive, my favorite part about Dallas is the food.
Enriched in Spanish and Mexican culture, the city of Dallas is a hub for all types of Mexican food.
Best Mexican Restaurants in Dallas
- Mi Cocina
- Meso Maya Comida y Copas
- Mariano’s Restaurant
- Javier’s Gourmet Mexicano
- JOSE
- Gabriela’s & Sofia’s Tex-Mex
- El Fenix
- Pepe’s & Mito’s Mexican Cafe
- Mi Dia From Scratch
- E Bar Tex-Mex
- Mia’s Tex Mex
- Desperados Mexican Restaurant Uno
- Avila’s Mexican Restaurant
- Veracruz Cafe
- Velvet Taco
From the brisket tacos at Mia’s Tex Mex to the Filete Pimienta at Javier’s Gourmet Mexicano, Dallas offers authentic Mexican food you don’t want to miss.
Check out my list of the best Mexican restaurants in Dallas below!
Mi Cocina
Multiple Locations
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When you come across a local restaurant with multiple locations, you know it’s going to be a favorite.
Mi Cocina is a bustling Mexican restaurant that serves up only the best for its customers. Did I mention they have legendary margaritas?
Knowing what to order at any Mexican restaurant can become problematic as everything on the menu glows with deliciousness.
However, my go-to dish at Mi Cocina is Ernie’s Chicken. The marinated grilled chicken breast topped with your choice of a sour cream sauce or poblano crema melts in your mouth.
This chicken breast is paired with guacamole, rice, and pico de gallo for the ultimate Mexican dish.
Meso Maya Comida y Copas
3050 S Hulen St Suite A, Fort Worth, TX 76109
Phone: 682-316-8266
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The downtown location of Meso Maya Comida y Copas is reflected in the interior design and menu offerings as this upscale Mexican restaurant takes you on a bold culinary adventure. Reservations are recommended as limited seating fills up fast!
Enjoy the freshly made guacamole as your aperitivo before moving onto the Camaron Quesadilla for the ultimate dining experience.
The fresh guacamole is full of flavor as the serrano peppers mixed with the fresh lime juice give it a fresh kick.
The Camaron quesadilla is bursting with flavor and is complete with goat cheese, pineapple, applewood smoked bacon, tomatoes, onions and served with a side of Rojo and Verde jalapeno salsas.
Mariano’s Restaurant
1609 West Ave, San Antonio, TX 78201
Phone: 210-354-7998
If your Mexican dining style is the authentic hole-in-the-wall type restaurant, Mariano’s Restaurant should be on your list.
The low-key setting of Mariano’s makes you feel like you’re part of the family as the small and quaint dining room ensures an up-close and personal dining experience.
The authentic menu is complete with all your Mexican favorites like enchiladas, quesadillas, and burritos.
My favorite dish to devour at Mariano’s is the Adolfo Plate, a cheese enchilada with carne asada and a side of rice and beans. It doesn’t get more authentic than that!
Javier’s Gourmet Mexicano
4912 Cole Ave, Dallas, TX 75205
Phone: 214-521-4211
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Serving gourmet Mexican food since 1977, Javier’s is an up-scale dining experience you have to try for yourself.
A complete wine menu along with a lounge & cigar bar make Javier’s a destination not only for their food but also for the atmosphere and extras you find along the way.
While I could go on and on about their wine and cigar selection, the authentic Mexican food is what makes this restaurant stand out. While the prices reflect the gourmet cooking style, the taste is well worth it.
Try the Filete Pimienta for a taste of Mexican like you’ve never had before. The certified Angus beef tenderloin filet is sauteed with the chef’s special black pepper sauce and served alongside black beans and vegetables.
Jose
4931 W Lovers Ln, Dallas, TX 75209
Phone: 214-891-5673
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Immersed in Jalisco culture, Jose’s is a fresh take on contemporary Mexican cuisine. With your favorites like salt-rimmed margaritas, seasonal aguachile, and modern Mexican dishes, you’re bound to have a good time and enjoy delicious food at Jose.
While every menu item I have consumed at Jose is one worth writing home to, nothing beats the Torta.
Jose’s Torta consists of toasted telera bread, refried black beans queso fresco, sliced onion, avocado, and Roma tomatoes with your choice of chicken, beef, or pork carnitas.
The freshness of the sliced vegetables mixed with the perfectly seasoned meat and the toasted bread make for a party in your mouth.
Gabriela’s & Sofia’s Tex-Mex
10455 N US 75-Central Expy 1000 #117, Dallas, TX 75231
Phone: 214-647-1033
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When you dine at Gabriela’s & Sofia’s Tex-Mex restaurant in Dallas, you will feel like you’re eating a home-cooked meal right from your mom’s kitchen.
With all your favorite Mexican dishes, this joint is a favorite among locals for homestyle cooking and authentic ingredients.
It doesn’t get more authentic than tacos, which is why my favorite dish at Gabriela’s & Sofia’s Tex-Mex is the Tacos Mi Pueblo.
Three corn tortillas stuffed with chili-garlic chicken and served alongside Mexican rice, charro beans, and avocado slices prove the perfect Tex-Mex dish. Don’t forget to top off your lunch or dinner with a slice of tres leches cake or homemade flan!
El Fenix
Multiple locations
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Another Mexican restaurant that boasts multiple locations in Texas is El Fenix. Maybe it’s their award-winning Margaritas that make them widely known? Or perhaps it’s their homemade soups? Whatever it is that put El Fenix on the map all across Texas, I’m happy it did.
Because El Fenix boasts a wide selection of award-winning margaritas, it’s impossible to enjoy a meal at El Fenix without the original house margarita to wash everything down.
Pair your margarita with a chimichanga, a Tex-Mex classic. El Fenix deep-fries the flour tortilla stuffed with your choice of Picadillo beef or seasoned chicken and then covered with creamy tomatillo sauce or chile con queso.
The classic dish is served with sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, and rice.
Pepe’s & Mito’s
2911 Elm St, Dallas, TX 75226
Phone: 214-741-1901
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Situated on Elm St in Dallas, Pepe’s and Mito’s is another Mexican restaurant to add to your list of places to eat.
The quaint restaurant gives you an authentic southern vibe as the walls are painted with scenes from the streets of Mexico and boast national colors.
With menus for appetizers, soups, Mex-Tex, tacos, lunch, brunch, and housemade plates, knowing what to order is a time-consuming process of elimination.
While making your plate choice is daunting, I always fall back on placing my order from the brunch menu.
The Huevos Rancheros Pepe’s & Mito’s produce is unlike any other as the ranchero sauce spills over into the refried beans, creating a dining delicacy.
Mi Dia From Scratch
3310 Dallas Pkwy, Plano, TX 75093
Phone: 972-403-7474
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If the name doesn’t give it away, the unique and unmatched flavor will. Mi Dia From Scratch produces some of the best made from scratch Mexican dishes known to man.
Voted Top 10 Tex Mex by USA Today, Check Gabriel DeLeon knows how to incorporate traditional Mexican flavors in a modern Texas way to create dishes representing both past and present cultural generations.
One of the more unique offerings on the Mi Dia From Scratch menu is a Santa Fe-inspired Ox Eyes Stacked Enchiladas.
These enchiladas are made with organic blue corn tortillas, filled with beef, cheese & onion, and topped with New Mexico red & green chili sauce and a fried egg. This dish is served with guajillo rice and refried beans.
If the dish’s description wasn’t a mouthful, the dish itself most definitely is.
E Bar Tex-Mex
1901 N Haskell Ave. #120, Dallas, TX 75204
Phone: 214-824-3227
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E Bar Tex-Mex is conveniently located near downtown Dallas for a highly sought-after dining destination.
Not only do they offer a full Mexican dining menu and a full bar, but they also have daily drink specials, making it easy to enjoy a beverage with your meal.
While I am a sucker for a classic margarita, E Bar Tex-Mex makes it tough to pass up their Michelada; also known as a red beer in the midwestern states.
The mixture of beer with fresh lime juice, hot sauce, various spices, and Zing Zang is the perfect way to wake up your tastebuds. Pair your Michelada with an order of fish tacos complete with cilantro lime rice and black beans.
Mia’s Tex Mex
4334 Lemmon Ave, Dallas, TX 75219
Phone: 214-526-1020
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Mia’s Tex Mex attracts your everyday, local customers as well as local celebrities like Dallas Cowboys, film and TV stars, and just about anybody who has heard the gossip surrounding the restaurant.
By offering the highest quality Tex-Mex in a homey atmosphere, founders Butch and Ana Enriquez know how to make a buzz in the Dallas food scene.
With everything from homemade Rellenos to Mama’s Lemon Chicken, Mia’s Tex Mex has a dish waiting for you.
If you haven’t caught on yet, I can’t get enough tacos in my diet. That is why my favorite dish at Mia’s Tex Mex is the brisket tacos.
The two tender brisket tacos are filled with Monterey jack cheese, grilled onions, and poblano peppers, creating the perfect balance of spice and flavor. The tacos are served with brisket gravy, rice, and beans with your choice of flour or corn tortillas.
Desperados Mexican Restaurant Uno
4818 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75206
Phone: 214-363-1850
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With over 40 years of experience dishing up some of the best Mexican cuisine Dallas has to offer, Desperados Mexican Restaurant Uno has made a name for itself. Traditional menu items with a family twist set Desperados apart from other Mexican restaurants.
While my dining menu selection changes every time I dine at Desperados Mexican Restaurant Uno, the one constant I have at this joint is the Deep Fried Latte.
You read that right! Named the most creative deep-fried food at the 2007 State Fair of Texas, this sweet treat consists of a homemade Sopapilla base, cappuccino ice cream, maple syrup, whipped cream, and coffee flakes.
Avila’s Mexican Restaurant
4714 Maple Ave, Dallas, TX 75219
Phone: 214-520-2700
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Avila’s is a family-owned and operated Mexican restaurant that incorporates its Mexican and Texan roots into every dish they serve. This quaint dining spot gives you a cultural dining experience you won’t find elsewhere.
Experience the culture for yourself by enjoying an order of Dan’s Burritos; three flour tortillas filled with beef, beans, and cheese, and topped with queso, lettuce, and pico de gallo.
If you aren’t up for the burrito, try an order of 3 crispy or soft chicken tacos that scream authenticity.
Veracruz Cafe
408 N Bishop Ave #107, Dallas, TX 75208
Phone: 214-948-4746
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Advertising Mesoamerican, Mayan, Muasteco, and Aztec Cuisine, Veracruz Cafe specializes in culinary excellence from the state of Veracruz, Mexico.
The indigenous cuisine that makes up this restaurant’s menu comes from Tex-Mex and Veracruz’s inspiration.
Such menu items include the El Borracho Del Pueblo, a sirloin steak Asado marinated in tequila and lime juice, and the Flautas Azules, three blue corn chicken or beef flautas.
While all menu items are a must to try at some point, I enjoy the Peace Pipe. A foot-long flour tortilla filled with grilled chicken or beef, onion, sweet peppers, mushrooms, and guacamole topped with red sauce and queso fundido.
Velvet Taco
Multiple locations
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Did someone say tacos? Velvet Tacos is known to serve up “tacos without borders” as they produce some of the best tacos in all of Texas. With taco joins all across the United States, Velvet Taco is a must-visit taco destination.
With chicken tacos ranging from buffalo chicken to spicy tikka chicken, and beef offerings like grilled flank steak and slow-roasted Angus brisket, you are bound to find a taco on the menu that screams your name.
They also offer fish, veggie, and pork tacos along with traditional Mexican sides.
Final Thoughts
Whether you prefer traditional Mexican food, or Mexican food with a modern twist, Dallas, TX, is the hub for all types of Mexican food.
From the homey and traditional menu offerings of Mariano’s Restaurant to the nightlife style of E Bar Tex-Mex, you are sure to find a Mexican dining joint that fits your dining style.
After enjoying a Dallas Cowboys game or shopping the downtown streets, stop by one of these Mexican restaurants to satisfy your cravings and embark on an unforgettable dining experience.
If you’ve got a large group coming to dinner in Dallas, check out these amazing private dining rooms in town!
Did we leave a restaurant out of this list? Make sure you leave us a comment, and we’ll check it out!
