Chef, Anastacia Quinoñes, brings her version of Jalisco culture to this West Dallas restaurant. The seafood-heavy menu features seasonal crudo, ceviche, and a Mexican shrimp cocktail as appetizers. For the main, don’t miss the roast chicken with green mole and the camarones a la diabla, which brings a devilish guajillo sauce to delicious fresh shrimp.

Javier’s has been serving Mexico City cuisine to Dallas for 45 years — and setting the bar for Mexican food. With an extensive menu that explores indigenous, Spanish, and Mexican heritages, it’s worth going off the beaten path to order here. Those in the know already know to start with the cheese panela. Try the Mayan Style Pork, which pairs pork tenderloin and spicy chile guajillo sauce, or Cordoniz A La Talla, a quail with spicy chile ancho and garlic sauces.

Tulum’s decor is all about the upscale tourist on the Yucatán Peninsula, but the food takes that region and runs with it. It aims for luxurious and lavish, from the cocktail menu to the standout carne asada with 72-hour sous vide preparation and topped with mole chichilo.

Chef Gino Rojas and the Revolver Taco team expanded into a Gastro Cantina in the summer in Deep Ellum. It offers a mix of their taco menu and the fancier dishes on the tasting menu at the Purepecha Room. Order sopitos tradicionales in corn mesa, stuffed with ground wagyu beef, ground pork, potato, and spices, then topped with lettuce, queso fresco, and salsa. The Enchiladas de Codorniz is also great and stuffed with quail guisado.

Chefs Beto and Julian Rodarte, the father from Durango, Mexico and the son who grew up cooking with his father, wanted to make a Mexican restaurant like no other in Dallas. And it shows in the dishes at this Trinity Groves restaurant, where you can order a traditional dish like pozole rojo alongside stacked enchiladas with a presentation like no other — and the 12-hour barbacoa is the way to go with that plate.

Coco’s is known for its mole. The Jalisco- and Guanajuato-style menu features Pollo Oaxaca, chicken smothered in a creamy white sauce, and the star dish is its mole casero. In a nice touch, many plates and cocktails are served in terra cotta dishes and glassware.

This spot specializes in the dishes of Veracruz, Mexico. Notable dishes include the blue corn enchiladas with all the expected fillings (including a vegetarian option) and a Xalapa-style chile relleno made with shredded chicken or picadillo ground beef, queso fundido, pecans, and raisins. And, of course, the menu has a load of seafood options, from fish tacos to Sopa de Atlahua, a bouillabaisse with fish, shrimp, scallops, and vegetables.

This Oak Cliff seafood mercado serves seafood and Micheladas in the Pacific style. That translates to having a relaxed atmosphere with adventurous dishes, such as the Pulpo Cocktail, a twist on a shrimp cocktail featuring octopus, and mojarra frita, which features a whole fried mojarra fish with rice and sautéed vegetables.