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. Her tacos de tacha made the cut for Netflix’s Taco Chronicles and anything on the menu that includes the handmade masa is a must-try.

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.

As with all things Duro Hospitality does, there’s an “ish” at the end of how the team describes the food at El Carlos. “Latin-ish” embraces more than just Mexican cooking, reaching into Indigenous and South American culture for inspiration. But the Mexico City street food, from the machete to the small bite tacos, sits next to high-end dining inspiration from the city nicely on this menu.

Chef Gino Rojas and the Revolver Taco team expanded into a gastro cantina 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.

Don Artemio opened its first American outpost in Forth Worth and promptly became one of the few James Beard nominees in the Metroplex. Eat Northeast Mexican food with a modern flare, such as kid goat, nopales, and red hawthorn. It has an exclusive wine cellar from Coahuila. The Nopalitos Fritos para Tacos (fried cactus tacos) are a must-try. The steak and seafood mains are all modern interpretations of Mexican cooking worth exploring.

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.